Steps for Greater Global Media Assurance Discussed at 28th IFABC General Assembly

AMAA

At the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Certification’s 28th General Assembly, 24 media auditing executives from around the world gathered to discuss worldwide assurance solutions in the wake of global media and marketing trends.

“As emerging digital technologies continue to change how marketers and media connect with consumers, the need for independent third-party audits remains critical,” explained IFABC President Pedro Silva, president of IFABC and CEO of the Instituto Verificador de Comunicação in Brazil. “Media auditors play a unique role around the world. This event reinforces that we all have more in common as digital issues and innovations impact consumers, marketing and media across borders.”

The IFABC General Assembly convenes the membership of 28 media audit bureaux from around the world every other year. IFABC delegates identified three of the most critical issues surrounding global media assurance: digital advertising fraud, accountability in digital out-of-home advertising and the need for global collaboration and standards.

The IFABC reviewed services from individual audit organizations to solve these issues, which include:

Implementing Solutions to Fight Digital Advertising Fraud
With digital advertising fraud costing global marketers tens of billions of dollars each year, many audit organizations are implementing new solutions to address this concern in their markets.

ABC UK, for example, audits against JICWEBS standards in brand safety, fraud and viewability. ACPM France also verifies publishers for brand safety, fraud and viewability. BRAT Romania has designed a data management platform for 200 publisher websites to help advertisers run campaigns in a safe, clean online environment. AAM in the U.S. has been developing AAM Quality Certification, which is a comprehensive digital publisher audit that gives marketers assurance that ads are served to human audiences on legitimate sites.

IFABC members also heard updates from the leaders of adjacent industry organizations, including George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the Media Rating Council; Richard Foan, executive director of JICWEBS; and Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers.

“As a lack of transparency threatens to divide the marketing ecosystem, there needs to be a source of collaboration and unity,” Loerke explained. “IFABC members are well positioned to be that source. These organizations bring transparency and clarity to areas of the media ecosystem that are often opaque through independent third-party audits.”

Advancing Audit Assurance in Digital Out-of-Home Advertising
Several audit organizations are implementing audit solutions for out-of-home media as investment continues to grow. Romania, Spain, France and Brazil are each verifying out-of-home campaigns to provide marketers with additional assurance in this emerging field. In the U.S., AAM is auditing cross-media healthcare campaigns in the point-of-care market.

Differentiating Quality Publishers Around the World Through a Global Certified Media List
IFABC members are developing a database of information about the media titles that are audited by participating organizations. This interactive information resource is being designed for advertisers and advertising agencies to understand which media properties are audited globally.

Need for Global Collaboration
With digital issues persisting, and marketers continuing to be challenged by the lack of transparency in the ad trading ecosystem, the audit organizations recognize the collective importance of collaboration to connect marketers with quality publishers worldwide.

“As media channels evolve and connect audiences around the globe, the roles of the IFABC and each bureau as an independent media auditor become even more important,” said Tom Drouillard, CEO of the Alliance for Audited Media and IFABC secretariat. “The trends in individual markets demonstrate that the issues of accountability and transparency reach across borders, and there is a real opportunity for us to work together to provide media assurance for publishers and buyers globally.”

IFABC Elects Executive Board
Pedro Silva, CEO of IVC Brazil, was reelected IFABC president for the 2018-2020 term. Hormuzd Masani, CEO of ABC India, was reelected treasurer, and Tom Drouillard, CEO of AAM in the U.S., was reelected secretariat. The IFABC also elected the executive board and regional presidents to two-year terms:
• Arina Ureche, BRAT Romania
• Iwona Szczesna, ABC Poland
• Simon Redlich, ABC UK
• Josanne Ryan, AMAA Australia (Asia-Pacific regional president)
• Jean-Paul Dietsch, ACPM France (Europe regional president)
• Manuel Sala, OJD Spain (Iberoamerican regional president)

The Alliance for Audited Media hosted the IFABC’s biannual meeting, “Innovation 2018: Advancing Global Media Assurance,” on Nov. 13-15, 2018 in San Francisco, California. The 29th IFABC General Assembly will be held in Vienna by Österreichische Gemeinschäft zur Festsellung (OAK) Austria in 2020.

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About the IFABC
The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Certification (IFABC) is a voluntary federation of industry-sponsored organisations that have been established in nations throughout the world. IFABC members have a common commitment to the accurate and transparent reporting of comparable print and new media performance data. Its aim is to work with national and international organisations in any way that constructively supports the work of its members. The Federation seeks to encourage and facilitate the exchange of experience and best practice between member organisations, and is committed to working towards a greater standardisation and uniformity in the reporting of circulations and other data. For more information, visit ifabc.org.

Date: 11 Jan 2019