Publishers Gain New Insights into Buyer Evaluations of Data Practices
The digital publishing landscape is akin to a delicate balancing act, where appearing on the naughty list could spell disaster for many. Publishers find themselves constantly under scrutiny and vulnerable to being flagged for various issues ranging from media quality to brand safety and keyword blocklisting.
This oversight can lead vendors to compile and sell lists of made-for-advertising (MFA) sites or other subpar domains, targeting those with poor data hygiene or using overlapping, frequently refreshing ad units. Unfortunately, publishers often remain oblivious to their standing on these blocklists and have minimal visibility into their scores—unless they fork over cash to access the information.
Fortunately, a significant shift has occurred in the realm of publisher evaluations. The Brand Safety Institute (BSI) launched a free dashboard in March, allowing participating publishers to view their evaluations from these vendors. Just recently, BSI announced an expansion to this dashboard, incorporating new assessments centered on media quality that extends beyond the original MFA blocklists.
Compliant: Redefining Publisher Transparency
The latest addition, Compliant, offers an invaluable glimpse into its Data Integrity Index, previously known as the Publisher Compliance Index. This index ranks publishers on a 100-point scale, assessing key areas such as:
- Data privacy practices
- Consent management
- Data hygiene
- The number of active vendor tags on their sites, and
- The effectiveness in preventing user data exposure.
Moreover, Compliant evaluates whether publishers engage with data brokers or resellers, and if they share user data across international borders—essential factors in today’s data privacy landscape. Impressively, Compliant claims to review 96% of US publishers and 92% of sites globally.
As of today, around 30 publishers representing 1,500 domains have registered to use BSI’s dashboard, with additional vendors planned for future inclusion.
The Importance of Data Practices
In today’s environment, where consumer trust is more fragile than ever and data privacy regulations tighten, understanding data practices has transitioned from a means to an end to an essential necessity. Kevin Freemore, SVP of Media, Technology, and Data at the 4A’s, emphasizes this urgency: “Publishers need to demonstrate their commitment to ethical data handling, and actionable metrics are the key to doing so.”
Alongside Compliant’s visibility into its index, Jounce Media has joined the initiative, now providing insights into its Cheap Reach and Untrusted media scoring.
Decoding Jounce Media’s Metrics
Jounce’s Cheap Reach metric provides publishers with a risk score based on inventory viewability. Publishers can lose points when carrying an excessive ad load or occupying less-than-ideal placements. Meanwhile, the Untrusted metric evaluates if a site has been flagged for issues like copyright infringement, illicit content, or inventory misrepresentation. Together, these assessments contribute to Jounce’s overall media risk scoring, presented on a scale of 0-100.
Transparency Breeds Quality
The road to enhanced media quality is paved with transparency, as Compliant’s co-founder and CEO, Jamie Barnard, underscores that these assessments aim to help buyers discover high-quality inventory rather than punishing publishers. “We approach this as: How should media buyers search for quality as we move away from outdated metrics like click-through rates and CPMs?” he poses.
To navigate these changes effectively, Compliant is embracing the curation trend, collaborating with Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) and Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) to offer curated Private Marketplace (PMP) deals based on Data Integrity Index scores. However, Barnard warns of the potential risks for legitimate publishers: “While we want to serve buyers, we also want to ensure that legitimate players aren’t cut off financially.”
The current climate shows publishers grappling with falling referral traffic and declining ad revenues, leading more executives to consider alternative avenues for monetizing their user data just to remain afloat. “The current methods of data monetization are problematic… It’s not a matter of bad intentions; it’s simply the nature of the industry,” Barnard admits.
Conclusion: The Future is Here
As the digital advertising space evolves, transparency and quality assessments are vital for maintaining brand trust in an increasingly complex marketplace. Tools like BSI’s dashboard and data integrity assessments from Compliant and Jounce are not merely options—they are necessities for publishers aiming to thrive in a competitive ecosystem. By adopting these practices, publishers can position themselves as trustworthy partners in the eyes of advertisers and consumers alike, paving the way for a more ethical and effective digital marketplace.
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