Jo Reid, Senior Account Manager at ABC, supports clients through their TAG audits on a daily basis. Here, Jo answers the three most commonly asked questions she hears from companies considering gaining an independent audit for their ad fraud processes:
Why should I get independently audited when I’m already self-attesting?
Self-attesting to TAG standards is a great first step; it demonstrates that you’re thinking about the ways you can protect your partners. But if you know that trust and transparency are key motivators for potential clients, doesn’t it make sense to go the full mile to win their business? Think of it from your business partners’ perspective; if you were buying a house, for example, would you accept the seller’s promise the building was structurally sound, or would you prefer an independent survey to ensure your investment was safe? Independent validation goes one step further and delivers powerful reassurance.
In addition, a major benefit of our independent TAG audit is the experience you and your teams gain from the process. Many of our clients tell us that the knowledge acquired by their teams, the streamlined processes implemented as a result, and the resources they now have to communicate complex topics are invaluable bonuses of the audit.
And if you’re still not convinced, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) is committed to third party auditing through GARM (the Global Alliance for Responsible Media). GARM has three areas of strategic focus, one of which is ‘The drive for independent verification and oversight’, as well as an Independent Verification Working Group. So completing an audit prepares you for conversations with global advertisers.
Doesn’t our MRC accredited ad fraud tool cover us?
It’s good practice to use independently certified tools, including those accredited to MRC’s Sophisticated Invalid Traffic Standards. However, implementing technology doesn’t cover all the TAG requirements and you might be leaving yourself open to other fraudulent activities.
Being independently audited to TAG’s anti-fraud standards means we’ve checked that you:
- have a TAG compliance officer who attends certified against fraud training annually
- employ invalid traffic detection and removal
- employ domain threat filtering
- employ data centre IP threat filtering
- employ app threat filtering
- implement a TAG-approved follow the money solution
- implement and honour app.ads.txt and ads.txt
Put these all together and you have a robust defence against online ad fraud.
Isn’t an independent audit really complex?
We understand this concern; with time at a premium, your focus needs to be on what will most benefit your business. The good news is the audit isn’t as complex as you might think. Our experienced audit manager, Clare Langstaff, has written a blog that demystifies the audit so you can see what the process entails.
We’ve also compiled our top tips that will set you up for success as you go through the audit. You’ll also be guided and supported by our expert audit team who are readily available to answer questions throughout the process, aiming to make it as straightforward and non-intrusive as possible.
To discuss the audit and benefits of independent validation further, Jo can be contacted via
