P&G's Pritchard is Half-Right. Standards Are Only a Start
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Marc Pritchard’s calls to hold digital advertising accountable are long overdue, brave and heard. It is a great start, but only a partial solution. Without a broader view, this path could lead to a less efficient and more dangerous ecosystem.
I agree with the chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble. Enforcement of Media Rating Council’s viewability standard, campaign verification by MRC-accredited third parties, and transparency in agency contracts is a must. Having a self-regulatory organization — Trustworthy Accountability Group in this case — is critical if their authority is to be respected. The rules, developed by TAG, the MRC and the IAB are all beneficial. Yet, they have often been ignored because these organizations hold no enforcement authority. Both publishers and advertisers have skirted the standards to complete a campaign or hit a target. This needs to stop.
What is most critical to an advertiser is ROI. This is the promise of digital advertising in the first place. The clear ability to measure the efficacy of spend is what makes digital special — in theory. However, if a brand spends $1 billion on viewable ads, and consumers never engage, are they doing much better than spending it on nonviewable inventory or fraud?
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