Ad verification is a misunderstood service. Have you ever noticed that on most advertising ecosystem landscapes, ad verification typically sits off to the demand side (i.e. the advertiser’s)?
Ad verification is not a singular, uniform service. Just like there are demand side and supply side performance platforms, there are ad verification solutions which cater to either section of the advertising ecosystem grid.
The typical explanation for ad verification is that it ensures that every ad impression is a compliant, quality impression and is served and displayed as intended. This explanation falls in line with what a demand-side ad verification solution offers – which is among others, viewability, click fraud and attribution transparency. Yet, this explanation leaves out the other part of the picture, the ad verification solution oriented towards the supply side, the publisher.
These supply-side ad verification solutions are built to safeguard the publisher-visitor (user) relationship and make sure that the user is protected from jarring, unnerving, and potentially harmful experiences. They provide security protection and automated ad quality enforcement for the publisher. Issues like, malware and poor ad quality “bad ads” – what contribute to the breakdown of the publisher-visitor (user) relationship – are prevented and guarded against.
We need a new advertising ecosystem landscape designed, one that clearly shows the double, and vital, role of ad verification.