New ad campaign urges advertisers to ‘shelve the silverware’ & demand the IAB Gold Standard

Posted on Tuesday 28 March 2023 | IAB UK

IAB UK has today launched its first advertising campaign calling on marketers to only work with digital advertising suppliers that adhere to the Gold Standard - its multifaceted initiative to improve the digital advertising ecosystem

In a tongue-in-cheek reference to the awards and accolades that are so lauded in the ad industry, the six-week campaign urges marketers to ‘shelve the silverware’ and instead demand the Gold Standard from their media partners. It has been created by TMW Unlimited - with insights powered by its Human Understanding Lab - and encompasses display, social, search and influencer marketing.

The Gold Standard is an IAB initiative that requires certified companies to implement tools to tackle ad fraud; uphold brand safety; improve the online experience for consumers; help businesses comply with GDPR and eprivacy laws; and strengthen supply chain transparency. Find out more about it here.

All IAB UK members that buy and sell digital media can gain Gold Standard certification. While advertisers can’t be certified, the IAB’s latest campaign draws attention to the crucial role that they can play by choosing to prioritise Gold Standard certified companies.

“The Gold Standard has the potential to be the most important driver of positive change in digital advertising, if it’s adopted across the supply chain. With three quarters of advertisers’ spend going into digital channels, it’s imperative that marketers are aware of what the Gold Standard is, why it matters and how to support it,” explains James Chandler, CMO of IAB UK.

“With this campaign, we want to get the Gold Standard on the radar of all major brands in the UK and encourage them to prioritise the companies that are adhering to it. Our industry creates brilliant, boundary pushing creative work - and that should be celebrated - but an obsession with awards is ultimately meaningless if we’re not getting the fundamentals right and jointly upholding core standards. All digital advertisers need to be demanding the Gold Standard as a necessity from their partners.”

The Gold Standard has been positively recognised by policy makers and is central to the industry’s self-regulatory framework, as well as garnering support from other industry bodies.