New Collaborative Initiative To Build a Trustworthy Supply Chain, Encouraging Marketers and Media Buyers To Further Invest in Interactive Marketing

NEW YORK, NY (September 30, 2014) — Today at the IAB MIXX Conference, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s), Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced their plans to create a first-of-its-kind cross-industry accountability program designed to fight ad fraud, malware and the piracy of intellectual property head-on, while also increasing marketplace transparency. This new collective organization will build upon the initial work laid out by the IAB Trustworthy Digital Supply Chain Initiative.

Established as a jointly controlled body, with its own board and leadership, the organization will operationalize principles around the critical issues that face the industry in this arena. Once officially launched, the program will monitor the ecosystem for compliance and develop incentives for broad industry participation and consequences for untrustworthy actors.

“Criminal activity threatens to erode trust in the digital ecosystem,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. “Quality, original content is not sufficiently protected against the threats of fraudulent traffic, malware attacks, and IP piracy, and it is time that publishers, marketers and agencies stand together to combat these dangerous forces as a unified entity.”

“The ANA, 4A’s, and IAB have a strong track record in successfully working together for the greater good of the industry at large,” said Bob Liodice, President and CEO, ANA. “Between our collective work in the creation of the Digital Advertising Alliance, and our success in creating viewability metric standards through the Making Measurement Make Sense initiative, together we have the ability to move the digital arena forward. This new compliance program puts us on an exciting path to ensuring a better, more transparent supply chain that will increase the effectiveness of marketers’ digital campaigns.

“Together we can continue to rebuild the trust that is necessary for the interactive marketing industry to thrive,” said Nancy Hill, President and CEO, 4A’s. “Self-regulation is only as strong as the accountability program that ensures its implementation, and all of our trade groups’ resources are required in order to guarantee this new compliance organization’s ability to eradicate criminal activity.”

For more information on the new cross-industry compliance organization, please visit www.iab.net/trustworthy_supply_chain.

About the 4A’s
The American Association of Advertising Agencies is the national trade association of advertising agencies providing leadership, advocacy, guidance and education for its members who comprise virtually all of the large, multinational agencies and hundreds of mid-to-small size agencies around the country. For more information, visit the 4A’s Web site at http://www.aaaa.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or join our LinkedIn group.

About the ANA 
The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) provides leadership that advances marketing excellence and shapes the future of the industry. Founded in 1910, ANA's membership includes more than 630 companies with 10,000 brands that collectively spend over $250 billion in marketing and advertising. The ANA pursues “collaborative mastery” that advances the interests of marketers and promotes and protects the well-being of the marketing community. For more information, visit http://www.ana.net, follow us on Twitter, or join us on Facebook.

About the IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. It is comprised of more than 650 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling, distributing and optimizing digital advertising and marketing. Together, they account for 86 percent of online advertising in the United States. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. The organization is committed to professional development, elevating the knowledge, skills, and expertise of individuals across the digital marketing industry. The IAB also educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City.

IAB Media Contact
Laura Goldberg
347.683.1859
laura.goldberg@iab.net

4As Media Contact:
Rose Levy
202.262.1635
rose.levy@havasww.com

ANA Media Contact:
Duke Fanelli
212.455.8030
dfanelli@ana.net