What do you think is the biggest problem in ad tech? 

Some might say the loss of revenue, others might say privacy concerns that create increased signal loss and more difficult audience targeting, and I’m sure there are a host more issues to list off. However, many problems in the industry are linked to a lack of transparency in the supply chain, says Claire Atkin, Co-founder and CEO of Check My Ads. 

Digital advertising, long been plagued by a lack of transparency, allows bad actors to profit from spreading disinformation and extremism online. In a recent keynote session, Atkin warned that publishers and advertisers should address these issues and restore trust in digital advertising.

“If advertisers are given the opportunity to have control over their ads, we will actually have a media system that works for you,” shared Atkin. 

Without more transparency, advertisers don’t know where their ads are showing up, often supporting the very things they want to avoid.

Beyond supply chain issues, Atkin highlighted how digital advertising hurts quality journalism by diverting funds to low-quality, disinformation-filled sites. To address this, she encourages publishers to build direct relationships with advertisers and boost their brand strength, aiming to restore trust and realign incentives in the industry.

Check My Transparent Supply Chain

The opaque nature of digital advertising has devastatingly impacted publisher revenue. As Atkin pointed out, many advertisers are blissfully unaware of their ad placements. “Our ads are off the asshole of the internet,” one executive confessed after Check My Ads audited their campaigns. 

This lack of visibility and control has allowed unscrupulous actors to profit at the expense of legitimate publishers. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars could be in your bank account daily, but it’s not — it’s going to fund chaos, not just disinformation, but useless stuff,” Atkin said. The systematic defunding of quality journalism results from advertisers’ inability to monitor and govern their ad placements effectively. 

Atkin urges publishers to build direct brand relationships to combat this trend rather than relying on intermediaries. If advertisers control their ad placements, Atkin believes publishers will have a media system that works for them. By strengthening their brand equity, publishers can attract advertisers willing to pay a premium to be associated with trusted, high-quality content — a strategy that could help realign incentives and restore financial viability to the news industry. 

Check My Disinformation

Unfortunately, digital advertising has inadvertently become a breeding ground for disinformation and extremism. The very structure of the ad tech industry has created perverse incentives that allow bad actors to profit from the spread of harmful narratives, explained Atkin.

“Around every politician that is politically advancing due to disinformation and hate, there is now a donut of Grifters making money off those same narratives,” Atkin said.

Since brands lack visibility into some of their ad placements, they have unwittingly funded websites and individuals peddling conspiracy theories, hate speech, and outright lies. Atkin’s organization, Check My Ads, works to identify and defund these malicious actors, successfully targeting prominent figures like Dan Bongino and Steve Bannon.

Addressing the root of the problem, Atkin argued that the ad tech industry must embrace a new era of accountability and transparency. She advocates for hourly log-level data and “know your customer” requirements to empower advertisers and help them monitor their placements, ensuring purveyors of disinformation are not co-opting their brand messaging. 

By realigning the incentives within the supply chain, publishers and advertisers can start reconfiguring digital advertising from a conduit for misinformation to a force for supporting quality journalism and democratic discourse. 

All in all, this will create a healthier supply chain that allows publishers and advertisers to get the most bang for their buck.

The post Check My Ads, Check My Transparency, and Check My Disinformation: Notes From AdMonsters Publisher Forum Boston appeared first on AdMonsters.

This month we’ve seen all types of celebrations, parades, and street festivals worldwide to commemorate queer culture. However, there are certain ugly truths about how the LGBTQ community is treated that many are unaware of, and one of those awful truths happens to live in the worlds of advertising and ad tech.

There’s a really complicated relationship between advertisers/ad tech companies and the LGBTQ community and media. Throughout the month of June, we saw many brands rainbow wash their logos and packaging, but wondered whether those companies were working to implement change and stop bias towards the LGBTQ community?

Are those brands using their ad dollars to support LGBTQ media companies that provide a voice for a community that is often underrepresented?

The short answer is not usually, which is an age-old issue that the advertising ecosystem needs to address.

Brands are not really allocating ad spend to LGBTQ media, so their reach is not extending as far as it can. They’re shooting themselves in the foot because the very audiences they are avoiding, are the same communities that would most likely buy their products. According to The Pride Co-op, LGBTQ spending surpassed $1.4 trillion in 2021. That’s a whole lot of money being left on the table.

And even when advertisers are committed to spending their budgets in these communities, a few ad tech companies (and their technologies) have made it difficult for those dollars to freely flow through the pipes.

LGBTQ Publishers Face Ad Tech Rejection

For years, LGBTQ media companies have struggled to monetize their traffic. While most of these issues are related to LGBTQ content being inappropriately blocklisted, some ad tech companies have flat out refused to work with LGBTQ publishers.

In 2020, CheckMyAds Co-Founder Nandini Jammi wrote about how five ad tech companies refused to work with Salty, an independent newsletter magnifying women, trans, and non-binary voices. 

From her point of view, there was no justifiable reason behind any of their decisions. Today, Salty is still calling some of them out by name.

Reminder that @criterio rejected @saltyworld for advertising as we didn’t “adhere to their community guidelines”. https://t.co/hlqNZiXgOq

— Salty (@Saltyworldbabes) June 17, 2022

And it doesn’t look like much has changed since.

“As far as I know, the situation is still the same for LGBTQ publishers; LGBTQ and other marginalized publishers face an uphill battle when it comes to entering the digital advertising industry,” says Jammi. 

There's a real disconnect between advertisers — who want to reach diverse audiences — and what ad exchanges are actually monetizing.

“Many of them are developing incredible communities, and inclusive environments — the sort of environment most national brands would be excited to sponsor. But the ad tech companies they depend on are notorious gatekeepers, making it difficult for advertisers to connect with these quality communities. There’s a real disconnect between advertisers — who want to reach diverse audiences — and what ad exchanges are actually monetizing,” she adds.

Keyword Blocklists Take an L

As if that wasn’t enough, advertisers — with a heightened sense of anxiety around brand safety since the pandemic and racially-charged social unrest — have inadvertently (or not) turned up the heat on prejudicial keyword blocking.

Adverse blocking is a process that keeps ads from running alongside certain content. It is an issue that continues to plague LGBTQ media and negatively affects the community. Blocklists are a list of words, found in any piece of content, that are usually deemed unfriendly by advertisers.

“Saying ‘lesbian’ is a death sentence to advertisers,” Orlando Reece, CEO of Pride Media, told NBC news. 

Words like lesbian and reproductive health are usually blocked, thus stunting publishers’ ability to grow and monetize their audiences. Last year, 65% of what tech firm Oracle considers progressive media was blocked by a standard blocklist, including LGBTQ content. Lesbian, gay, trans, pandemic, and politics are terms that were all blocked.

Ad tech company, Teads, conducted a study on a sample size of 10 different campaigns and found that 50% included blocking words that discriminate against the LGBTQ community. In some cases, the situation has extended beyond blocklist to full-out categories.

LGBTQ pubs also have a hard time retaining investments. 

Ad Tech Vendors Helping LGBTQ Pubs

Fortunately, ad tech companies are working towards getting ad dollars into LGBTQ publishers’ pockets. Colossus SSP, for example, is a supply-side platform that presents a diverse marketplace and enables brands of all sizes to connect with multicultural, underrepresented, and general market audiences at scale.

As a minority-owned SSP, they take pride in opening the floodgates for diversity within programmatic advertising. Currently, they work with LGBTQ pubs like Revry and Pinkmedia.lgbt.

“Colossus SSP has a strong focus on supporting the underrepresented publishing community,” says Anthony Dominguez, Director, Publisher Development, Multicultural at Colossus SSP. 

“So, we actively recruit LGBTIQ publishers to join our roster. Not all of these publishers are large in reach, but they target a vital audience that our brand clients recognize as valuable. In turn, we provide these publishers with the technology, access to premium programmatic ad spend, and expert sales and operational, programmatic consultation.”

The Gay Ad Network also works to connect pubs to ad spend by delivering targeted display, video, and native ads across popular LGBTQ websites and dating apps. Gay Ad Network is gay owned and operated and is a Nation Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce certified LGBT Business Enterprise.

What Does the Future Look Like for LGBTQ Publishers?

Despite the constant pushback and laundry list of dilemmas hindering monetizing LGBTQ publishers, there is still much opportunity in the future, both in programmatic and direct-sold.

Strides have been made. Today, you see a lot more advertising creative featuring LGBTQ people. Many more brands are committing higher percentages of their budgets toward underrepresented media. And effective ad targeting techniques are directly reaching LGBTQ audiences. But often, LGBTQ media is still being bypassed and not receiving any of those programmatic dollars.

“Democratizing programmatic starts with education, intention, and access starting with the agency/demand side,” Dominguez explains. “At the same time, it is critical to empower LGBTQ publishers with the necessary resources for them to succeed.”

The post The Ugly Truth Behind Advertising & Ad Tech’s Relationship With LGBTQ Media appeared first on AdMonsters.