Ad Industry Leaders Launch Partnership

A consortium of ad industry associations and companies have launched a new initiative, the Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media, which aims to 'advance and protect' areas like digital media customization and analytics, while 'safeguarding privacy and improving consumer experience'.

The body's governing group includes trade bodies the 4A's, ANA, IAB, the Network Advertising Initiative and the World Federation of Advertisers; major advertisers Ford, General Motors, IBM, Procter & Gamble and Unilever; agencies Publicis Media and UM (part of IPG Mediabrands); publisher NBCUniversal; and ad tech firms Adobe, LiveRamp, MediaMath and The Trade Desk.

The initiative, led by the ANA's Bill Tucker as Executive Director, will commence with four working groups looking to develop consensus-based standards, technologies and policies. The four are Business Practices; Technical Standards (continuing work by IAB Tech Lab); Privacy, Policy, and Legal; and Communications & Education. The working groups will engage participants from across the digital advertising ecosystem and around the world.

In addition to Tucker, who will continue to serve as Group EVP at the ANA, industry veteran Michael Donnelly will take a key role on the Partnership team, bringing experience from senior marketing roles at Mastercard, Coca-Cola, and Johnson & Johnson. IAB Tech Lab President Dennis Buchheim will oversee the Partnership's technical standards efforts, while Stu Ingis, Chairman of Venable LLP, will lead the legal and policy working group.

Tucker says of the new group: 'In the ancient story of the Tower of Babel, the city collapsed because its inhabitants lost the ability to speak a common language. The digital advertising industry faces a comparable challenge around addressability today, as recent changes announced by operating systems, browsers, and other technologies, if implemented, will significantly impact the traditional marketplace language of cookies and mobile IDs. The Partnership was created to serve as a collaborative forum for our industry to ensure addressability standards that preserve privacy, provide a consistent and effective framework for advertisers, and enrich the consumer experience'.

World Federation of Advertisers CEO Stephan Loerke adds: 'We believe that it is crucial for the global advertising industry to work together and focus on using data in a positive way to create a better, more sustainable future for online advertising. This means improving the way we use data to reduce consumer annoyance and bombardment, preventing bad actors from profiting from digital advertising and creating the right conditions for a diverse and effective advertising ecosystem to thrive in all markets'.

More information about the partnership, including its six guiding principles, can be found at www.responsibleaddressablemedia.com .