Why the IAB Brand Safety Gold Standard Matters to dentsu Ireland
At dentsu Ireland, delivering accountable, high‑quality advertising for our clients is central to everything we do. That is why we view the IAB’s Brand Safety Gold Standard not as a box‑ticking exercise, but as a critical framework for building trust, transparency, and long‑term value across the digital advertising ecosystem.
The Gold Standard plays a vital role in reducing ad fraud, strengthening supply chain transparency, and ensuring ads appear only in safe, trusted environments. Through requirements such as TAG Brand Safety Certification and adherence to key industry initiatives, including ads.txt, buyers.json, and the DemandChain Object, the framework helps protect brand reputation while improving the overall consumer experience. Its widespread adoption across the UK and Ireland reinforces a shared industry commitment and gives us confidence that the partners we work with are held to the same rigorous standards our clients expect.
Keeping Pace With a More Complex Ecosystem
As digital advertising continues to evolve, the Gold Standard has expanded to reflect new challenges and opportunities. Its recent extension into Connected TV (CTV) and retail media brings much‑needed standardisation to two of the fastest‑growing channels in the market. Consistent standards are essential to ensure quality, transparency, and accurate measurement as investment in these environments accelerates.
The introduction of new sustainability‑focused requirements, such as limiting inefficient ad refresh rates, is another important development. These measures help reduce unnecessary carbon impact while maintaining campaign performance, an increasingly important consideration for brands and agencies alike.
Improving the Consumer Advertising Experience
The Gold Standard also supports a better online experience for consumers through the adoption of the Coalition for Better Ads standards. These global standards are built on extensive consumer research and cross‑industry collaboration, with the aim of reducing intrusive and disruptive ad formats. By aligning with these principles, the industry can improve user experience while maintaining the effectiveness of digital advertising.
Best Practice in Video Advertising
As part of our commitment to the Gold Standard, dentsu Ireland actively promotes best practice in in-stream video advertising, including adherence to IAB Tech Lab Video Signals.
In line with IAB specification 7.10.1.1, compliant in-stream video placements should:
- Be served within video content that users have intentionally chosen to watch
- Have sound enabled by default, or demonstrate clear user intent
- Remain the primary focus of the page, with no competing audible video players in view
Where video players transition to floating or sticky formats, updated video signals should accurately reflect changes in player size. Clear and consistent standards help protect user experience and ensure transparency across publishers, platforms, and buyers.
Strengthening Transparency Across the Supply Chain
Dentsu Ireland supports the IAB Tech Lab’s Ad Creative ID Framework (ACIF) 1.0, which represents an important step toward greater consistency and transparency in digital advertising. A standardised creative framework improves collaboration between advertisers, agencies, publishers, and technology partners, enabling clearer verification, stronger governance, and better accountability across the supply chain.
We also support the IAB Tech Lab’s VAST CTV Addendum (2024) and its role in strengthening standards for Connected TV advertising. As CTV continues to grow rapidly, aligned technical standards are critical to ensuring high‑quality ad delivery, accurate measurement, and a more trusted CTV marketplace.
In audio, we support the IAB Tech Lab Podcast Measurement Guidelines, which aim to bring greater consistency and transparency to podcast advertising. Strong, shared measurement standards are essential for building trust and alignment across the audio ecosystem.
Transparency in Ad Refresh and Sustainability
Finally, dentsu Ireland supports the IAB Tech Lab’s RefSettings initiative, introduced as part of OpenRTB 2.6. RefSettings provides a standardised way for publishers to declare ad refresh behaviour within the bidstream, giving buyers clearer visibility into how and when impressions are refreshed. This transparency supports better decision‑making, improved user experience, and a more efficient and accountable programmatic ecosystem.
A Commitment Beyond Compliance
Supporting the IAB Brand Safety Gold Standard is not just about compliance for dentsu Ireland. It is about demonstrating leadership, protecting our clients’ investment, and helping to build a cleaner, safer, and more transparent digital advertising environment for the long term.
We encourage all participants in the Irish digital ecosystem to sign up and support this vital initiative.
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