More transparency and security in the Swiss digital market
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M&K Why did you start a new club? Aren't there already enough clubs and associations?
ROLAND EHRLER Every association is founded for a specific purpose. With Digital Ad Trust, we are creating a shared platform to promote greater transparency and security in the Swiss digital market.
In the end, establishing the organization was the logical step to give our joint activities their own name and legal status. Furthermore, the three associations are demonstrating that they are very serious about their commitment!
Are there similar certifications for publishers in other countries as well?
Yes, in Belgium or France. On the SWA’s part, the global «Global Media Charter» initiative inspired us to become more active in this area. Our global association, the WFA (World Federation of Advertisers), drafted eight requirements as early as 2018 to protect advertisers and consumers. The new certifications meet some of these requirements.
How do you encourage publishers and platforms to get certified?
With Ringier and Goldbach Audience, we already had two publishers representing IAB Switzerland on the project team for this initiative. In addition, we had been in dialogue with other publishers for some time. Ultimately, the certification should meet the needs of clients, agencies, and commercial website operators. It is our stated goal that more publishers and commercial platforms will seek certification in the coming months. It should be in the interest of all providers to use the certificates now available to guarantee that advertisers’ budgets are well spent.
One more thing about pricing. How was it determined, and are there differences between larger and smaller websites?
First and foremost: Digital Ad Trust Switzerland has no profit goals, and all board members serve on a volunteer basis. For pricing, we primarily calculated the costs associated with certification and distinguished between large publishers/networks and smaller providers. We set the threshold between “small” and “large” at one million visits per month. Furthermore, the new association does not need to maintain an office but works exclusively with Daniel Hünebeck as project manager. He has extensive experience in the digital market and has been on board since the launch of our transparency initiative.
