Anti-Fraud Organizations TAG and JICWEBS to Merge

Anti-fraud and brand safety organizations the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) and the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) are to merge under the TAG brand name.

US-based TAG was created by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and focuses on four areas: eliminating fraudulent digital ad traffic, combating malware, fighting ad-supported Internet piracy, and promoting brand safety through greater transparency. JICWEBS is a UK organisation, formed by trade bodies the Association of Online Publishers (AOP), IAB UK, News Media Association, ISBA and the IPA, to define best practice and standards for online ad trading. For the past two years, the two organizations have aligned many of their key initiatives to tackle major issues facing digital advertising, with JICWEBS offering TAG Registration and introducing TAG's Certified Against Malware and Certified Against Piracy initiatives into the UK; while merging its existing anti-fraud initiatives into TAG's Certified Against Fraud program.

Post-merger, the organization will combine the JICWEBS Digital Trading Standards Group (DTSG) with TAG's Inventory Quality Guidelines (IQG) Program into a global brand safety certification program. Mike Zaneis, current President and CEO of TAG, will serve as Chief Executive Officer for the combined organization, while JICWEB's CEO Jules Kendrick will take the new role of Managing Director of UK and Europe. The merger will be completed in early September 2020.

Kendrick says the union will make it easier for every company in the supply chain to adopt the standards necessary to protect themselves and their customers. Zaneis adds: 'This merger will ensure that companies around the world and across the supply chain can focus their efforts on a single trusted set of self-regulatory standards that address fraud, malware, piracy, and brand protection. From Manhattan to Manchester, Madrid to Macao, and Mumbai to Melbourne, every company in digital advertising can comply with TAG's standards'.

Web sites: www.tagtoday.net and www.jicwebs.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.