• by February 15, 2008

MediaPost's correction on a story regarding Adify's IAB Ad Measurement Guidelines Certification points out that the IAB does not audit advertising solutions itself -- rather, third party auditors conduct the process and the report is sent to IAB when certification is granted to the advertising solution. What's lost in the discussion is the process by which companies are audited to achieve certification to IAB standards, and the reason why online advertising solutions providers submit themselves to this long and arduous process.

There is a common misconception that the process is one where the IAB certifies -- this is technically incorrect, as the IAB does not actually certify any organization. Adify completed the IAB Ad Measurement Guidelines audit and certification process through third-party auditor IM Services Group, demonstrating that our processes are transparent and that our ad measurements are validated per the guidelines established by the IAB. Only 14 companies have successfully completed the IAB Ad Measurement Certification process (http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443/campaign_measurement_audit).

According to Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB, "We applaud Adify on its recent achievement, and we encourage any organization to be audited by a recognized third-party auditor against the IAB's Ad Campaign Measurement and Audit Guidelines. Adify has shown its commitment to transparency by completing a rigorous auditing process based on the IAB's guidelines and conducted by a third party. This effort by Adify and the other organizations is a welcome step in advancing the state of the industry as we strive for the highest levels of transparency and validity."

The IAB provides information on third-party auditors that certify compliance with their guidelines. In June, 2007, Adify embarked on an arduous six-month audit with IM Services to ensure our processes and technologies were in compliance with the IAB guidelines. IM Services' completion of the audit and certification of Adify in December, 2007, proved that our advertisers, publishers and network builders can rely upon the ad measurement reports Adify provides.

Richard Bennett, CEO of IM Services Group, adds: "IM Services performed a successful comprehensive audit to validate that Adify's technical ad serving, measurement, product development, internal control and operational trafficking processes conform to the IAB's Interactive Audience Measurement and Advertising Campaign Reporting and Audit Guidelines. IM Services also provides audit services for numerous interactive companies, including such notables as AOL, Mediaplex, Microsoft, and Yahoo! We are pleased to recommend Adify as having completed their audit for the IAB Ad Measurement Guideline Certification process."

Adify is proud to be one of only 14 companies that currently have its processes fully transparent and ad measurement results validated through this independent and industry standard audit. It is crucial that the industry rely on facts such as the IAB's published list of companies that have completed the process and, if requiring more proof of compliance and certification, request the name of the independent auditor from either the IAB or the company itself.