Lobbying for Better MFA Content Understanding
Publishers affiliated with the Brand Safety Institute (BSI) are lobbying measurement firms to better understand how platforms flag MFA (Made-For-Advertising) content. They aim to launch a "publisher portal" to help media owners understand and avoid being flagged by vendors like DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.
The Issue with MFA Content
MFA content has become a significant concern in the digital media landscape, costing marketers up to $10 billion annually. The lack of consensus on what constitutes MFA complicates the issue, with some differentiating between "made for advertising" and "made for arbitrage" websites.
Industry Guidelines and Concerns
The 4A's issued guidelines last year to help media agencies evaluate MFA content. However, these guidelines overlap with legitimate publishers' practices, causing confusion and concern among publishers. The industry is debating whether to adopt a "sledgehammer or scalpel approach" to tackle MFA issues.
Efforts by Measurement Firms
Measurement firms like DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science have launched products to monitor MFA content more effectively. However, publishers still face challenges as they often don't know how they are being classified or why they are flagged as MFA.
BSI's Publisher Portal Initiative
BSI's Publisher Council, representing major media organizations, is pushing for a "publisher portal" to provide transparency on how platforms classify web domains. This portal aims to help publishers understand and address their classification issues.
Challenges and Concerns
There are concerns about how the portal will protect intellectual property and how granular the feedback should be. Some fear that previous MFA guidelines were being abused by publishers trying to avoid being flagged.
Conclusion
The initiative to create a publisher portal is gaining traction, with hopes to have a proof-of-concept ready by the end of the year. This portal aims to provide much-needed transparency and help publishers navigate the complexities of MFA content classification.
