So, Google’s adding a lot more display ads to its inventory by allowing ad tags from approved third-parties. Apparently they’re now able to effectively review the content of third-party tags to ensure it meets their quality and editorial guidelines.
If Google’s accepting any tags from a third-party ad server, then this is truly an accomplishment – since most third-party ad servers (including the ones on Google’s approved list) let you traffic in and serve third-party ad tags. So Google AdSense might serve a DART tag which might serve an Atlas tag which might serve a tag from some obscure ad serving system none of us have ever heard of, which then selects the final image to display. And that image might vary based on geographic location, time of day, phase of the moon, whether the user’s coming from a Google-owned IP… you name it. And therefore the same games all shady advertisers play with ad servers will suddenly become playable on Google’s content network.
More than likely Google’s not really accepting all third-party tags from an ad server – instead, they’ll only accept ad tags for ads hosted and served (and therefore strictly controlled) by that ad server. This reduces the potential for shadiness, but it doesn’t eliminate it. A lot of funky stuff can be hidden in a Flash creative.
One wonders if the certification process will truly be open to all who can meet the requirements or whether Google will get a little anti-competitive and either keep out the Microsofts and Yahoos of the world or make the certification so onerous they’d have to give up confidential information.
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