Year in Review 2025

• Set New Records in TAG Certifications and TAG Platinum Status 
• Expanded Global Coverage and Collaboration Through TAG’s AdSec Threat Exchange
• Identified €3.45 Billion in Savings from European Anti-Fraud Programs
• Helped Industry Track Wasted and Inefficient Spend Through ANA Quarterly Programmatic Transparency Benchmark
• Demonstrated Progress of Industry-Wide Transparency Efforts in Recovering $13.6 Billion in Ad Spend
• Joined with ANA and 4A’s on Capitol Hill to Advance Responsible Digital Ad Policy 
  
• Advanced Efforts to Tackle CSAM With Briefing for TAG’s Malvertising Threat Exchange 
  
• Demystified Threat Intelligence Through Report for Advertising Community 
  
• Championed Cybersecurity Awareness Month as a National Partner 
  
• Where in the World Was TAG? 

2025 Highlights:

TAG Achieves New High of 326 TAG Seals and Record 34 TAG Platinum Companies 

In March, TAG announced a record 326 Certification Seals had been awarded in 2025 to companies setting industry best practices around fraud, malvertising, brand safety, and transparency. Additionally, a record 34 companies reached TAG Platinum status by achieving three or more Seals. 

TAG’s Certified Against Malvertising program saw particularly significant growth with a 31% increase in seals awarded, from 35 to 46 seals. That growth reflects heightened industry focus on malvertising as a core threat vector and on TAG’s role in defining and enforcing common defenses. 

TAG’s AdSec Threat Exchange Expands Global Threat Intelligence Coverage 

As the advertising industry’s only Intelligence Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO), TAG has long occupied a central role in addressing new and emerging threats. This year TAG expanded those ongoing efforts through its AdSec Threat Exchange, an initiative where digital advertising intermediaries and security vendors share intelligence on the latest threats observed related to malvertising (MTX) and piracy (PTX). 

Active AdSec TX members now share intelligence from more than 11 countries across seven time zones, providing 21.5 hours of human coverage in a typical day. That breadth of participation allows TAG members to detect and respond to malvertising and piracy threats in near real time, regardless of where they emerge. 

TAG Study Identifies €3.45 Billion in Savings for Advertisers from European Anti-Fraud Initiatives

A new study released at Cannes found that the European ad industry’s anti-fraud initiatives prevented €3.45 billion in potential Invalid Traffic (IVT) losses in 2023, reducing those losses by 69% compared to the amount that would have been lost without those programs in place, according to a new study. 

The TAG 2025 European Ad Fraud Savings Report also found that advertisers could unlock an additional €1.075 billion in annual savings if they extended the industry’s current anti-fraud standards across the remaining 24% of spend that is currently unprotected by those standards.

Without the industry’s anti-fraud measures, the IVT rate for all European display and video advertising would have reached approximately 10.36%, or potential annual losses of €5 billion. 

TAG TrustNet Helps Industry Track Progress in Reducing Waste and Inefficient Spend Through ANA Quarterly Programmatic Transparency Benchmark 

On an ongoing basis, TAG TrustNet has been supporting the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in developing and releasing its quarterly Programmatic Transparency Benchmark, which provides a detailed update on the industry’s progress in addressing wasted, misdirected, and inefficient spending.  

The quarterly benchmark includes and tracks a new TrueCPM metric that calculates cost per thousand impressions based only on impressions meeting quality standards (non-IVT, measurable, viewable) and the TrueAdSpend Index, which shows which percent of spending meets industry quality standards.

The ANA benchmark findings are available as a TAG member benefit at no cost through an online platform with real-time dashboards, quarterly trend analyses, and side-by-side performance comparisons. TAG members who share their log-level data through the TAG TrustNet transparency utility can also access a custom Advertiser Benchmark based that enables them to compare their programmatic expenditures against validated industry metrics. 

Most Recent ANA Quarterly Benchmark Demonstrates Success of Industry Transparency Efforts by Recovering $13.6 Billion for Advertisers 

Last month, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) released its Q3 2025 Programmatic Transparency Benchmark showing that continued progress in efficiency, media quality, and supply-chain transparency had helped marketers reclaim $13.6 billion in value. 

Among other highlights from the benchmark, the share of ad spend reaching publishers rose 11% since 2023, reaching 47.1% of total non-CTV spend. In addition, exposure to Made-for-Advertising (MFA) fell below 0.5% for the first time, while more than 50% of benchmark participants now have direct vendor contracts that guarantee ongoing access to log-level data, including always-on data feeds, specified data fields, and clear usage rights. 

The Q3 benchmark also included newly normalized brand safety and suitability metrics for the first time, showing that only 1.32% of spend occurred in high- and medium-risk environments across the web. 

TAG, ANA, and 4As Take to Capitol Hill to Promote Responsible Digital Ad Policy 

Earlier this year, TAG joined with its public policy peers at the ANA and 4As to take part in our industry’s first tripartite Capitol Hill/ADvocacy Day to brief members of Congress and their staff on digital advertising and discuss related policy issues.

Over the course of two days, TAG members participated in panel discussions around timely policy issues, including ad-related threats, piracy, the advertising tax deduction, privacy, and litigation. They also had access to a fireside chat with Katherine White of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and keynotes from Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and John Joyce (R-PA). 

Afterward, participants dispersed on the Hill for more than 15 meetings with staff for members of Congress and Senators on the relevant committees with jurisdiction over advertising and marketing issues.

NCMEC Briefs TAG’s Malvertising Threat Exchange on Combating CSAM 

Hannah Wilk from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) briefed participants in TAG’s Malvertising Threat Exchange (MTX) to ensure those organizations are well-prepared to help combat Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the digital advertising ecosystem. During the briefing, Wilkes discussed the importance of ongoing collaboration with industry groups like TAG and shared best practices for the reporting of CSAM materials, if discovered.

NCMEC, which operates the US CyberTipline, is the legally authorized entity for receiving and acting on reports of suspected CSAM and online child exploitation. As MTX participants may come across CSAM content in ads, via ads redirecting to such content, or through the course of their monitoring and threat-sharing efforts, the briefing discussed NCMEC’s role and the appropriate steps for a MTX member to report that content to NCMEC, if encountered.

TAG Report Demystifies Threat Intelligence for the Advertising Community 

To help marketers and adtech leaders better understand the threat landscape, TAG’s Threat Intelligence team released “Demystifying Threat Intelligence in Digital Advertising,” a report explaining how threat intelligence works and how TAG members can get involved. 

The report defines threat intelligence as knowledge derived from the collection and analysis of data on potential or active threats and describes the three core categories of Tactical Intelligence, Operational Intelligence and Strategic Intelligence. The report also explains how different players of the digital advertising ecosystem can contribute to and benefit from shared threat intelligence. 

TAG Partners with National Orgs on Cybersecurity Awareness Month 

For the fourth consecutive year, TAG served as a Champion for Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Together with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), TAG is helping its members and their businesses stay smart, stay safe, and stay one step ahead of cybercrime.

Throughout October, TAG shared tips and best practices on LinkedIn and X to help members safeguard themselves and their organizations. Industry and public awareness is another way that TAG continues to promote practical cybersecurity guidance as part of its broader mission to reduce ad-related threats across the ecosystem. 

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble Recertify!! 

TAG’s 2025 recertification process is coming soon, so it’s time to start getting ready. Recertification begins on January 1st and ends January 31st. All supporting documents and evidence must be submitted via the TAG member portal.

Watch Todd’s “State of the Fight” After Party to learn more about the process and deadlines. Members with any questions or problems can reach out to at info@tagtoday.com.

Where in the World Was TAG in 2025? 

ANA Media Conference (31st March - 2nd April) Orlando, FL US 
IAB Public Policy & Legal Summit (22nd April) Washington, DC US 
ANA Financial & Management Conference (27th - 30th April) Carlsbad, CA 
Possible (28th - 30th April) Miami, FL US 
Beeler.tech's Navigator (6th May) New York City, NY US
IACC Annual Conference (14th - 15th May) San Diego, CA US 
International Trademark Association Annual Meeting (17th - 21st May) San Diego, CA US 
TAG's NYC Happy Hour (4th June) NYC, NY US 
IAB UK Engage (10th June) London, UK
EUIPO International IP Summit (12th - 13th June) Athens Greece 
Cannes Lions (16th - 20th June) Cannes France
MAD//FEST (1st-3rd July) London UK 
ANA Digital & Social Media Conference (14th-16th July) Carlsbad, CA US 
ANA Measurement and Analytics Conference (8th-10th September) Chicago, IL US 
DMEXCO (September 17th-18th) Cologne Germany 
State of the Fight (8th October) New York City, NY US 
Advertising Week NYC (6th-9th October) New York City, NY US
ANA Masters of Marketing (21-24th October) Orlando, FL US
IACC's Marketplace Advisory Committee Meeting (November 12th) US 
U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center IP Champions Reception (November 18th) Washington D.C, US 
Wult Webinar: The Future of Privacy Compliance: Data Solution for Media & Adtech (November 19th) Online 
National IP Center: Digital Piracy Task Force Inaugural Meeting (November 20th) US

Keep Up-To-Date With The Working Group Brief

TAG's working groups are a crucial source point of conversation and collaboration for digital advertising. Make sure you stay up to date with the latest progress and developments with the Workin Group Brief. 

Read the latest Working Group Brief 👉 tagtoday.net/working-groups

Leverage TAG Research into Your Everyday!

From APAC Fraud Snapshot reports, to UK Brand Safety Consumer reports, to Best Practices whitepapers, TAG's research is here to support our member's day-to-day compliance as well as strategic planning. 

Visit our Data and Insight page 👉 tagtoday.net/insights

Let's Make Some Noise Together 🤝

We love it when TAG members highlight our work together to fight digital ad crime and improve transparency. Please send any TAG-related press releases, blogs, or other announcements to Andrew Weinstein at andrewwstn@gmail.com for review before release.