Encore champions IAB Gold Standard 2025: Raising the bar for digital advertising
At Encore, transparency and sustainability aren’t buzzwords they’re how we do business. That’s why we’ve been long time supporters of the IAB UK Gold Standard, a framework that unites the industry around better ad experiences, brand safety and accountable supply chains. With the Gold Standard’s 2025 update now live, we’re reaffirming our commitment and mapping out the steps we’ll take to align with the new requirements.
A quick refresher: what is the IAB Gold Standard 2025?
Run by IAB UK and informed by IAB Tech Lab, TAG, the Coalition for Better Ads and IAB Europe, the Gold Standard consolidate multiple initiatives under one standard, which includes:
• cut fraud and MFA inventory
• uphold brand safety and user experience
• respect privacy and consent rules
• increase supply chain transparency
For advertisers, that means every pound is verified, accountable and reaches real people, not bots.
What’s new in 2025?
The latest refresh introduces several important updates. Here’s what they mean and why they matter.
1. Transparency upgrades
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Three newly classified intrusive formats scroll‑over ads, sticky full‑width anchors, and auto‑expand mobile banners—have been added to the CBA’s disallowed list to protect viewability metrics and minimise abrupt user‑journey interruptions.
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Additional bid‑stream fields (placement, plcmt, adpodid, etc.) now explicitly declare each video impression’s context (in‑stream, out‑stream or no‑content), enabling more accurate pricing and frequency governance.
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A globally unique creative identifier accompanies every video asset, supporting deterministic frequency capping and unified reporting across supply partners.
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Extended VAST attributes deliver category separation, competitive‑exclusion flags and end‑card directives critical for brand‑safe sequencing on the biggest screen in the home.
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Impression counting has shifted from file downloads to confirmed playbacks, providing metric parity with other digital audio channels and tighter invalid‑traffic filtration.
2. Sustainability spotlight
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Publishers can signal and buyers can enforce a maximum ad‑refresh interval, limiting duplicate impressions and reducing unnecessary energy consumption per campaign.
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Publishers can limit how often an ad slot refreshes, trimming wasted impressions and shrinking the carbon footprint of every campaign.
3. Baseline standards
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Annual staff training and independent audits
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Independent assurance of brand‑safety governance
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Rapid blocking of fraudulent creative and threat patterns
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Maintaining end‑to‑end consent transparency
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Cuts out middlemen that add cost but no value
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Extends path transparency and standardised viewability measurement
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Blocks unauthorised sellers before a campaign goes live
“Achieving Gold Standard recertification isn’t a box‑tick; it’s a promise we’re making to clients and to the wider ecosystem that responsible media can deliver stronger results for everyone.”
Abigale Borsberry
Head of Programmatic Media Operations
Learn more and get involved
Explore the full Gold Standard criteria at IAB UK, or speak to us about building Gold standard campaigns together.