A group of some of the world’s top advertisers – including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Mastercard, and Diageo, among others – have joined forces with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and advertiser associations in some of the biggest global ad markets in the world, to develop a framework for a better digital ad ecosystem.

The Global Media Charter sets out eight ‘Principles for Partnership’ that are designed to address transparency, brand safety, ad fraud, and viewability – if complied with by agencies, ad tech companies, and media platforms seeking to secure future ad revenues.

“The digital ecosystem has grown so rapidly, it’s no wonder that it’s far from perfect. But the time for indulgence is over,” said Stephan Loerke, CEO of the WFA. “The largest chunk of the world’s marketing budgets is now invested in digital platforms and advertisers have a right to demand that the money they invest can be clearly tracked and understood. It’s not just about knowing that budgets have been well spent. We also need to be reassured that brand and consumer interests are protected in these new platforms.”

Principles laid out in charter – which are to be implemented across the media value chain – include zero tolerance for ad fraud with compensation for any breach, strict brand safety protection, minimum viewability thresholds, complete transparency, third-party verification and measurement, removal of ‘walled garden’ issues, improved data transparency standards, and improving consumer experience.

“As the market continues to change quickly, global brands are being more tangible and specific about what we expect from the entire ecosystem; our tech partners, agency partners media owners and digital platforms,” said Ben Jankowski, SVP of media at Mastercard and co-chair of WFA Media Forum. “The WFA’s Global Media Charter is designed to ensure that everyone has the same common understanding of what we all need to do to thrive. Everyone should join us on this journey.”