​A

 

Ad Verification
Tools or services that ensure ads appear in the intended context, are viewable, and comply with brand safety and fraud prevention standards.

 

ANA (Association of National Advertisers)
A leading advertising trade association and co-leader of the Programmatic Transparency Benchmark initiative.

 

B

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Brand Risk

Likelihood of reputational harm posed by content, categorized as high, medium, or low risk (e.g., exposure to hate speech, graphic violence, or adult content).

 

C

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CO₂e/$
Kilograms of CO₂ emissions per dollar spent on advertising.

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CO₂ePM (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Per Mille)
Kilograms of CO₂ emissions per 1,000 impressions, quantifying the carbon footprint of digital advertising.

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Cost Waterfall
A visual breakdown showing how $1,000 in programmatic ad spending is allocated across platform fees, quality filters, and ultimately ends in TrueAdSpend.

 

CPM (Cost Per Mille)
The total cost paid for every 1,000 impressions, regardless of whether they meet quality standards.

 

CTV (Connected TV)
Television content streamed via internet-connected devices such as smart TVs, Roku, or Apple TV. A benchmark segmentation category.

 

D

 

DSP (Demand-Side Platform)
A technology platform that enables advertisers to buy digital media programmatically. DSP LLD is used as a core data source for benchmarking.

 

DSP Additional Costs
Supplemental fees for using premium DSP features or integrations beyond core services.

 

DSP Data Costs
Charges associated with using third-party data or advanced targeting layers within the DSP.

 

DSP Platform Costs
Fees charged by DSPs for access to their core technology and buying capabilities.

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E

 

Environment
The type of device or platform where ads are served (e.g., Web, Mobile In-App, CTV), used for segmenting benchmark metrics.

 

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
A framework for evaluating ethical and sustainability risks in business operations, including advertising practices.

 

ESG Risk Media
Ad impressions served on domains with low ESG scores, indicating potential sustainability or ethical concerns.

 

F

 

Fiducia
The platform provider supporting data ingestion, reconciliation, and benchmarking for the ANA programmatic transparency study.

 

G

 

GMSF (Global Media Sustainability Framework)
A standardized approach for measuring greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., CO₂e) in digital media.

 

Google BigQuery / GCP / Amazon S3 / SFTP
Secure cloud and file transfer protocols used to deliver log-level data into the Fiducia platform.

 

I

 

Impression
A single instance of an ad being served. All benchmark metrics are calculated from impression-level data.

 

Invalid Traffic (IVT)
Traffic identified as fraudulent, bot-generated, or otherwise non-human. Filtered out in TrueImpression and reported as waste in the Cost Waterfall.

 

L

 

LLD (Log-Level Data)

Granular data capturing individual ad impressions including timestamp, seller ID, cost, and verification outcomes.

 

Loss of Media Productivity
Spend wasted on invalid, non-viewable, or low-value impressions. Detailed in the Cost Waterfall analysis.

 

M

 

Marketplace Types
Classifications such as Open Marketplace (OMP) and Private Marketplace (PMP), which define how inventory is accessed and segmented.

 

Matching
The process of reconciling impressions across DSP, SSP, and verification sources using identifiers like OpenRTB ID.

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MFA (Made For Advertising)
Websites designed primarily to maximize ad revenue, often with low editorial value. Identified using Deepsee.io in the Cost Waterfall.

 

Media Productivity Loss
The combined cost impact of IVT, non-measurable, non-viewable, and MFA impressions.

 

Measurable Impression
An impression that verification tools are technically able to evaluate for viewability.

 

O

 

OMP (Open Marketplace)
An open-access programmatic environment where any advertiser can bid on available inventory.

 

OpenRTB
A standard protocol used in programmatic buying that enables impression-level matching across platforms.

 

P

 

PCI (Publisher Compliance Index)
A scoring system developed by Compliant to evaluate data privacy and compliance practices of publishers.

 

PCI Media Risk
The percentage of ad impressions served on publishers with PCI scores below 35, indicating elevated compliance risk.

 

PMP (Private Marketplace)
A curated programmatic deal environment where buyers transact with selected publishers, often offering premium inventory.

 

Publisher ID / Seller ID
A unique identifier for the entity selling the impression; used for transparency, traceability, and segment analysis.

 

Q

 

Quartiles
Statistical divisions of benchmark data into four equal parts to highlight distribution and reduce distortion from outliers.

 

R

 

Reconciliation
The technical process of merging impression data from DSPs, SSPs, and verification vendors to create unified impression records.

 

Regulatory Alignment
The benchmark adheres to frameworks like the EU Digital Markets Act, ensuring compliance with emerging data access standards.

 

S

 

Segment Qualification Thresholds
Minimum spend or data signal presence required for an advertiser’s data to be included in a benchmark segment.

 

Sentiment Analysis

Evaluates the emotional tone and contextual suitability of a page as positive, neutral, or negative, enabling alignment with brand voice and campaign objectives.​

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SSP (Supply-Side Platform)
A platform used by publishers to manage and sell ad inventory programmatically.

 

SSP Platform Costs
Charges imposed by SSPs for transaction handling and inventory access.

 

Statistical Significance
A requirement for each benchmark segment to include at least four qualified advertisers to ensure robust, unbiased results.

 

T

 

TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group)
An industry body promoting data transparency, brand safety, and fraud prevention in digital advertising.

 

TAG TrustNet
A transparency initiative from TAG and Fiducia that sets requirements for impression-level data certification and delivery standards.

 

TAG TrustNet Requirements
Guidelines developed by TAG TrustNet defining mandatory and recommended fields for log-level data, forming the basis of Fiducia’s data validation protocols.

 

Transaction Costs
Cumulative fees charged by DSPs and SSPs for enabling transactions, data processing, and platform access.

 

TrueAdSpend
The portion of ad spending that results in verified, viewable, and valid impressions. Represents the media investment reaching quality supply.

 

TrueAdSpend Index
An industry metric tracking the portion of ad spending delivering TrueImpressions, signaling overall media efficiency.

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TrueCPM
Cost per thousand TrueImpressions relative to total ad spending — a measure of cost efficiency tied to validated, high-quality impressions.

 

TrueCPM Index
A metric showing the spread between overall CPM and TrueCPM, highlighting potential for cost-efficiency gains by increasing the ad spending allocated to TrueImpressions while keeping the CPM under control.

 

TrueImpression
An impression that is non-IVT, viewable, measurable, and successfully matched between platforms.

 

TrueKPI Framework
A benchmarking and optimization model using impression-level data to correlate quality signals (like viewability, IVT, and MFA) with ad spending and outcomes.