Today, GumGum announced that as of earlier this quarter, GumGum, Inc. is 100% free of Made-for-Advertising (MFA) across our supply including our open exchange, direct campaigns, and private marketplaces (PMPs). This follows last year’s industry-changing ANA study that revealed that up to 21% of advertising impressions occur on MFA sites, underscoring the need for a cleaner, higher-quality programmatic ecosystem.
To remove all MFA supply, we worked closely with Jounce Media and their robust classification definitions for determining what constitutes an MFA categorization for a publisher. We then used the ongoing list from Jounce to review whether a publisher should be removed from our platform and when/if they should be re-included. You can check out how the ANA defines MFA websites, in partnership with Jounce Media, here.
What Are MFA Sites?
Though lacking an agreed upon industry standard and definition of MFAs, MFA sites typically feature low-quality content aimed at maximizing ad impressions rather than offering meaningful content to users. These sites often employ clickbait, excessive ads per page, and require users to navigate through multiple pages for basic content. These tactics not only degrade the user experience but also undercut ad effectiveness.
Why Remove MFA Sites?
GumGum has always diligently worked to remove low quality media from across our platforms. GumGum's decision to eliminate MFA sites reflects our commitment to high-quality inventory that delivers results for our advertising partners. This move will improve campaign efficiency and foster a better connection between brands and consumers.
To support this effort, we collaborated closely with Jounce Media, the MFA authority, to define what constitutes an MFA site. Together, we're ensuring GumGum maintains ongoing quality control through a combination of MFA-specific human curation and AI-supported review mechanisms, adjusting our supply dynamically. In doing so, we provide greater transparency and effectiveness for every campaign on our platform, while also supporting the overall industry on quality and performance.
Ensuring Diversity
We recognize the importance of ensuring diverse content availability within our exchange. While upholding stringent criteria to maintain media quality, we're mindful of the potential impact on diverse publishers. To address this, our ongoing efforts include proactive measures to feature diverse content and refine our inclusion criteria. This commitment is driven by GumGum's overarching goal of fostering a more inclusive environment for the ad industry, where all voices are celebrated and valued. We will continue to uphold these values while delivering a diverse and inclusive exchange for all stakeholders.
Trusted, Quality Supply
The decision to remove MFAs is in line with the core values of our ad exchange, particularly as operators of brand safety and suitability technology and a trusted supply source. Our exchange is underpinned by GumGum Verity™, our advanced contextual intelligence platform that ensures brand safety and suitability, aligned with GARM’s Brand Safety floor. This technology filters out unsafe content categories, including imagery and language categorized as hate speech, from every impression on our exchange.
While GumGum, Inc. has always prioritized brand safety, many MFAs are designed to appear brand-safe. By eliminating them, we take an additional step to enhance media quality and trust within our supply.
In addition to our collaboration with Jounce on MFAs, our platform also partners with industry-leading third parties like Media Rating Council, HUMAN Security, and NewsGuard to ensure comprehensive third-party validation, safeguarding the integrity and quality of our supply.
The Impact of Being MFA-Free
By creating an MFA-free platform, GumGum prioritizes delivering ads in more valuable, content-rich environments. This underscores our commitment to upholding the highest standards in digital advertising, emphasizing genuine user engagement, and delivering on our promise of a more ethical and effective advertising environment.
