The introduction of nutrition labels on food packaging has made it easier for us to make healthier decisions by giving a sense of transparency.

So why not take this approach to digital marketing?

Well, that’s exactly what the IAB is trying to do with its new ‘DataLabel’.

The initiative sets out to show exactly where specific data has come from, how it was collected and if it was manipulated in some way.

Based on the US Data Transparency Standards, the IAB wants to lift the lid on various data segments for data buyers.

It is hoped the initiative will promote higher-quality data for advertisers, through demanding data providers give a minimum set of details.

Programmatic advertising is particularly dependent on data quality and yet research shows both advertisers and agencies are not confident in the data used to power real-time bidding.

The IAB Australia Data Council has now launched local testing of DataLabel.

“IAB Australia’s Data Council has been excited about this project for some time now, having been directly involved as an active participant in reviewing, testing and constructively feeding back on the global beta of DataLabel,” said IAB Australia tech lead Jonas Jaanimagi.

“We’re delighted to be able to now launch the active testing of these standards here locally, invite both sellers and buyers to participate via admissions of interest and believe that this will become a critical industry standard for data in terms of consistency, quality assurance and transparency.

“We want to better support marketers in the short term, whilst also setting the foundations of how we responsibly engage with and educate consumers in the longer term.”