This past Friday, a report issued by Adalytics found that a significant number of SSPs and ad tech vendors either inadvertently or negligently served ads on a site featuring explicit content. While I will not name names, Kargo was not among them. In their report, we were one of only two SSPs (TrustX & Kargo), and the only scaled SSP, that emerged 100% in the clear over multiple years. In fact, I’m proud to say that Kargo was highlighted by Adalytics as passing the high-quality supply audit due to our curated marketplace and rigorous diligence.

At Kargo, our commitment to quality, transparency, and brand safety is unwavering. We have always operated as an invitation-only marketplace, ensuring that every publisher we work with meets the highest standards for editorial integrity and advertiser trust. This is not a one-time process—every publisher is audited quarterly to ensure continued adherence to our standards which we call the Kargo Publisher Scorecard. Many publishers find our conversations direct—we are concerned about quality supply, ad load and consumer experience. We are constantly striving to create the best ad experience on page for Kargo campaigns; although we recognize that we can’t do this alone and rely on partners, the publishers and the industry to help make us better.

These safeguards require significant effort, and as a result exclude much of the supply that our peers and competitors serve on. But to me, to our brand clients, agency partners, and to the publishers that are playing by the rules, we will collectively strive to eliminate exploitative advertising. We are proud to be the first audited 100% MFA-Free marketplace, as reported by Adalytics and Jounce. At Kargo, we work tirelessly to live by a credo which is to create a differentiated high-quality experience served to a human on a great site.   

If your brand was impacted by this recent report, or if you are simply wondering whether your ads are running in environments that align with your values, I encourage you to take a closer look at where and with whom you are working. With a curated Kargo PMP or selecting Kargo as an open exchange partner, you can operate with confidence, knowing we are in your corner and working to do the right thing on your behalf.

Let’s start a conversation about building brand-safe, high-performing campaigns you can trust. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Harry Kargman
Founder & CEO, Kargo