ClickZ News recently published a compelling case for 3d party ad verification. The article and the comments it generated are well worth a read. A broad selection of online ad ops pros spoke with Managing Editor Zachary Rodgers in unsparing terms about waste and inefficiency in the current online ad market.

Reader response to the piece was enthusiastic and if anything even more critical.

They detailed a need for careful regard in nearly every aspect of online advertising. The choice excerpts from reader comments posted at ClickZ News include:

"screwed up"

"I work at a midsized interactive agency in Dallas ... [Buyers] took big budget campaigns from us and it wasn't until they spent 30% of our budget did we find out they had screwed up."

"it's scary"

"Ad ops don't stand a chance in the face of cryptic ad serving interfaces and processes. We put so much energy into account service, its scary how the issues you describe here make it all worthless."

"discrepancies"

"Knowingly running a U.S.-targeted ad on international impressions is cheating an advertiser. [Some] continue to do this everyday."

"wasted inventory"

"Ad Operations resources need to be dedicated to combating 3rd Party Discrepancies and addressing potential problems that result in wasted inventory."

"debacle"

"Finally a story about the truth around the headaches of Ad Operations. I believe all of our headaches can be remedied with the support from all parties: publishers, agencies,and 3rd/4th party vendors. We need to be open to change. First step admit there is a problem...again, thank you for expressing the debacle of Ad Operations!"

"stop, sit down, and figure out the issues"

ClickZ News quotes Rob Beeler, VP of content for AdMonsters, the ad ops professionals' trade organization, that despite baby steps by publishers and marketers, "The agencies are all in fire-drill mode ... It's hard to get them to stop, sit down, and figure out the issues."