Another buyer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the added cost of neutralizing ad placements will turn most performance-minded clients off of the label.

“We definitely like to see more companies putting forward carbon-neutralizing tactics like this that generate their own intrinsic value outside of just simple media value,” said Stephen Frey, director of integrated media planning at Media by Mother. “As marketing dollars continue to decline as companies ask more from their marketing teams, any opportunities to create value are always welcome.”

Preempting industry standards

The release comes just two weeks ahead of the Cannes Lions Festival, where the Global Alliance for Responsible Media is expected to announce an industrywide standard on digital media emissions measurement, called the Global Media Sustainability Framework. It is the result of working groups that GARM and Ad Net Zero teamed up to form in October.

One media agency executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned the value of Viant launching this label before GARM’s standards have been released. While Viant is a member of Ad Net Zero, the exec pointed out that a carbon label would be more useful if it were a pre-competitive project, similar to the Global Media Sustainability Framework.

“It should not be a competitive advantage to be doing the right thing,” they said. “By virtue of it not being someone else’s, you’re going to find a reticence or a reluctance to use it.” That could result in a proliferation of similar labels, creating confusion and mistrust among consumers.