How RefSettings Supports Sustainability in Digital Advertising
As a B corp business, efficiency and sustainability is at the heart of everything. Ad refresh - how frequently ads are reloaded on a webpage, is a factor that impacts both and is often overlooked. Without proper controls, high-refresh ads can lead to wasted budgets, lower viewability rates, and increased computational energy consumption. This is where RefSettings comes in.
The Problem: Inefficient Ad Refresh Practices
Currently, there is no standardised way to communicate the refresh rate of an ad in the bid stream. This means advertisers and demand-side platforms (DSPs) may unknowingly purchase high-refresh inventory, leading to:
Wasted ad spend: Mislabelled inventory results in ads being refreshed too quickly, reducing their impact.
Poor viewability: If an ad doesn't stay on screen long enough, users don't engage, leading to lower performance.
Increased carbon footprint: Constant ad refreshing demands more computational power, indirectly increasing emissions.
The Solution: RefSettings
RefSettings provides a standardised framework for defining ad refresh types and intervals. This ensures consistency, optimises ad delivery, and enhances user experience. By implementing RefSettings, advertisers and publishers can:
Improve ad performance: Ads are served in a way that maximises visibility and engagement.
Reduce budget waste: Better transparency helps advertisers allocate spending more effectively.
Support sustainability: Limiting unnecessary refreshes reduces the energy required for ad serving, lowering digital advertising's carbon footprint.
A Step Towards a Greener Digital Ecosystem
As the advertising industry evolves, sustainability must be a priority. Small changes—like standardising ad refresh rates—can significantly impact efficiency, cost savings, and environmental responsibility. RefSettings represents an important step in creating a more transparent and sustainable digital advertising landscape.
At December 19, we believe that refsetting is an important evolution in setting quality standards for programmatic inventory. We are aligned with the IAB position and support the roadmap towards implementation.
Griffith at a Glance
by Sam Griffith, Head of Digital
RefSettings: Raising Ethical Standards in Digital Advertising
In digital advertising, we face a practical reality: without proper standards, our industry creates waste. As a B Corp business, December19 is committed to ethical media practices that benefit both our clients' bottom lines and our planet's future.
Ad refresh rates represent a critical but overlooked factor in sustainable digital advertising. When ads reload too frequently on webpages without proper controls, we see real, measurable inefficiencies that harm both financial and environmental outcomes.
The Accountability Gap
The evidence is clear and concerning:
Financial waste: Companies unknowingly allocate budgets to high-refresh inventory with diminished returns
Performance issues: Viewability rates drop when ads don't remain visible long enough
Environmental impact: Excessive computational demand from unnecessary refreshes increases digital carbon emissions
These aren't just theoretical problems – they're costing real businesses real money while undermining our industry's sustainability efforts.
A Practical Standard for Better Results
RefSettings offers a pragmatic solution through standardisation. By implementing clear definitions for refresh types and intervals, we create transparency that benefits everyone in the digital supply chain.
For business leaders concerned with both financial and ethical outcomes, RefSettings delivers:
Improved ROI through elimination of media waste
Better performance metrics through optimised ad delivery
Reduced environmental impact through more efficient use of digital resources
Elevating Industry Standards Together
December19 supports the IAB position on RefSettings because we believe in holding our industry to higher standards. As digital leaders, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to build systems that deliver better outcomes for businesses and society.
By adopting practical standards like RefSettings, we demonstrate that ethical media practices aren't just the right thing to do – they're the smart business choice for driving sustainable growth and meaningful results.