NDA’s Marketing the Marketers series talks to the marketing and comms leaders behind the success of our leading companies. Next up is Vanessa Goff-Yu, Marketing & Comms Director at TAG (the Trustworthy Accountability Group)…
What exactly does your job entail?
I head up the Marketing & Comms department at TAG, the global initiative with a mission to strengthen safety and transparency in digital advertising.
Fundamentally, my job is to help TAG and our global membership community shout from the rooftops about the progress we’re making in building our defences against criminal activity and increasing transparency in our sector. My day-to-day work involves everything from educating companies through industry insights, sharing best practices; engaging our community through TAG events, collaborating on content with our members, launching products such as new tools, sharing guideline updates, and a wide range of other activities to promote our efforts in the press, online, social media, and face-to-face.
What campaign or piece of marketing/communications are you most proud of in your career and why?
When I was a Marketing Consultant, I worked with Badu on amplifying their voice and the important work they do. Badu is an East London-based organisation that focuses on bringing the best out of every child in the local area through unconditional support, enriching experiences and real-world mentorship.
Working with Badu was an incredibly inspiring and transformative experience. From the very beginning, it was clear that this wasn’t just another community initiative; it was a movement, a force for real change. I was drawn to Badu because of the depth of their commitment to young people, their ability to see those who often go unnoticed, and their dedication to equipping them with the tools to thrive. Their work isn’t just about education, mentorship, or sport; it’s about empowerment and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to step into their full potential, regardless of their background.
What makes Badu so special is the real-world impact they have every single day. I’ve seen firsthand how they uplift those who have slipped through the cracks, providing not just support, but a foundation for growth. They don’t just offer opportunities; they redefine possibilities. Too often, the narrative in our communities focuses on what’s missing, but Badu shifts that focus to what’s possible when the right people invest in the right places. They show young people that they are seen, valued, and capable of achieving more than they ever imagined.
It was important to me that the rest of London (and beyond) see the work Badu was (and is) doing. Their community-led change approach has delivered nothing but wonders. If more initiatives could rise to match the standard they set, imagine the ripple effect it would create! Our communities would no longer be waiting for solutions from the top down; they would be building them from the ground up.
Badu is proof that when you pour into people with intention and care, they rise. They become who they were meant to be. And that is a future worth investing in.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your career to date and why?
Working parents – I’m not a parent myself (although I have a fur baby), but in my eyes they’re part superheroes, part expert negotiators, and full-time chaos managers. They juggle school runs, Zoom calls, snack demands, and career goals with an almost magical ability to adapt. One minute, they’re closing deals; the next, they’re mediating a LEGO-related dispute. They prove daily that progress (both for their children and themselves) isn’t about having it all figured out but about mastering the art of rolling with it (and maybe hiding in the bathroom for a minute of peace).
Creatives and designers – They’re equal parts miracle workers and geniuses (with a splash of the terrifying sometimes). Sure, they can be ridiculously particular about fonts and colour shades, but that obsessive attention to detail is what turns a simple idea into something brilliant. Their ability to take nonsense client feedback (“Make it pop!”—what does that even mean?!) and turn it into something amazing is nothing short of supernatural. And let’s not forget their greatest gift to humanity; turning industry jargon into something that everyday folks can understand too.
What is the biggest challenge in your sector and how is your company helping to address it?
One of the biggest challenges for TAG in 2025 is staying ahead of evolving threats whilst ensuring the continued effectiveness of existing protections. As fraudsters and bad actors adapt, so must we by continuously working with the TAG Community to strengthen and refine our defences against both emerging and persistent threats. Collaboration with policymakers will also be critical in raising awareness of the success of self-regulatory programs like TAG and driving policies that promote a safer ecosystem. By fostering industry-wide cooperation, advancing best practices, and maintaining open dialogue with policymakers, we can build a more resilient and secure digital advertising ecosystem.
What is the biggest opportunity in your sector and how is your company helping to make the most of it?
The biggest opportunity for self-regulatory organisations like TAG lies in expanding industry collaboration to new stakeholders and digital channels. For example, leading companies are increasingly recognising the importance of brand safety and are eager to implement best practices to prevent ad fraud, protect ad placements, and increase transparency. TAG is seizing this opportunity by working closely with new stakeholders across more sectors and emerging platforms, ensuring that industry standards remain effective and adaptable. Additionally, we are strengthening our collaboration with governments to promote a safer digital ecosystem and raise awareness of TAG’s impact in shaping policies that enhance trust and accountability across the industry.
How important, and why, are the following in helping you promote your company:
- The press
- Events
- Your company’s owned media
For TAG, these three channels play a vital role in amplifying the good work done by member companies across the global TAG Community.
Media coverage drives positive attention for and adoption of TAG certification programs. For instance, recent coverage highlighted the nearly $11 billion per year that TAG anti-fraud programs save advertisers, as well as the innovative tools that enhance brand safety strategies and strengthen protections across digital advertising. Through media coverage, we’ve shared the latest insights and updates on our efforts in anti-fraud, brand safety, anti-malvertising, and transparency to keep the industry informed and engaged.
The press also helps us celebrate the TAG Community and its collective achievements, reinforcing the importance of collaboration in building a safer ecosystem. Ultimately, strong press visibility has helped TAG build trust, boost best practices adoption, and move the industry closer to a more secure and accountable digital advertising supply chain.
Events provide a powerful platform for us to connect with members and industry stakeholders, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Events not only help us amplify TAG’s work but also enable us to showcase how our initiatives benefit the entire industry, not just individual companies. We’ve also found that our members love the opportunity to network with each other, so in addition to connecting at key industry events, TAG hosts several of its own events this year, including our flagship event, “State of the Fight” in New York each October; a must-attend gathering for the digital ad community.
TAG’s owned media is a powerful marketing and communications channel that keeps the industry informed and engaged. By providing transparent updates and actionable takeaways from the TAG Community, we help minimize exposure to threats and prevent them from escalating. TAG members have used our platform to highlight their efforts in tackling fraud, enhancing brand safety, and improving transparency, all to ensure advertisers and their partners know they are protected from malicious activity and actors.
