DoubleVerify Launches Pre-Bid ‘Made for Advertising’ (MFA) Tiered Categories for Elevated Brand Suitability

DoubleVerify, a leading software platform for digital media measurement, today (February 28th, 2024) unveiled its latest innovation in brand safety and suitability with the introduction of tiered “Made for Advertising” (MFA) brand suitability categories for pre-bid avoidance. 

This first-to-market innovation, integrated into DV Authentic Brand Suitability (ABS), complements DV's existing post-bid offering and provides advertisers with a full spectrum solution to maximise ad effectiveness throughout the media transaction.

“AI-driven MFA content has exploded over the last 12 months, creating a new set of hazards for advertisers seeking quality media performance. The introduction of DV’s tiered MFA brand suitability categories for both pre-bid avoidance and post-bid measurement offers global brands a unified, surgical solution to ensure campaigns are aligned with brand values from start to finish,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify.

“Our dual approach not only safeguards advertisers, but also enhances media buying efficiency – ensuring brand safety and suitability criteria are applied at every stage of the media buying process.”

DV's recently launched tiered MFA brand suitability categories are powered by a proprietary analysis process that combines human and AI-driven auditing to identify MFA sites accurately at scale. These sites are categorised based on a comprehensive evaluation of their ad monetisation strategies, traffic sources and content creation practices. Depending on the extent of MFA characteristics, sites are assigned to one of three suitability tiers: 

• MFA high: Identifies sites exhibiting the most extreme MFA content or characteristics, including but not limited to significant ad density relative to page content, a predominant dependence on paid traffic sources with little to no organic traffic, and an average ad intensity.
• MFA medium: Identifies sites with varying degrees of MFA behaviour. For example, a site might employ high ad density relative to page content, but the average ad intensity might be near the DV benchmark.
• MFA low: Covers sites or sections with a blend of MFA and non-MFA content – for example, sites where only a section or a subdomain exhibits MFA content or characteristics.

DV’s approach allows for the deepest and most nuanced level of analysis, preventing miscategorisation and false positives. For example, a website may feature a significant number of ads, while still registering high rates of direct and search-enabled traffic. In this instance, the publisher would not meet DV’s definition of an MFA website.

“Our proprietary analysis process blends human insight with AI-driven auditing, and establishes a new industry benchmark in brand safety and suitability,” said Jack Smith, chief innovation officer at DoubleVerify. “It reflects our product mandate to verify everywhere and address new emerging threats online – ensuring DV’s customers can safeguard their digital investments and maximise their campaign outcomes.”

Following this launch, DV leads the industry with one of the most comprehensive and nuanced toolkits for MFA classification, measurement, and protection. Authentic Brand Suitability offers advertisers a first line of defense, by ensuring their brand safety and suitability criteria are applied before media is purchased. When pre-bid avoidance and post-bid measurement are used in concert, brands can improve operational efficiency and quality campaign delivery, reduce block rates, eliminate media waste, and maximise ad performance effectiveness.

Unlike ad fraud, MFA inventory is not inherently invalid, and many advertisers may opt to run ads across MFA sites. Marketers need tools to help determine whether specific MFA sites align with their brand values and advertising goals. DV’s tiered MFA categories give brands enhanced granularity and control to determine the level of protection that best suits their requirements. 

This enhancement to DV's suite of solutions bolsters advertisers' ability to respond to the surge in online MFA content, and ensures that DV’s controls continue to power comprehensive media protection and performance online.