Digital analytics company DoubleVerify has launched Video Complete, a new product that enhances brand safety and reduces fraud as more companies increase their spending to reach viewers streaming programming on connected TVs.
In tests with clients, the additional filtering provided by Video Complete reduces the delivery of non-compliant inventory by an average of 40%, even on platforms like CTV where traditional blocking strategies can’t be utilized.
For one client in particular, NortonLifeLock, VideoComplete reduced non-compliant impressions by 96% in campaigns running on CTV, mobile and desktop.
Related: DoubleVerify Adds Brand Safety to Google’s DSP
Jack Smith, chief product officer at DoubleVerify, said that as clients shifted their spending from familiar forms of digital advertising to CTV and mobile video apps, gaps were emerging in the quality controls DoubleVerify provides for clients.
“We looked for a different solution to add an extra layer of protection,” Smith said.
One of the most significant gaps was caused by the inability to block ads in automated buys after bids were made.
Companies look to avoid fraud, brand suitability issues and viewability problems by screening available ads and not bidding on inappropriate ones. When some bad ads slip through, they also cut down on non-compliant ads with software that blocks ads after bids are accepted, but the blocking mechanism isn’t available with CTV.
DoubleVerify’s Video Complete is able to filter ads after bids are accepted and undo those bids if they don’t meet an advertisers’ standards before the ad is rendered and delivered to the consumer. The availability is returned and available for sale to an advertiser with different standards, a benefit for publishers, Smith said.
All of this happens in real time, with filtering and decision making occurring in milliseconds.
“When we add that third layer of protection, we reduced the delivery of inventory that that our advertisers don't want by around 40%,” he said. “So it's a waste reduction of about 40%.”
Smith said DoubleVerify’s most sophisticated clients were aware of the problem and were asking for a solution.
“Given the gaps in post-bid blocking coverage for video advertising, we wanted to put in place proper protection measures across our digital video campaigns and CTV,” said Saquib Pasha, senior director, digital customer acquisition at NortonLifeLock. “By leveraging DV’s Video Complete solution, we were able to substantially reduce non-compliant traffic, helping to improve the quality and performance of our video campaigns.”
The new Video Complete product is being bundled in with DoubleVerify’s protection offering.
DoubleVerify aims to help clients procure what it called Authentic Impressions, which are brand suitable, geographically correct, viewable and fraud free. With Video Complete the rate of Authentic Impressions delivered for clients improved by about 20%, Smith said.
“Clients are trying to see how they can align CTV with their overall video quality and performance strategy,” he said.
As money flows into areas where clients need additional protection, DoubleVerify is speeding up its efforts to find solutions.
“We do have to accelerate that to make sure our CTV product maintains it lead in the market,” Smith said.
