Addressing Publisher Measurement with Impartiality

Trust and transparency in the digital media landscape are more critical than ever. As an independent measurement provider, DV is committed to fostering these values by working collaboratively with all stakeholders. Our mission is to enhance the integrity of the digital advertising ecosystem, and we do this by providing unbiased, accurate, and comprehensive data and insights.

Our story began with a focus on advertisers, equipping them with the necessary tools, data, and insights to enhance media quality and scale campaign performance across channels. We made sure that our media quality data was freely accessible to publishers through their relationships with advertisers, promoting a culture of cooperation and trust in digital advertising.

However, as the digital advertising landscape grew more complex, publishers began to seek more than just access to campaign-level media quality data. They needed additional tools and insights to better optimize their inventory. Recognizing this need, we leveraged our unique market position and insights to create custom offerings specifically designed for publishers.

To effectively cater to these needs, we also established a dedicated publisher division. This team focuses on a broad spectrum of solutions that extend beyond the media quality data already available to publishers. These solutions include campaign delivery management, revenue analytics, data unification, and other services designed to help publishers grow their ad business and effectively monetize their platforms. 

DV is committed to ensuring that all sides of the digital advertising industry are empowered to increase ad performance. As we continue to evolve and adapt to the needs of publishers, we remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the highest standards of impartiality across our measurement, data, and practices. We have implemented several processes and measures to ensure this, including: 

• Strict Adherence to Established Protocols: We strictly follow established protocols and industry standards to ensure impartiality in our measurement. Our evaluations are driven by these protocols, not by the identities or relationships of the publishers or actors involved.

• Automated and Objective Measurement: As a technology platform, we automate the measurement process at scale, ensuring objectivity and eliminating human bias against one publisher over another.

• Independent Verification Systems: We employ a multi-layered verification system that operates independently of our client-facing teams. Our findings are verified through independent review, supporting data integrity and accuracy.

• Transparency With All Stakeholders: We maintain transparent relationships with all clients, including advertisers, publishers and platform partners, providing detailed reports and log files that enable independent evaluation, benchmarking and decision replication.

• Regular Audits by External Bodies: Our processes and outcomes are regularly audited by respected external bodies like the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Tech Lab, the Media Rating Council (MRC), and the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), as well as brand and agency clients and partners, ensuring we meet the highest standards of transparency and fairness.

• No Alteration Based on Publisher Status: We do not alter our methodologies or soften our assessments based on a publisher’s status or relationship with DV. This was evident in a recent incident, where DV independently classified inventory of a DV publisher client as low-tier Made for Advertising (MFA) content. Our commitment is to deliver accurate, unbiased data that reflects the true quality of media, regardless of the publisher.

• Separation of Assessment and Business Development: Our media quality assessment teams operate independently from business development and client relations teams. This structural separation ensures that our evaluations are free from commercial influences.
• Site Classification Review Process: We have a rigorous site classification review process in place to ensure that our assessments of publisher sites are accurate and fair. This process involves a thorough review of the site’s content, structure, and ad placements, among other factors and allows publishers to raise their concerns regarding site classification directly to DoubleVerify. 

Through these efforts, DV continues to lead with integrity, ensuring that our verification services remain fair, accurate, and unbiased for all stakeholders.

This piece is part of DoubleVerify’s newly launched Transparency Center, a dedicated portal designed to educate the industry about DV technology and measurement. By providing detailed explanations, insights, and timely statements on key issues, we aim to foster trust and transparency within the digital advertising ecosystem.