Vodafone Unlocks Value from News with Smart Brand Suitability Strategy Powered by DoubleVerify

London, UK – 15 July 2025: Global telecom leader Vodafone has successfully increased campaign performance and maximized advertising opportunities across news publisher properties by implementing an AI-powered approach to brand suitability in partnership with DoubleVerify (DV), the leading software platform for digital media measurement, data and analytics.

Vodafone accessed 10% more inventory across news publisher properties, achieved a 41% reduction in block rate, and saw a 48% drop in keyword violations year-over-year by implementing DV’s solutions and best practices. The budget it saved by avoiding unnecessary blocks was reinvested into additional media on news publisher sites.

The Challenge
As part of its ongoing efforts to engage high-value audiences online, Vodafone sought to reach consumers in news environments while upholding brand suitability standards. The brand aimed to mitigate any overblocking issues that could restrict access to quality inventory, while maintaining internal suitability guidelines and performance benchmarks.

The Solution

Vodafone leveraged DV’s AI-powered tools and best practices to maximise the inventory it accessed across news publisher sites while maintaining its suitability standards and requirements. 

Key strategies included:

• DV Authentic Brand Suitability®: Vodafone used DV’s 100+ content categories – powered by DV’s AI classification engine – to capture context and nuance in publishers’ content and access news inventory while avoiding content it deems unsuitable. DV Authentic Brand Suitability is powered by DV Universal Content Intelligence™, the company’s proprietary AI classification engine that analyzes video, image, audio, speech and text to deliver high-quality content classification at scale across channels. 
• Keyword List Implementation: In adherence with DV’s suggested best practices for advertisers, Vodafone adopted a narrow keyword blocklist to avoid unnecessary overblocking and address rare instances where Vodafone-specific terms appeared in URL paths of site pages. By using an exact match approach, Vodafone avoided unintended keyword conflicts (e.g., ensuring keywords like “die” wouldn’t block content containing “foodie” or “diet”). The use of DV Authentic Brand Suitability with a narrowed keyword list enabled Vodafone to confidently engage with news publishers’ content without the risk of overblocking.

The Results

By implementing DV’s AI-driven solutions and best practices, Vodafone achieved the following results: 

• 10% more inventory accessed across news publishers’ properties compared with other DV advertisers
• A 41% reduction in block rate, with the saved budget reinvested into additional media on news publishers’ sites.
• An Attention Index for news publisher inventory 11% above the baseline in the second half of 2024, demonstrating the high value of engaged news audiences and the success of its strategy.

Suitability also improved across the board (compared to DV’s regional benchmark across top news sites in 2024):

• 33% lower brand suitability violation rate (with a 46% reduction between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025).
• 45% reduction in unsuitable category violations (with a 37% reduction between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025).
• 48% drop in keyword violations year-over-year (with a 48% reduction between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025).
• 20% lower overall block rate (with a 41% reduction between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025).

Leonel Silva, Senior Media Manager, Vodafone Group: “Leveraging DV’s AI-powered solutions has been a game changer for Vodafone. It has enabled us to drive business growth in brand-suitable news environments while staying agile in the face of evolving industry dynamics and emerging risks.”  

Jack Marshall, Head of News at DoubleVerify: “Blunt use of brand suitability tools can unnecessarily limit advertiser spending on news, costing publishers revenue and brands opportunities to engage with valuable and highly engaged news audiences. Vodafone’s results show that with the use of DV’s technology and best practices in place, advertisers can invest confidently in news environments and capitalise on the opportunity they present while maintaining suitability needs.”

About DoubleVerify
DoubleVerify (“DV”) (NYSE: DV) is the industry’s leading media effectiveness platform that leverages AI to drive superior outcomes for global brands. By powering media efficiency and performance, DV strengthens the online advertising ecosystem, preserving the fair value exchange between buyers and sellers of digital media. Learn more at www.doubleverify.com