• by Melynda Fuller , December 18, 2019

DoubleVerify has added a new page exception feature to its brand-safety suite that allows advertisers to override safety content controls on designated pages, like a publisher or section homepage on a premium news site.

While DoubleVerify allows users to override avoidance and custom categories at the site or app level, this tool, with its targeted features, is a first for the industry, says the company.

The new capability allows brands and publishers to cash in on previously missed revenue opportunities in two ways. First, by increasing scale and campaigns across high-trafficked pages for advertisers and second, by opening up inventory that may have been previously avoided or blocked for publishers. 

Homepages trigger blocks for advertisers during the evolving news cycle. If a story or headline appears that does not match a brand’s suitability settings, its ad content will be blocked.

DoubleVerify offers the example of blocked sports content. While a brand may not want to appear on a page with a single story about sports-related injuries, it may want to appear on a high-trafficked sports section homepage.

The company notes this new feature could be particularly useful ahead of news events like the 2020 election cycle.

Anna Zapesochini, vice president of brand safety products, stated: “We want to empower advertisers to precisely control their brand-safety preferences, and page exceptions is a great way to do that. The strategy can extend reach and scale on what are often considered to be high-value pages, and has the added benefit of driving additional yield for publishers.”

Users can access the exceptions featured in pre-bid as part of Authentic Brand Safety targeting and post-bid across desktop, mobile web and enhanced app, where it is available in post-bid only.

The company also includes a list of well-trafficked homepages and section homepages available to brands for quick implementation and deployment.