TikTok taps DoubleVerify to improve brand safety media measurement

Here’s what you need to know.

The details

• TikTok is expanding its partnership with DoubleVerify, which was first announced in September 2021. Through the original deal, DoubleVerify agreed to bring viewability measurement and data on invalid traffic to advertisers on the platform. Now it will also provide post-campaign brand safety and suitability measurement to brands advertising in the US.

• DoubleVerify’s software uses artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools to analyze images, audio and text elements of user-generated TikTok videos in order to classify content on an individual video level. Videos are categorized according to proprietary classifications for brand safety and suitability, while also adhering to industry standards including those set by the 4A’s Advertiser Protection Bureau and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. DoubleVerify’s software also accounts for content policies in place across various media environments.

• With these post-campaign insights provided by an objective third party such as DoubleVerify, brands advertising on TikTok can make better media planning and buying decisions that help them ensure their content is being served in appropriate contexts.

• “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with TikTok to measure brand safety and suitability, providing global brands with greater clarity and confidence in their investments on this high-growth platform,” Mark Zagorski, DoubleVerify’s chief executive officer, said in a statement today. “User-generated content offers advertisers a high-engagement forum to connect with passionate online communities. Our expanded partnership will ensure campaigns can have transparency into adjacent content while maximizing impact and performance for our joint customers.”

Why it matters

• With over 1 billion monthly active users, according to data shared by the company last month, TikTok is becoming an increasingly important battleground for brands.

• TikTok has also been expanding its offerings for advertisers in recent months. In May, the platform rolled out TikTok Pulse, a new contextual advertising tool to help brands place ads in verticals that are likely to resonate with their target audiences.

• Brand safety is a concern for some 60% of advertising industry professionals, per research by Digiday in partnership with GumGum.

• Safety and suitability concerns are growing increasingly important as debates regarding content moderation on platforms such as TikTok and Twitter heat up. Since billionaire Elon Musk took the reins at the latter, major advertising holding companies including IPG and Havas have advised clients to cease advertising on the platform over concerns that a lax approach to content moderation and governance will create new brand safety threats.

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