DoubleVerify, Collective Ink Partnership

As the online ad network business continues to thrive—despite the ongoing recession and its enduring reputation for shadiness—more ad nets are turning to third-party auditors to help assuage the fears of risk-averse advertisers.

On Monday (Nov. 16), four large online ad networks—Collective Media, interClick, Traffic Marketplace and Undertone Networks—announced they had signed on as partners of DoubleVerify, a startup firm launched earlier this year as a “online media verification” specialist. Essentially, DoubleVerify’s BrandAssure product promises its partners that it can monitor their online ad campaigns and make sure everything runs as its supposed to.

Specifically, ad networks can use DoubleVerify’s technology to avoid having advertisers’ campaigns run alongside inappropriate content or sites. Several online video ad networks report that they use the tool to assure advertisers that their video ads are actually seen by users and are not buried below the fold on a Web page.

Taking such a drastic step—employing a third party to monitor a company’s ad execution—is crucial to help legitimize the network space for big brand advertisers, said DoubleVerify CEO and co-founder Oren Netzer. “’Trust us,’ say many networks and media companies, but trust is built on true transparency, not promises,” he said. “Proven, third-party verification by DoubleVerify is the only way to ensure brand safety, compliance and accountability.”

Accountability is such a concern for advertisers using ad networks that Undertone Networks has for the past year offered brands what it calls a Quality Guarantee—basically a money-back guarantee that their ads won’t end up in the wrong place. So far, it’s been unchallenged—but Undertone has signed up DoubleVerify to ensure that remains the case.

“There’s a tremendous need for greater accountability in the online advertising industry,” said Undertone CEO Michael Cassidy. “Our work with DoubleVerify provides agencies and marketers with independent verification on campaigns, which we hope will help draw more brand dollars into the online market.”

By Mike Shields