What is Ad Verification?
Ad verification is a technology service offered by Vendors to ensure that ads appear on intended sites, reach the targeted audience, and have been executed in a manner consistent with the terms of the campaign. Vendors providing this service include AdXpose, Adometry, Adsafe and Double Verify.
What does Ad Verification track?
Targeting parameters tracked thru Ad Verification include:
- Sites - Vendors verify that ads are not running on sites specifically excluded (blacklisted) from, or Publisher sites not provided by the agency as part the campaign.
- Geography - Vendors verify that ads are not delivering outside of the Geo targets (Country and/or Demo) indicated on the campaign.
- Content - Vendors verify that ads are not running against content the advertiser has labeled as inappropriate, as laid out in the campaign.
How does Ad Verification work?
Ad verification services are generally integrated into ad campaigns using some form of tracking asset (ad tags, beacons, etc.). Whenever this "tracked" ad is served on a Publisher site a decision can be made by the ad verification service to "block" the ad - prevent the ad from appearing on a page - if the page does not meet the site, geographical, or content parameters that were laid out for the campaign. The Ad Verification vendor supplies a routine report to the agency and Publisher highlighting the number of ad calls that were blocked, by parameter, providing Publishers with an opportunity to troubleshoot and/or adjust campaign set up.
What is required to implement Ad Verification?
Not much. Once an ad campaign is contracted, the Ad Verification vendor typically requires that included Publisher sites provide a list of all site URLS where the tracked campaign is expected to run. Depending on the implementation method, the Publisher may also need to implement a tracking pixel for the campaign.