In the fast-evolving world of digital advertising, staying ahead of industry trends and consumer behaviors is imperative. Christina DiLaura, the Global VP at DoubleVerify (DV), shares her expertise in this exclusive interview for Marketing In Asia. With a legacy of pioneering ad verification and media quality solutions, DV has consistently adapted to the ever-changing dynamics of the digital landscape. Christina delves into how DoubleVerify’s innovations—powered by AI and attention metrics—are empowering marketers to create impactful campaigns while addressing regional challenges across APAC.
DoubleVerify has led in digital ad verification for years, shaping industry standards. Could you share how DV’s mission and innovations have adapted to the evolving digital landscape, and what distinguishes DV in digital media measurement and analytics?
We have continuously adapted our mission and innovations to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape. This has entailed expanding capabilities to address advertising complexities across channels, formats, and devices and covering emerging media like connected TV (CTV) and mobile which has driven comprehensive measurement and analytics across all digital touchpoints.
We acquired Scibids, a global leader in AI-powered digital campaign optimization, last year. As AI-powered tools were becoming prevalent, this acquisition expanded our product leadership in real-time campaign optimizations allowing us to combine our trusted media quality and performance data – that includes viewability, contextual and attention signals – with Scibids’s proven AI technology and real-time optimization algorithms.
With the rise of MFA sites forcing advertisers to evaluate brand suitability levels, we also launched one of the most robust and granular toolkits for MFA classification, measurement, and protection, in the industry. The AI-powered tiered brand suitability categories allow marketers to identify MFA sites in a more nuanced and brand-specific way.
This development is particularly relevant in light of discoveries we recently made in DV’s Global Insights Report 2024. According to the report, brand suitability violations in APAC have broadly trended down by 6.4%, but Southeast Asia saw a 14% increase. This spike was largely due to an unprecedented year of tumultuous news cycles in countries such as the Philippines. Despite this regional increase, the report highlighted a 17% global decrease in brand safety and suitability violations for DV advertisers. This improvement is attributed to a 41% year-over-year rise in the use of custom brand safety and suitability pre-bid protections.
We endeavor to go beyond conventional metrics at DoubleVerify (DV) and offer a sophisticated suite of solutions encompassing brand safety, ad fraud detection, viewability, and attention metrics. Powered by cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, we deliver real-time insights across a diverse range of digital channels.
Given the diverse markets within APAC, how do you tailor attention metrics to measure impact effectively across different cultures and consumer behaviors?
Attention trends vary significantly by region, influenced by diverse inventory buying strategies. At DV Attention Lab, our team of data scientists, product experts, and marketing analysts uses DV Authentic Attention to analyze over 50 real-time data points on digital ad exposure and engagement, to deliver attention-based insights and performance recommendations to advertisers. Through the findings of the DV Attention Lab, we can highlight the dynamic landscape of attention across various industries and regions and understand the cultural nuances, consumer preferences, and media consumption habits specific to each APAC market. Our attention metrics are derived from a rolling 28-day benchmark, supported by a global dataset comprising over 65 billion impressions per month. This allows advertisers to analyse their campaign performance in terms of attention metrics by various factors, including geography, placement, creative, ad size, device delivery, video duration, and app/site selections. This approach is designed to capture performance indicators unique to each media type. Additionally, the rolling average accounts for trend changes influenced by seasonality or significant cultural events.
Could you elaborate on how attention research is changing the way advertisers contextualize their ads, and what optimization strategies have proven most effective in APAC’s dynamic digital landscape?
Attention research is reshaping how advertisers contextualize their ads by emphasizing the importance of relevance, creativity, context, and optimization in capturing and holding the attention of intended consumers. Advertisers now focus on creating personalized ads and placing ads in relevant contexts that align with the interests, demographics and browsing behavior of their intended consumers.
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According to our Global Insights Report 2024, despite lower viewability on retail sites and apps, broader attention metrics indicate a more significant impact on engagement. Notably, 58% of APAC marketers plan to rely on attention-based metrics for the majority of their purchases in 2024. In line with this trend, DV’s attention solution DV Authentic Attention®, saw a threefold increase in adoption over the past year.
What are the emerging trends in ad verification, and how are new tools, especially those leveraging analytics and AI, enhancing the way we capture consumer attention in APAC markets?
Holistic measurement via ad verification tools is critical for success in today’s fragmented media landscape, especially with the rapid proliferation of new channels in the APAC region. Simultaneously, AI is revolutionizing media and advertising by enabling scalable generative content creation. While challenges like maintaining quality and combating invalid traffic exist, AI also offers solutions for recognizing and mitigating unsafe or fraudulent content. The use of automation is also gaining ground for delivering successful outcomes, requiring campaign optimization that matches the speed of evolving channels and consumer dynamics in the region.
Emerging AI tools are empowering marketers with deep consumer insights, real-time campaign optimization and personalized content creation. For instance, DV utilizes AI to enhance attention levels, leveraging the acquisition of Scibids to integrate its AI algorithm with our media quality and attention data. This integration allows us to seamlessly combine Scibids’ custom bidding features on DSPs with our data insights, automating optimization for the best-performing inventory at the best price while maintaining scale. We’re excited about the recent launch of Attentive Reach – a new KPI available for optimization within Scibids AI. It empowers advertisers to drive efficient reach without sacrificing impression quality. Thus, it unlocks richer optimization opportunities beyond viewability and quality metrics to drive stronger upper-funnel outcomes.
How has the predominance of mobile devices in APAC shaped DoubleVerify’s approach to advertising strategies and mobile optimization, particularly for smartphone-centric consumers?
To put things into perspective at a global level, reports indicate that the APAC region accounts for 1.73 billion mobile subscribers. Such extensive penetration of mobile devices across the region has significantly impacted advertising strategies and mobile optimization methodologies. For instance, according to our 2023 Quarterly Benchmarks Report attention trends exhibit notable disparities across regions, shaped by diverse inventory procurement strategies. In APAC, there is a predominant focus on investing in in-app inventory, capitalizing on the historically robust performance of video content in the region. This strategic emphasis has led to an above-average attention rate for advertisements featured on mobile applications.
When comparing AVOC (Attention Value of an Ad) Performance across different platforms, mobile apps emerge as the clear frontrunner in APAC, boasting a remarkable 58% AVOC, significantly outperforming desktop (16%) and mobile web. This underscores the pivotal role that mobile applications play in driving advertising success in the APAC region.
Can you discuss the challenges and solutions in bridging the gap between intent and action when it comes to media quality measurement in the APAC region?
Bridging the gap between intent and action in media quality measurement can be challenging in the APAC region, as markets have varying levels of technological adoption and adherence to industry standards for media quality measurement. Per a recent report we have developed in association with WARC, the disparity between what marketers claim and what their actual practices are is evident. While APAC marketers express a positive attitude towards media quality measurement, with 91% considering it crucial for media effectiveness, the study reveals discrepancies. Despite 98% of marketers utilizing ad verification tools in campaigns, many do so inconsistently, with one in three using them on an ad-hoc basis. Additionally, a notable portion of marketers neglect to evaluate digital media buys against essential quality metrics, such as brand suitability, viewability, fraud, or geographic targeting, with only 17% doing so.
This lack of consistency is creating areas of concern at a large scale. As per the DV 2024 Global Insights Report, new fraud schemes and variants saw a 23% increase compared to the previous year. Unprotected advertisers worldwide experienced a fraud/SIVT violation rate as high as 17%. In the APAC region, Connected TV (CTV) had the highest fraud rate among all devices, with 37% of fraud/SIVT (Sophisticated Invalid Traffic) occurring on mobile apps. Additionally, 92% of all adware/malware SIVT in APAC was driven by mobile apps.
To close the gaps in media quality measurement, a multifaceted approach is essential. This involves developing and documenting brand safety and suitability parameters while implementing robust governance policies and controls to ensure consistent execution across all media buys. Leveraging advanced technologies such as pre-render, pre-serve, and post-bid mechanisms is essential for comprehensive protection throughout the media transaction process. Equally important is the education and training of media planners on available brand safety and suitability tools, empowering them to strike a balance between protection and scale effectively. Furthermore, implementing verification strategies across all buying platforms, including social media walled gardens, is crucial for maintaining transparency and accountability. Ultimately, establishing a foundation of media quality that prioritizes performance is key to driving success in campaigns. Through such coordinated efforts, the industry can bridge the gap between intent and action, ensuring a landscape of media quality that is both reliable and impactful.
With a career that spans more than two decades across various domains, what key lessons have you learned about leading teams and driving innovation in the fast-paced environment of tech startups?
Above all else I believe the success of leading teams and driving innovation comes from strong communication. It starts with listening – to your team, to your clients, to the market. And supports your ability to context-switch between tasks and teams to drive projects forward at a fast pace. Ultimately strong communication enables a leader to read different situations and adapt quickly which is critical to success when building from the ground up and driving innovation where there is no roadmap or rulebook to follow.
Looking forward, how do you see the landscape of digital advertising evolving in APAC, and what role will DoubleVerify play in shaping its future?
The media landscape in APAC is poised for unparalleled growth in connectivity, offering both new opportunities and hurdles for marketers. AI, particularly Gen AI, will continue to reshape media and advertising, enhancing both content consumption and creation. Additionally, challenges like upholding content standards and combating invalid traffic will endure, urging marketers to adopt proactive measures to safeguard campaign integrity. The evolution of retail media networks across APAC will emerge as a significant revenue source for major retailers and e-commerce platforms, underscoring the importance for advertisers to prioritize quality, consistency, and transparency. Automation will be pivotal in devising effective campaigns, empowering advertisers to swiftly adapt to evolving channels and optimize results within a dynamic media landscape. Lastly, embracing comprehensive measurement strategies that account for the intricate nuances of the APAC media environment will be indispensable for marketers to navigate and thrive in this fragmented and ever-changing domain.
As the digital advertising landscape in APAC continues to evolve, DoubleVerify stands at the forefront, driving innovation and setting benchmarks for media quality and attention measurement. Christina DiLaura’s insights underscore the pivotal role of technology, adaptability, and strategic foresight in navigating a dynamic media environment. As DV continues to innovate, its commitment to empowering marketers with actionable insights and robust tools will shape the future of advertising across the region and beyond.
