DoubleVerify bolsters TikTok brand safety with AI

DoubleVerify, a leading software platform for digital media measurement, data, and analytics, has rolled out 16 new brand safety and suitability categories for TikTok advertisers, to support TikTok’s new Inventory Filters – Vertical Sensitivity and Category Exclusion, to go into effect this month. As TikTok continues to grow in popularity, the expansion allows advertisers to navigate the complex digital landscape with precision, ensuring their brand promotion is aligned with suitable content on the platform.

With this release, brands can leverage five new content categories in the Category Exclusion control for TikTok Inventory Filter – Gambling & Lottery,Youth Content, Violent Video Games, and Combat Sports. This expanded category selection will give advertisers enhanced measurement insights and increased protection across sensitive topics. The release will also include 11 vertical-based categories for the Vertical Sensitivity inventory filter that align with the unique brand requirements of advertisers across various sectors, including Pets, Food, Beauty, Fashion, Tech & Telecom, Financial Services, Travel, Automotive, Gaming, Professional Services, and Entertainment. These categories exclude vertical-related content that advertisers may consider misaligned with their brand positioning. DV is currently testing Vertical Sensitivity controls to be available later this quarter.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with TikTok as ad investments continue to grow on the platform,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify. “As driven by our client-focused innovation strategy, we are launching 16 additional brand safety and suitability categories that cover unique content types and industry verticals. Advertisers can ensure brand equity protection by leveraging DV’s new AI-powered classification categories, and align their advertising with suitable content on TikTok according to each brand’s specific needs and objectives.”

DV’s Universal Content Intelligence is an industry-leading classification engine that powers the company’s expansive content categorization online, including the expanded categories on TikTok. Based on over 15 years of experience, DV employs a holistic classification approach by analyzing all key types of content, including visual, audio, speech, text and link elements. Furthermore, DV’s Universal Content Intelligence classifies content based on robust policy definitions, and leverages leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide advertisers with the most accurate classification, while ensuring the broadest coverage and protection at scale.

“TikTok is continuously building and refining our brand safety and suitability solutions for advertisers, and evolving to stay ahead of emerging needs,” said Chen-Lin Lee, Global Head of Measurement and Data Partnerships at TikTok. “We are excited to be partnering with trusted third-party measurement provider DoubleVerify to complement our own TikTok Inventory Filter, and our new brand suitability controls Category Exclusion and Vertical Sensitivity, so advertisers are confident in the tools that empower them to connect with our community.”

Media quality is crucial for campaign success. With quality as a foundation, advertisers can maximize campaign effectiveness and ROI. Independent, third-party verification is key to authenticate quality and support media platform confidence.

In 2021, DV announced ad viewability, fraud, and in-geo measurement on TikTok. In 2022, DV expanded its partnership with TikTok to offer advertisers post-campaign brand safety and suitability measurement. In 2023, DV released support for TikTok Photo Mode content and became an official badged member of the TikTok Marketing Partner Program with a specialization in Brand Safety & Suitability. Earlier this year, DV expanded its brand safety and suitability market support to include Japan, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, bringing DV’s coverage to 35+ global markets.