Advertiser investment in news depends on buyers having clear, reliable control over how their suitability preferences, meaning the content they consider appropriate for their brands are applied. As new brand suitability tools enter the market, that control is becoming less consistent. The result is growing misalignment between how content is classified and how advertisers actually assess risk.

Content classification approaches that are accurate, consistent, policy-driven and well-aligned with the expectations of advertisers and the broader industry are the foundation on which trust and confidence are built between advertisers and publishers. But as the industry evolves, a new set of unproven brand suitability vendors may be complicating advertisers’ ability to invest confidently in news. 

Evidence suggests these new tools and solutions do not adequately consider advertisers’ perspectives on risk and suitability, and they classify news content in ways that are not aligned with buyers’ needs and expectations. This misalignment risks damaging news publishers’ relationships with advertisers and weakening long-term revenue.

Data backs this up. A recent DoubleVerify (DV) survey collected feedback from 25+ advertisers across different industry verticals on content classified as “low risk” by new and unproven tools across three major news publishers’ sites. Although a tiny portion of marketers – just 1% – view all types of news content as unsuitable for their advertising, respondents to the survey said in 92% of cases that they considered this “low risk” content (as classified by these new tools) to be unsuitable and would actively wish to avoid it.

Consumer sentiment shows a similar trend. A DV survey of 295 U.S. consumers found that 26%, on average, would think less of a brand or respect it less if it appeared alongside the content categorized as “low risk” by these new vendors.

Maintaining advertiser trust

It’s tempting to believe that classifying large portions of news content as “low risk” might open up advertiser spending and drive additional revenue for publishers. However, in practice, the inverse is likely true. Classifications that do not reflect advertisers’ views could damage their ability to invest confidently in news or alienate them from news publishers entirely.

Many publishers understand that accurate and consistent classifications that meet advertisers’ expectations ultimately help them build trust and confidence with their partners. Brands in some verticals are particularly sensitive, publishers say, such as those selling luxury goods or operating in regulated industries.

Reliable, flexible and customizable tools therefore are critical for maximizing revenue for news publishers by enabling advertisers to avoid only content they deem unsuitable for their brands and campaign strategies. This approach is validated and supported by the advertiser community, including Wayne Blodwell, Global SVP Programmatic at Assembly Global.

Blodwell said that, “Trustworthy and accurate content classification is critical for enabling our clients to invest their budgets confidently — particularly in news environments. Reliable and consistent classification technology enables us to maximize our investment with news publishers while ensuring our clients’ varied suitability needs and preferences are met.”

Growing advertiser investment in news

Research continues to show that investing in news is smart business for advertisers, and that those avoiding it altogether are missing out on powerful opportunities to engage with valuable, high-performing audiences.

DV’s News Accelerator initiative has seen first hand that advertisers feel most confident investing in news environments when they have transparency, flexibility and control over the specific types of news content they align with. DV data also reveals that advertising on news content now drives 16% more engagement than non-news content, and advertising alongside news content typically outperforms other digital channels, according to marketers.

Ensuring content classification is accurate, reliable and scalable requires continued alignment across advertisers, publishers and technology providers. Without it, confidence in news environments will erode, along with the investment that depends on it.

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About the author

Jack Marshall is the Head of News for DV. With nearly two decades of experience in digital media journalism and publishing, Jack leads DV’s efforts in the news sector, including DV’s News Accelerator initiative. The DV News Accelerator aims to align DV’s product innovation with the needs of the news industry, and encourage advertiser spending on news and journalism.