Dentsu Aegis and global ad tech firm to measure fraud and viewability
Dentsu Aegis Network has partnered with Integral Ad Science, the global digital ad analysis tech company, in a deal worth nearly AUD2m (£1.1m) to enable consistent measurement of viewability, ad fraud, brand safety and other metrics such as ad clutter and exposure time. The agreement will cover all Dentsu Aegis brands in Australia and New Zealand. All campaigns will be tracked for media quality by the end of October.

Erica Kokiw

In a deal thought to be worth nearly $2 million, Dentsu Aegis Network has forged a partnership with global digital advertising analysis tech company Integral Ad Science.

It's not just creative and media planning and buying pitches doing the rounds in adland, but with the increasing attention surrounding viewability and brand protection, comes the increased need to batten down the brand risk hatches.

While GroupM has nailed its flag to the rival Moat Analytics offering and OMD Integral, after a competitive pitch, which AdNews understands saw Moat and Integral go head-to-head, Dentsu has chosen the latter.

Dentsu says the new partnership will see it shift from reporting on viewable impressions to delivering optimum exposure time by client, adding that while the focus on buying viewable impressions has been an important first step for the industry, exposure time provides a “deeper understanding” of campaign performance and consumer engagement.

Intergral's managing director for Australia and New Zealand, James Diamond, says the partnership with Dentsu reflects a new approach from Australian agencies.

“Most agencies are still only measuring a portion of their campaigns which limits the data collected and the insights that can be captured. Dentsu Aegis on the other hand, is going to deploy our measurement technology across every possible impression, ensuring that viewability, brand safety and fraud are measured consistently,” he says.

The long-term deal enables Dentsu and its agencies, such as Carat, Dentsu Mitchell, iProspect, Vizeum, Columbus, its media investment arm Amplify and programmatic hub Amnet, to address the challenge of viewability, ad fraud, brand safety and a host of other metrics such as ad clutter and exposure time, to the benefit of its clients.

Head of digital at Amplifi, Erica Kokiw, says: “While the industry is focusing a lot on viewability right now, it's important to remember that viewability is just one part of the media quality equation. We want a holistic media quality solution for our clients that can help us address current challenges but also set us up to address future opportunities, such as buying media based on effective exposure.

“Chasing viewable impressions without putting brand safety solutions in place is very risky even when dealing with premium publishers. The most important asset our clients have is their brand and we are going to ensure we protect our clients’ brands as we seek to improve viewability in their campaigns,” Kokiw says.

She adds that while maximising viewability and minimising fraud is a major focus for the Dentsu Aegis team, tracking brand safety is also hugely important.

By collecting this data Dentsu will have more options and insights to tap into as it negotiates trading agreements on behalf of clients in the future. The roll-out of Integral's technology starts next week, with all campaigns due to be tracked for media quality by the end of October.

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