According to the Network for Good, nearly one-third of all nonprofit online donations are given during the month of December. That means the rest of the year is incredibly important to nonprofits working to get the word out about the value they bring.

Sovrn wants to help.

That’s why we’re introducing a Private Marketplace (PMP) Deal that gives nonprofit advertisers more working media for their programmatic ad spend compared to any other Deal we offer.

From now through the end of the year, nonprofits* targeting the DealID GivingTues_Svn_Nonprofits through any one of eight DSPs offering Sovrn Deals (Amobee, BidSwitch, Centro, Google DV360, Quantcast, RhythmOne, Simpli.fi, The Trade Desk), will access Sovrn’s top supply at a significantly reduced take rate—creating more efficiency and better return on ad spend for their investments during this critical time of year.

Nonprofit work is important—now more than ever—and every penny counts. We hope this small token of our appreciation helps nonprofits reach their goals so they can continue to help the people who depend on them.

If you have any questions or want to talk more, get in touch at advertising@sovrn.com.

*Corporations, funds, schools, or foundations that operate for charitable, educational, religious, arts, or scientific purposes and maintain a 501(c)(3) tax exemption

The post Sovrn Gives Back for Giving Tuesday and Beyond appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

This week, Jounce Media released their SPO Fact Pack. Jounce crawled more than 100,000 ads.txt files and 150 sellers.json files to get a better understanding of the size and directness of widely-deployed advertising exchanges. The goal of the report  is to give media buyers the facts they need to make data-driven decisions when it comes to supply path optimization (SPO).

Can we be direct with you?

Looking at the results, we’re proud of our publisher supply team for building one of the largest and most direct programmatic advertising exchanges. 

When it comes to scale, Sovrn covers more than 40% of advertising-supported websites.

More importantly, more than 86% of our publisher integrations are direct. That’s significantly higher than any other exchange of our size, and any other exchange focused on delivering scale in mobile and desktop display. 

What this means for advertisers

If advertisers want scale with direct path to supply, Sovrn is an ideal partner. We curate the best supply on the web, vet it for brand safety, and then deliver direct paths to publishers. DSPs and agencies are placing more importance everyday on finding the most direct and efficient paths to quality inventory. Working with Sovrn makes supply path optimization easy. 

If you want more information on how we can help you reach your campaign goals, get in touch at advertising@sovrn.com. 

The post Want Supply Path Optimization? Choose Sovrn. appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

We don’t subscribe to this point of view. In fact, we see these changes as an opportunity for our advertising partners:  an opportunity to reach consumers with relevant advertising they want to see, as expressed through control of their data.

Programmatic advertising has always been about reaching the right consumer at the right time in the right place with the right message. The Chrome privacy updates won’t change that.

Advertisers want to target with and without cookies. There are two ways to accomplish this: working with first-party data partners and building audiences through engaging, contextually relevant content. Sovrn specializes in both.

Sovrn is more than just an exchange. It’s a publisher-first platform. Our goal is to help interest-based publishers grow and thrive, often acting as an extension of the publishers themselves. That doesn’t mean we ignore our advertising partners—far from it.

The intimacy we have with our publishers combined with their topically diverse inventory and our advanced technology gives our advertising partners a distinct advantage in a privacy-focused environment. Advertisers working with Sovrn power their campaigns with first-party data signals that other exchanges don’t offer—purchase intent data, engagement data through our Signal technology, and advanced contextual targeting.

All of this means we are well positioned to help brands and agencies build audience segments of deeply engaged consumers across a plethora of contexts. And because we sit much closer to the publisher, we also sit closer to the user. This means we can help respect consumer privacy and data control while still serving relevant ads.

Programmatic may have been built on the cookie, and for now it’s still the best way to do business. But this industry was also built on constant change. Moving away from the cookie will give intelligent advertisers the chance to transact in new ways, put their ad dollars behind valuable, engaging content, and respect the privacy wishes of consumers throughout the process.

The post Digital Privacy is Good for Advertisers appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

At Sovrn, we’ve always been industry leaders in the fight against fraud. We’re one of two exchanges specializing in display to achieve TAG Platinum status for certification against fraud, piracy, malware, and inventory quality. Our invalid traffic rates are among the lowest of any major supply side platform.

However, we also recognize that in this industry you can’t rest on your laurels, and that ad fraud becomes more sophisticated every day. That’s why every bid request we submit to demand partners is now inspected, audited, and certified by White Ops to prevent fraud.

White Ops is the industry leader in accurately detecting and preventing sophisticated ad fraud schemes. Their advanced technology deeply investigates individual impressions to shine a light on even the most evasive bots. This means the best fraud protection in the industry for Sovrn advertisers and publishers.

This new level of protection strengthens our already robust site quality evaluation. Every domain that applies to our exchange goes through a 25-step audit by two humans. Then we use best-in-class, accredited inventory quality vendors—Integral Ad Science, Pixalate, SimilarWeb, Adloox and now White Ops—to protect brands and their ad spend. This ensures all Sovrn publishers add measurable value to our demand partners—offering engaged audiences, authentic content, and viewable ad layouts—with fewer brand safety risks.

Fighting ad fraud is a never-ending battle, but it’s a necessary one. Bad actors in our industry are constantly getting better, but so are we.

The post The bad guys are getting better. So are we. appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

But what is an interest-based publisher? Isn’t every publisher interest-based in one form or another?

Good point. Content is consumed first and foremost because of interest. When we talk about interest-based publishers at Sovrn, we’re thinking of mid- and long-tail publishers who sit outside the mainstream but provide significant value to their readers. One of our favorite such publishers on the Sovrn exchange is Instructables.com.

Instructables is for people who love to have fun making stuff. It contains thousands of step-by-step, community-powered how-to guides for consumers to create, share, and revel in the awesomeness of making just about anything. The site was created by Eric Wilhelm and Saul Griffith in August 2005, and is currently owned by Autodesk. Instructables started working with Sovrn in 2016.

According to Lauren Gerber, Yield Manager, Autodesk, the most popular articles on Instructables focus on technology followed by workshops and food. Their audience skews male at 58% and is most popular with the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups. When asked if she had any tips for advertisers who want to make the most out of campaigns hitting Instructables, Ms. Gerber said, “Be authentic and fun.” We think that’s great advice since authentic and fun is a perfect description for the content you’ll find throughout Instructables.com.

Great story, but why should advertisers care about interest-based publishers instead of mainstream sites?

Mid- and long-tail sites give your campaigns several advantages. You’re gaining additional reach. Your ads are less likely to appear near your competitors. You may even find performance advantages to advertising on smaller sites. Think about your own behavior. Are you more likely to pay attention and engage with ads on sites where you feel an attachment to the content or that mega news site where you check in to find out the latest big story and quickly move on to something else?

Sounds good. But aren’t there more brand safety and fraud risks in the mid- and long-tail?

That’s where Sovrn comes in. We know advertisers need to be feel safe when wading deeper into the ocean of the web. That’s why we’ve set up rigorous standards for any publisher who wants to be part of our exchange. Every site goes through a meticulous 25-point inspection by two humans, and we reject far more than we accept. It’s worth it though. We’re one of only five companies to achieve TAG Platinum status for certification against fraud, malware, piracy, and inventory quality.

The bottom line is there’s a lot of upside for advertisers when it comes to interest-based publishers. If you want to hear more about advertising opportunities on Instructables.com or any of the 2,000+ direct, interest-based publishers we work with, hit us up at advertising@sovrn.com.

The post What’s an Interest-Based Publisher and Why Should Advertisers Care? appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

Well, that’s partially true. Sovrn is different, and we pride ourselves on this. While other sell-side platforms focus on getting pieces of the advertising businesses of large media companies, Sovrn is much more focused on enabling the businesses of smaller, interest-based publishers.

But this doesn’t mean we neglect our advertising partners and exchange. In fact, it’s precisely the opposite. Because our business model is hyper-focused on enabling small, independent businesses, it’s more important than ever that we run the cleanest and safest exchange possible for advertisers.

Major media companies have the option of working with multiple sell-side partners. If one fails them, they can move on to another with barely a blip in their bottom line. Smaller, interest-based publishers often don’t have that luxury. For many of these independent media businesses, Sovrn is their lifeline. If we fail them, we put businesses and livelihoods at risk.

When you combine this with our need to make sure advertisers are safe wading deeper into the ocean of the web, it’s no wonder that we’ve long been industry leaders in protecting advertisers return on ad spend. We’re one of only five companies to achieve TAG Platinum status for certification against fraud, malware, piracy, and inventory quality.

If we don’t protect the quality of our exchange, advertisers walk away, and the publisher businesses we enable will no longer thrive. The fact that we focus on smaller, interest-based publishers does indeed make us different, and it’s precisely why we strive to be the cleanest, safest, and highest performing exchange out there.

The post Myth-Busting: Sovrn Only Focuses on Publishers appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

]]> https://www.sovrn.com/blog/tag-platinum/ Fri, 04 Jan 2019 16:35:01 +0000 https://www.sovrn.com/?p=13956 We believe that the best brands and publishers deserve the best programmatic partners. We’re dedicated to providing one of the cleanest ad exchanges in the world—not just because it gives our demand partners the confidence they count on to reach their goals, but because it’s good for the entire industry. That’s why we’re proud to […]

The post Sovrn Achieves TAG Platinum Status for Certification against Fraud, Piracy, Malware, and Inventory Quality appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

]]> We believe that the best brands and publishers deserve the best programmatic partners. We’re dedicated to providing one of the cleanest ad exchanges in the world—not just because it gives our demand partners the confidence they count on to reach their goals, but because it’s good for the entire industry.

That’s why we’re proud to be one of only five companies awarded Platinum Status by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). Sovrn was one of the first companies to receive all four TAG Certifications on fraud, piracy, malware, and inventory quality, and we continue to push for a better programmatic marketplace by calling for all exchanges to embrace transparency, efficiency, and fair-market principles.

“Not only is platinum the heaviest of the precious metals, it is also impervious to corrosion, so we felt that TAG Platinum was an appropriate designation for those companies that have taken all of the steps necessary to ensure that their digital advertising operations are impervious to the corroding effects of fraud, malware, piracy, and lack of transparency,” said Mike Zaneis, CEO of TAG.

Whether we’re leading the fight against ad fraud or applying our proprietary 25-step audit to every new domain we work with, we make sure that every Sovrn publisher adds measurable value to our demand partners. We deliver engaged audiences, authentic content, and viewable ads—with fewer brand safety risks.

This achievement only reinforces what we’ve always believed: for the programmatic industry to continue to grow and thrive, we must embrace honesty and transparency. We’re honored both by the award and by the opportunity to continue pushing programmatic advertising towards greater potential—and greater success.

The post Sovrn Achieves TAG Platinum Status for Certification against Fraud, Piracy, Malware, and Inventory Quality appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

]]> https://www.sovrn.com/blog/major-ad-exchanges-commit-full-transparency-efficiency-fair-market-principles/ Tue, 16 Oct 2018 23:38:28 +0000 https://www.sovrn.com/?p=13587 In an open letter to advertisers and publishers, Sovrn, Rubicon Project, OpenX, PubMatic, SpotX, and Telaria, pledged to uphold a set of Marketplace Principles that promote clarity and trust. These Principles will serve as a starting point for TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) compliance and accountability certifications that publishers, buyers, and their representatives can rely upon […]

The post Major Ad Exchanges Commit to Full Transparency, Efficiency, and Fair-Market Principles appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

]]> In an open letter to advertisers and publishers, Sovrn, Rubicon Project, OpenX, PubMatic, SpotX, and Telaria, pledged to uphold a set of Marketplace Principles that promote clarity and trust. These Principles will serve as a starting point for TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) compliance and accountability certifications that publishers, buyers, and their representatives can rely upon when making programmatic advertising decisions.

Sovrn is committed to transparency, efficiency, and maintaining a fair programmatic marketplace. We believe that these Principles will make our industry better for all participants, and today, along with our industry colleagues, we’re proud to solidify those commitments.

We will follow a similar process to when Sovrn played a leadership role in the development of industry-wide Anti-Fraud Principles. The next phase of developing a measurement and certification process, will involve broad feedback and collaboration from all participants of the marketplace. Alongside brands, agencies, DSPs, and publishers, TAG will develop a standardized code of conduct, based on the Principles below, that will further the trust, confidence, and growth of programmatic advertising.

We hope that all ad exchanges will join us in adopting the Principles. Joining forces, pledging to uphold best practices, and agreeing to ethical trading will help secure a more open and robust future for digital advertising.

The open letter—signed by the CEOs of six major exchanges—outlines three core market Principles: Efficiency, Transparency, and Fair-market. We are proud to be a part of this consortium, and we’re committed to doing our part to ensure that programmatic has a bright and sustainable future.

1. Efficiency:  Efficiency reduces transaction costs by eliminating waste and fraud.

• Total Quality Assurance
  • 100% of ad creatives scanned for malware and other quality issues
  • 100% of all domains and apps reviewed for brand safety, ad count, refresh rates, and audience quality
  • 100% of ad requests scanned and filtered in real time for invalid traffic
  • Fully certified by TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group), including validation by an independent 3rd party
• Standardized Formats
  • All advertisements compliant with the Better Ads Standards developed by the Coalition for Better Ads. For more information, see BetterAds.
• Elimination of Infrastructure Waste
  • For each unique ad request from a publisher for a specific ad format, auction type, or Deal ID, an exchange will send a maximum of one unique bid request to the DSP

2. Transparency: Transparency establishes clear business practices necessary to maintain trust among participants in the supply chain.

• Fee Transparency
  • No hidden fees of any kind. One clear fee assessed per auction, with fee arrangements made explicit to the party being charged
• Fully Auditable Supply Chain
  • Auditability of supply source, requests, winning bids, impressions, and clicks through every step in the supply chain
• Transparent Change Notification
  • Any changes or modifications to marketplace design that may alter performance for buyers are clearly communicated in advance of going live within a reasonable and agreed upon timeframe

3. Fair-Market: Fair-market principles establish clear and unambiguous ground rules that balance the objectives of all marketplace participants.  

• Clear Auction Rules
  • All bid requests will specify the auction type (e.g., whether the auction is 1st or 2nd price)
• No Undisclosed Business Arrangements
  • No undisclosed business arrangements (such as kickbacks or rebates) that could unnaturally influence spend away from fair market values and principles
• No Biased Auction Mechanics
  • Actions such as non-transparent bid-caching or proprietary container preferencing that could undermine the integrity of the fair auction are forbidden

Principles for a Better Programmatic Marketplace: An Open Letter to Advertisers and Publishers

The post Major Ad Exchanges Commit to Full Transparency, Efficiency, and Fair-Market Principles appeared first on Sovrn, Inc..

]]>