September 21, 2020 – New York, NY – Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global leader in digital ad verification, today announced that Verizon Media’s DSP now offers both IAS’s contextual targeting and contextual avoidance capabilities across programmatic ad buys. Verizon Media DSP made this function generally available this summer, making Verizon the first IAS DSP partner to offer both capabilities.

IAS’s Contextual targeting capabilities give advertisers access to a carefully curated and extensive list of 100+ contextual targeting segments that can be used to target towards suitable content and optimize programmatic campaigns on a pre-bid basis – this complements existing IAS brand safety and content avoidance controls. 

“IAS is excited to partner with Verizon Media to unlock even better programmatic campaign outcomes for advertisers,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, IAS. “IAS pre-bid contextual targeting segments are now available directly within the Verizon Media DSP. This means that marketers no longer have to choose between the scale of their campaigns and having the most suitable contextual adjacencies for their campaign messages. We now empower them to have both”. 

Consumers are more likely to engage with advertising that is adjacent to content that aligns with a campaign’s message or a brand’s values. IAS’s Context Control delivers programmatic buyers unprecedented precision for targeting content that is contextually relevant at an unprecedented scale for programmatic campaign placements. 

“With the massive amount of content available online, covering a wide range of topics, interests, and specialties, more marketers are embracing contextual targeting,” said Greg MacDonald, VP, Marketplace Partnerships at Verizon Media. “Knowing your campaign is running alongside trusted and expected content is key. Deepening our relationship with IAS to offer both contextual avoidance and targeting segments gives our advertisers more flexibility and transparency across their omnichannel buys.”

IAS and Verizon Media have been long standing strategic partners. The Verizon Media DSP is a full-funnel, transparency-driven platform that combines unique data sets with machine-learning optimization, exclusive inventory, and enhanced productivity features, giving advertisers the flexibility, control and confidence to manage omnichannel programmatic strategy. IAS is working with additional DSPs to offer both contextual avoidance and targeting capabilities as well. 

For more information on IAS’s work with Verizon Media, please download the one sheet here or reach out to press@integralads.com.