DoubleVerify study shows that high-ad density sites emit 44% more carbon.
A DoubleVerify (DV), a leading software platform for digital media measurement and analytics, highlights in the 2024 edition of its Global Insights Report findings that point to a link between high-quality digital advertising environments and reduced carbon emissions.
The findings, based on a global analysis of more than one trillion ad impressions delivered across display and web video environments, highlight the environmental benefits of maintaining high-quality ad inventory. DV measures ad inventory quality through its DV Authentic Rate metric, which shows the percentage of ads verified as brand-appropriate, fraud-free and served in the intended geographic location. The study highlights that higher DV Authentic Rates are strongly correlated with lower emissions, as measured by Scope3’s impact data, underscoring the role of quality media buying in reducing the carbon footprint of digital advertising.
“Simply put, for digital ads, buying higher quality media directly translates into lower impact emissions. Our latest data shows that high-quality, fraud-free advertising not only improves performance, but also supports broader sustainability goals. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of ad delivery, we can help reduce the unnecessary energy consumption that contributes to rising emissions,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify.
The study also found that high-level MFA (Made for Advertising) sites, known for their high ad density, emitted 44% more carbon than the average emissions across all media measured by DV. On the other hand, ads with a high DV Authentic Rate produced fewer emissions, affirming the positive environmental impact of running quality digital ads.
DV’s approach to measuring the carbon impact of digital ads leverages a partnership that launched in 2022 with Scope3, the leading provider of ad emissions data. This collaboration enables advertisers to make decisions that align their marketing strategies with their environmental values, ensuring that their advertising dollars are spent responsibly.
DV calculated that media quality protections helped avoid a quantifiable 64,900 metric tons of CO2 waste from inauthentic advertising in 2023, equivalent to a social cost of carbon of $13.2 million ($204 per metric ton of CO2). The social cost of carbon quantifies and monetizes the costs of climate change impacts resulting from the emission of an additional metric ton of CO2 or its equivalent.
“Optimizing media quality has avoided a significant amount of CO2 emissions that would have been produced by running low-quality ads, avoiding a significant social cost of carbon. This underscores the importance of maintaining high standards in digital advertising,” Zagorski said.
Method: The report uses DV technology to analyze over a trillion impressions, both pre- and post-bid, and provides detailed market-by-market analysis for North America, LATAM, EMEA and APAC. It covers video and display impressions from January to December 2023 across desktop, mobile web, mobile apps and CTV.
*Cover photo: Disclosure/DoubleVerify
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