Singapore – IPG Mediabrands and Zefr have announced a first-in-kind agency partnership. Said partnership is designed to combat disinformation and improve brand safety and acceptability for online campaigns. 

The partnership will provide campaign solutions that enable brands to avoid spreading false information on social media, using the technology-driven performance unit, KINESSO, and the research data from IPG Mediabrands’ media intelligence and investment section, MAGNA. Political, environmental, medical, AI-generated, and brand-specific content are amongst the main areas. 

Moreover, the partnership between Zefr and IPG Mediabrands continues, and this alliance expands on it. It is in line with the agency network’s media for good programs, which prioritise brand safety, media responsibility, marketplace equity, and sustainability in order to foster influence both inside and outside of its business scope. 

The new campaign tools were developed with input from the MAGNA Media Trial. KINESSO is integrating these disinformation capabilities into the end-to-end integrated campaign process for IPG Mediabrands clients. 

Speaking about the partnership, Dani Benowitz, US & global president, MAGNA, said, “Helping our clients to protect their brands while reaching their audiences through the most effective channels is core to the work we do as their agency partners. By engaging in specialised partnerships like this with Zefr, we are ensuring our clients have access not only to our in-house expertise, but also to the best tools and capabilities the industry has to offer, so their media investments are strategic and made with relevant, high industry standards in mind.” 

Meanwhile, Andrew Serby, chief commercial officer at Zefr, stated, “At Zefr, we have been proactive in tackling misinformation across walled gardens, combining advanced AI for multi-media with global fact-checking networks. IPG’s leadership in combating misinformation for their clients is second to none, and this partnership underscores that commitment towards this critical issue. Together, we are accelerating the fight against misinformation across walled gardens, applying media responsibility to client investment around the world.”

Singapore – Zefr, the data platform for brand suitability targeting and measurement, has announced its significant expansion of its brand safety and suitability measurement product with TikTok. 

In this new update, global advertisers will now have the ability to deploy advanced brand suitability controls, including ‘Category Exclusions’ and ‘Vertical Sensitivity’ controls, all of which will be available through TikTok’s newly released Brand Safety Hub in TikTok Ads Manager. 

These new capabilities offered by Zefr are designed to offer unparalleled protection and customization for brands advertising on TikTok, ensuring each campaign aligns with their unique brand values and safety and suitability standards.

The introduction of ‘Vertical Sensitivity’ on TikTok will allow advertisers to select their vertical and exclude content categories they deem unsuitable. This will cover 11 brand verticals such as pets, beauty, food, fashion or retail, and more, and is now available across key markets like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. 

Meanwhile, through the ‘Category Exclusions’ feature, brands can prevent their ads from appearing next to content categorised under gambling and lotteries, violent video games, combat sports, and youth content across all TikTok inventory filter markets.

This announcement builds on Zefr and TikTok’s latest collaboration, announced in September 2023, where Zefr provides video-level signals to inform TikTok Inventory Filter for GARM Suitability optimisations, giving advertisers even further control and transparency when using the TikTok Inventory Filter on campaigns. This collaborative process is representative of an evolution in brand suitability optimisation, giving advertisers deeper control and transparency.

Since its inception in 2022, Zefr has consistently achieved a brand safety rate exceeding 99% on TikTok, following GARM floor definitions across global campaigns. Going beyond brand safety, this partnership aims to enhance the advertiser experience by providing advanced tools and insights that honour both brand values and audience sensitivities. The collaboration between Zefr and TikTok will continue to expand these product features across all regions globally throughout 2024.

Rich Raddon, co-founder and co-CEO of Zefr, said, “Zefr is committed to innovating in brand safety and suitability across social platforms. The integration of our advanced controls into TikTok’s Brand Safety Hub on TikTok Ads Manager highlights our continuous dedication to innovation and empowering advertisers. This collaboration reflects our joint efforts to set new standards, prioritising the brand-suitable alignment of ads with content while minimising over-blocking and maximising reach for brands.”