Episode Summary: The Refresh News – DoubleVerify & Rockerbox: What This Acquisition Means for Measurement

Podcast: AdTechGod Pod
Host: The AdTech God
Episode Title: The Refresh News: DoubleVerify & Rockerbox: What This Acquisition Means for Measurement
Release Date: March 5, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of the AdTechGod Pod, host The AdTech God delves into the recent acquisition of Rockerbox by DoubleVerify. Joining the conversation are Doug Campbell, Chief Strategy Officer at DoubleVerify, and Ron Jacobson, Co-Founder and CEO of Rockerbox. The discussion centers on the implications of this acquisition for the advertising technology industry, particularly in the realms of measurement, attribution, and transparency.

Guest Introductions

• Doug Campbell (DoubleVerify): Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for guiding DoubleVerify's strategic initiatives, including acquisitions and product integrations.

• Ron Jacobson (Rockerbox): Co-Founder and CEO of Rockerbox, overseeing the company's mission to enhance campaign performance measurement and attribution.

Acquisition Overview

Ron Jacobson on the Acquisition

Timestamp [02:00]: Ron expresses his excitement about the acquisition, highlighting the journey and the contributions of the Rockerbox team.

"It's been a long time coming and just really happy to see that for my teammates that help build Rockerbox, our investors, all of our partners that I think we're putting Rockerbox in a really good position for the future."

Doug Campbell on DoubleVerify's Interest

Timestamp [02:55]: Doug outlines DoubleVerify's criteria for acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of a strong team and client-focused operations.

"When we look for any kind of acquisition, we look for a great team and we look for great people... they are super smart, they're very client focused."
He further explains how Rockerbox fits into DoubleVerify's ecosystem by enhancing measurement and activation capabilities.

Enhancing Attribution and Measurement

Rockerbox's Role in Attribution

Timestamp [04:31]: Ron details Rockerbox's mission to measure outcomes across diverse advertising channels, enabling brands to understand the effectiveness of their ad spend.

"Our goal is to help measure outcomes for some of the most sophisticated brands and advertisers in the world... how do we help brands measure if their ad dollars are actually driving business outcomes?"

Integration Benefits

Timestamp [06:10]: Doug discusses DoubleVerify's evolution from primarily brand safety and fraud prevention to a more holistic measurement approach, integrating Rockerbox's attribution capabilities.

"This is the first time where we have begun to think more holistically from how do you build something that's very important to your clients... optimizing and measuring the outcomes makes sense."

Ron adds that the combined data from DoubleVerify and Rockerbox will provide advertisers with both high-quality media assurance and detailed outcome measurement, enhancing overall campaign performance.

Transparency and URL Level Reporting

DoubleVerify's Transparency Initiatives

Timestamp [11:30]: Doug elaborates on DoubleVerify's commitment to transparency, introducing URL level reporting integrated into their user interface (UI).

"Transparency is the foundation of all trust in digital advertising... we now provide it inside our pinnacle UI and soon as a data stream directly to any place they want to use that data."

He highlights the benefits of easier access to detailed URL insights, allowing advertisers to make more granular and informed decisions about their ad placements.

Enhanced Control for Advertisers

Timestamp [15:49]: Doug explains the addition of new content categories, such as "highly illicit," which enable advertisers to exclude specific types of content effortlessly.

"By having a highly illicit, do not monetize content category, we allow them to just check a box and they don't have to worry about it anymore."

This enhancement ensures that advertisers can maintain brand safety with minimal effort, leveraging DoubleVerify's expanded classification capabilities.

Integration and Implementation

Rollout Strategy

Timestamp [07:50]: Ron discusses the planned rollout for integrating Rockerbox with DoubleVerify's existing platform, noting that while there will be implementation work, the benefits justify the effort.

"There's going to be some implementation work for those advertisers to potentially get up and running with Rockerbox, something we feel very comfortable doing."

Key Benefits of Integration

Timestamp [09:01]: Doug outlines the primary advantages of the integration for advertisers:

1. Enhanced Media Quality: Assurance of no fraud, brand safety, and viewability.
2. Optimized Media Spend: Through DoubleVerify's Cybids, improving media performance.
3. Outcome Measurement: Detailed analysis of ad spend effectiveness against desired business outcomes.

Ron adds that Rockerbox's ability to track multi-channel journeys provides advertisers with comprehensive insights into their campaigns' performance across various platforms.

Future Prospects and Innovation

Ron Jacobson on Continued Growth

Timestamp [18:29]: Ron confirms that his dedication to Rockerbox remains steadfast post-acquisition, expressing enthusiasm for leveraging DoubleVerify's global reach to enhance Rockerbox's technology for a broader client base.

"I'm more pumped than ever... bringing Rockerbox's technology to all those advertisers is unbelievably exciting."

Secret Behind Effective Attribution

Timestamp [20:08]: Ron explains the complexity of attribution, emphasizing the importance of data normalization and channel-specific methodologies.

"How do we get all the data centralized, how do we get it all clean and normalized... every channel has a different methodology you have to use."
He underscores Rockerbox's expertise in connecting diverse data points to provide accurate measurement of advertising outcomes.

Conclusion

In this insightful episode, Dougie Campbell and Ron Jacobson shed light on the strategic acquisition of Rockerbox by DoubleVerify, highlighting the enhanced measurement and attribution capabilities that will benefit advertisers. The integration promises a more comprehensive and transparent advertising ecosystem, empowering brands to optimize their ad spend effectively. As both companies unite their strengths, the future of adtech looks poised for significant advancements in data-driven marketing solutions.

"The prospect of bringing Rockerbox's technology to all those advertisers is unbelievably exciting." – Ron Jacobson

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