Programmatic and Display

Your ad ran next to a post that hurt it

Through two kinds of controls. Digital content labels sort inventory by recommended maturity: DL-G for general audiences, DL-PG with parental guidance, DL-T for teens and older, DL-MA for adults only dv-labels. Sensitive categories exclude by topic, including derogatory content, sensitive social issues, gambling, violence, profanity, alcohol and sexual content dv-sensibel. Important: for programmatic inventory, sensitive categories and content labels are being retired and folded into inventory modes and content themes dv-sensibel.

What we do: We set a baseline at the top level, choose the maturity level with you, plan the transition to inventory mode and content themes and verify the actual placements; your ad does not sit next to content that harms it, and you do not lose reach wholesale for it.

By Svenja Müller, Strategic Team Lead Programmatic

Last updated on 5 October 2026

What it is about and when it becomes relevant

The two controls

Digital content labels categorize inventory by recommended audience maturity from DL-G to DL-MA dv-labels. Sensitive categories exclude by topic; named are, among others, derogatory content, sensitive social issues, gambling, violence, profanity, alcohol and sexual content dv-sensibel.

What is changing right now

For programmatic inventory, sensitive categories and digital content labels are being retired, because the signals flow into the simplified inventory modes and into content themes dv-sensibel. Whoever relies exclusively on the old lists today has to plan the transition.

When it becomes relevant

For every brand for which the environment is part of the message, and for every campaign in news environments. That is where the difference between careful and blanket controls is largest.

Common mistakes and how you spot them

Everything excluded across the board

How you spot itReach collapses, the price rises, and relevant environments drop out with the rest. Exclusions act across all campaigns when set at advertiser level.

Nothing configured at all

How you spot itThere are no exclusions and no content labels. The environment is then whatever the auction happens to serve.

Relying on retired signals

How you spot itThe controls consist only of sensitive categories and content labels, although these are being retired for programmatic inventory dv-sensibel.

No check after delivery

How you spot itThere is no report on the actual environments. An exclusion without verification is an intention, not a result.

How we go about it

Base protection at the top level
We set a baseline of exclusions that applies to all campaigns and refine per campaign underneath, instead of building each one from scratch.
Choose the maturity level deliberately
Which content labels are acceptable is a decision we take with you: DL-G to DL-MA are a brand question, not a technical one dv-labels.
Plan the transition
Because the old signals are being retired for programmatic inventory dv-sensibel, we rebuild the controls so they rest on inventory modes and content themes.
Verify the environments
We evaluate the actual environments regularly and flag anomalies automatically, instead of trusting the setting.

Frequently asked questions

What are digital content labels?

A classification of inventory by recommended audience maturity: DL-G for general audiences, DL-PG with parental guidance, DL-T for teens and older, DL-MA for adults only dv-labels.

Which sensitive categories exist?

Named are, among others, derogatory content, sensitive social issues, gambling, violence, profanity, alcohol and sexual content dv-sensibel.

Does brand safety cost reach?

Blanket exclusions do. Graduated controls protect reach because they differentiate instead of striking whole environments.

Is anything changing in these settings right now?

Yes. For programmatic inventory, sensitive categories and digital content labels are being retired; the signals flow into the simplified inventory modes and into content themes dv-sensibel.

Is this exactly where you are stuck?

Write to us about where it is stuck. Svenja Müller and the team will look at what is concretely behind it in your case, and tell you where the biggest lever sits.

Book a meeting

Sources

Every statement about ad products comes from the official documentation of the respective platform, with the date we retrieved it. Products change; if something looks outdated to you, write to us and we will check it.