In recent years, DPG Media has developed its own advertising system to become less dependent on Google and Meta. One of the reasons for this was the appearance of misleading crypto ads on the news sites of the AD and de Volkskrant newspapers in 2019 and 2020. Those ads were placed via Google's advertising network, which meant that DPG had little insight into what appeared on its own platforms.
With the new system, Ad Manager, advertisers have been able to purchase advertising space directly from DPG since 2024. According to the media company, around 400 advertisers are now using the platform. DPG says it has invested tens of millions of euros in its development and refers to it as an important driver of growth in digital advertising revenue.
Advertisers can use Ad Manager to select target groups based on factors such as age, gender, region, and interests. These profiles are built using data from subscribers and users with accounts with DPG titles, based on information they have provided and their online reading behavior. According to DPG, this data is less detailed than that collected by Big Tech, and targeted advertising only takes place with the consent of users.
Privacy organization Bits of Freedom is critical and awarded DPG the Big Brother Award in early 2025. The organization believes that it is insufficiently clear what data is collected and how it is used. DPG acknowledges that the use of data is a sensitive issue, but argues that advertisements without target group information are not financially viable. Without this model, the company believes that advertisers would switch to Google and Meta.
