NEW YORK, June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adblade, a leading ad network dedicated to providing large reach, premium brand-safe distribution and unique ad units, announced today its recognition as one of the top brand safe ad networks as measured by AdSafe Media (www.adsafemedia.com).

AdSafe's audit is an objective measurement of site quality and brand appropriateness used by advertisers, agencies, ad networks, exchanges and publishers. The audits are performed to allow brands to advertise with more confidence and provide networks with benchmark data to improve inventory performance. AdSafe's April 2011 audit gave Adblade a high Media Rating Index score of 149, compared to the industry average score of only 100. The score placed Adblade among the top tier of safest ad networks, out of hundreds of scored competitors.

Using a proprietary series of algorithmic models, AdSafe rates the risk profile of the content on individual web pages.  AdSafe's blend of data science and human verification technologies provides a more comprehensive and fair content evaluation than pixel-based verification solutions.  Pages are given an AdSafe Content Rating for each of the following base safety content categories: adult content, hate speech, guns / bombs / ammo, Illegal drugs, tobacco, alcohol, spyware / malware and offensive language.

According to Adblade statistics, which are confirmed by AdSafe, the company served nearly 1.5 billion impressions from April 2011 through May 2011.  A full 78.8 percent of the impressions were categorized as low risk, with nearly 1.25 billion impressions in that category. The number of "high risk" and "very high risk" impressions represented only 0.2 percent and 0.0 percent of the total, with 2,627,874 and 142,677 impressions for each respective category.

"We are very pleased to receive such a high score from industry benchmark AdSafe," said Jon Carmen, Senior Vice President of Sales at Adblade. "Their audits are a very thorough and impartial process that gives advertisers a clear guide on where to find safe and reliable inventory. During our most recent period, we served an incredibly low number of impressions that fell into the 'very high risk' category. This data reflects our focus on only working with top, brand safe, premium publishers."

"Our standardized brand safety metrics help us to increase the transparency of online display advertising while assisting advertisers in recognizing top-performing networks," said Michael Weaver, SVP, Sales and Business Development of AdSafe. "Adblade's focus on quality inventory and stringent publisher selection firmly puts it in the top tier of brand safe ad networks in operation today."

Adblade sets itself apart from typical services because it receives distribution directly from top-tier publishers instead of going through other ad networks or exchanges.  Since its inception, Adblade's goal has been to offer premium inventory that delivered better measurable results, along with unique ad units that are actually viewed and clicked on.  Adblade offers many different ad units including; Newsbullets©, Standard Display, Article Marketing and the new high-impact, patented AdCast Unit.

About AdSafe Media:

AdSafe Media is the rating standard of online media. AdSafe uses proprietary algorithmic modeling and human verification to rate the brand safety of content on commercially supported web pages via the AdSafe Content Rating System. AdSafe's BrandSafe Firewall enables brands, agencies and ad-networks to prevent advertising from appearing on publisher web pages that do not conform to brand guidelines. AdSafe's Network Monitor platform enables ad-networks and publishers to identify and segment problematic site content, increasing monetization of display inventory. AdSafe is headquartered in New York, NY with operations in California and London, England. For more information visit http://www.AdSafeMedia.com or follow @AdSafe on Twitter.

About Adblade:

Adblade is a leading online ad network that offers a unique value proposition through innovative proprietary ad units, expansive reach, and distribution through only select top-tier publishers.  A comScore and OMMA top 25 ad network, Adblade reaches more than 130 million monthly unique users in the US through over 400 branded content sites.

Launched in January 2008, Adblade has built its business on unique ad units which allow both brand advertisers and top publishers to succeed in a crowded online marketplace. With responsive customer support and proprietary optimization technology, Adblade provides brands, agencies and direct response advertisers with industry-leading value and ROI.  Adblade is headquartered in Somerville, NJ with operations in New York, NY.  For more information, visit www.adblade.com.

SOURCE Adblade