Integral Ad Science
  • Solutions
    BY PRODUCT TYPE
    Ad fraud
    Brand Safety & Suitability
    Contextual Targeting
    Viewability
    Efficiency & Optimisation
    BY CHANNEL
    CTV & Video
    Programmatic
    Proprietary Platforms
    Mobile & In-App
    BY CUSTOMER TYPE
    Brands & Agencies
    Publishers
    Platforms & Partners
  • Insights
    IAS Insider
    Media Quality Report
    Research
  • Innovation
  • About IAS
    Quality Impressions
    Newsroom
    Leadership & Awards
    Careers
  • Careers
Log in
Investor Relations
Contact
UK UK
US US DE DE ES ES FR FR IT IT JP JP BR BR LATAM LATAM APAC APAC Korean Korean
Integral Ad Science
  • Solutions
    BY PRODUCT TYPE
    Ad fraud
    Brand Safety & Suitability
    Contextual Targeting
    Viewability
    Efficiency & Optimisation
    BY CHANNEL
    CTV & Video
    Programmatic
    Proprietary Platforms
    Mobile & In-App
    BY CUSTOMER TYPE
    Brands & Agencies
    Publishers
    Platforms & Partners
  • Insights
    IAS Insider
    Media Quality Report
    Research
  • Innovation
  • About IAS
    Quality Impressions
    Newsroom
    Leadership & Awards
    Careers
  • Careers
Log in
Contact Us
UK UK
US US DE DE ES ES FR FR IT IT JP JP BR BR LATAM LATAM APAC APAC Korean Korean
  1. Home
  2. | Topics
  3. | Brand Safety & Suitability
  4. | Minimising brand risk on a global scale
November 19, 2019 by IAS Team

Minimising brand risk on a global scale

Brand Safety & Suitability
Insights
Share:
Minimising brand risk on a global scale

 

This article was originally published in WARC.

 

It’s fair to say the media industry today is in a different place to where it was when brand safety challenges dominated the headlines in 2017. However, IAS research has found that almost three-quarters (72.7%) of agencies cited brand safety as the biggest concern in 2019. As we end the year, it is once again top of the news agenda, as household-name brands were revealed to have unwittingly run ads alongside videos promoting fake or misleading cancer cures. This highlights how minimising the risk posed to brands online and building trust with key partners should remain a clear priority for global advertisers.

Keyword blocking can be restrictive and ineffective

The headlines around YouTube’s most recent brand safety challenge – on a Friday the 13th no less – could be considered an unlucky news day for the brands impacted. These types of news stories likely leave brands questioning how they can make sure they aren’t aligned with damaging or harmful content.

Brands may turn to keyword blocking, a brand safety tool many organisations use to protect themselves from potentially harmful content placements. However, keywords can often be inflexible, cutting off an array of valuable audiences and opportunities to connect. Simply put, excessive protection measures are making some brand’s media selection too restrictive and consequently, ineffective. The solution? A greater level of nuance for the industry.

Lists need to be constantly updated

With digital advertising’s reach constantly extending across a varied range of content, vetting is increasingly vital and so, defining specific undesirable terms can seem like an efficient solution. By listing terms such as ‘immigrant’, for example, advertisers can steer clear of any content that encourages intolerance. However, this simplistic method is also what makes adding to exclusion lists restrictive. Assigning a keyword to your exclusion list means excluding all content featuring the term — including placements that could enhance positive brand perception.

Choosing the correct keywords, at the brand and campaign level, is vital. So is updating those lists. IAS data found some brands are still blocking keywords associated with terror attacks from over two years ago, including ‘London Bridge’, ‘Westminster’, ‘Ariana Grande’ and ‘Manchester’. As a result, brands are missing valuable opportunities to tap into stories dominating the news agenda; such as pre-match analysis of an upcoming Manchester City (or United!) game.

Brand safety is in the eye of the beholder and the tolerance for risk depends greatly on specific brand priorities, offerings, and values.

Contextual suitability means a bespoke safety mix for every brand

The marker of contextual suitability differs globally per brand. What is acceptable to a toy manufacturer, for instance, will differ significantly to the safety criteria of an alcohol brand. However, brand suitability must be more complex than an industry comparison. If you take food brands as an example, fast-food chain McDonald’s risk threshold would differ from the organic and sustainable brand, Whole Foods – even though both are targeting consumers with food and beverage options. Instead of cutting off potentially risky content using generic terms, advertisers should take a more considered approach, starting by defining their individual brand interpretation of what safe and suitable content means.

These brand safety discussions have always been a delicate trade-off between suitability and scale. But the industry conversation is increasingly shifting towards suitability as a more nuanced targeting measure. With advertisers blocking specific keywords surrounding breaking news stories as a proactive and preventative plan, the impact is also felt by publishers. The sell-side is seeing their valuable inventory – especially inventory linked with news content – blocked, with their efforts to procure valuable and highly engaged audiences going to waste. By checking and refreshing brand suitability at the very least on a monthly basis, all parties will feel the benefits.

In the meantime, it’s the responsibility of each brand to work with its partners – be that agencies, direct with publishers or verification providers – to establish its own marker of suitability. As brands build their confidence with brand risk thresholds, by taking a nuanced approach rather than blocking entire content categories, they can allow for contextual suitability across global markets.

Access the content now.
Download
Access the case study now.
Download
Access the guide now.
Download
Access the research now.
Download
Sign up for insights right to your inbox.
Subscribe now ›

Related Posts

Introducing IAS pre-bid brand safety on TikTok
Introducing IAS pre-bid brand safety on…
Learn more ›

January 18, 2023 by IAS Teams

The 2023 Industry Pulse – Media experts predict more advertising opportunities
The 2023 Industry Pulse – Media…
Learn more ›

January 10, 2023 by IAS Teams

Navigating the ongoing European energy crisis
Learn more ›

November 22, 2022 by IAS Teams

IAS white red logo
Sign up for fresh insights

Solutions

By Product Type

Ad Fraud

Brand Safety & Suitability

Contextual Targeting

Viewability

Efficiency & Optimization

By Channel

CTV & Video

Programmatic

Proprietary Platforms

Mobile & In-App

Audio

By Customer Type

Brands & Agencies

Publishers

Platforms & Partners

Insights

IAS Insider

Research

Media Quality Reports

About IAS

Quality Impressions™

Newsroom

Leadership & Awards

Careers

Helpful Links

Contact

Log in

© 2023 Integral Ad Science, Inc.

Accessibility_Icon Accessibility statement

Site indexing policy

Privacy policy

Subscription management

Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media

Site indexing policy

Privacy policy

Subscription management

Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media
Transparent Background - Social Media

© 2021 Integral Ad Science, Inc.

Search

Hit enter to search or ESC to close

Download Content

Fill out the form to have this content delivered directly to your email inbox.

Subscribe now

Fill out the form to sign up for the latest and greatest IAS updates— delivered right to your inbox.

Thank you for signing up for the IAS Newsletter.