Brand Suitability: The Next Chapter of Brand Safety

Over the past few years, the digital marketing industry has navigated a number of brand safety trials and tribulations. Companies traversed through a global pandemic, adjusted their stance and participation in societal and cultural breakthroughs, and have constantly been on alert for last-minute messaging and creative changes. 

At their baseline, the new world developments presented a myriad of ways to communicate brand stance and outlook — for better or worse. The risk of simply appearing near specific topics online caused brands to double down on their expectations around brand safety. However, as time goes on, the lines separating what is desirable and not desirable are beginning to blur. It is becoming more difficult and far less strategic to simply deem whole topics, or certain platforms, acceptable or not. This is laying the foundation for the next iteration of brand safety: brand suitability. 

Here is a look into what is driving a new era of brand safety initiatives and the most impactful ways of establishing them for a given brand.

See More: Why, When, and How to Strategically Lean Into Controversy

The Evolving State of Play

The notion of brand safety has been around for as long as the practice of advertising. It represents brands’ need to avoid appearing near content that is unsafe or unsavory by their respective definitions. At its core, brand safety is about using broad strokes to identify where brands need to steer clear of. For example, when setting up a campaign, brands identify and implement a set of content categories that they have determined are unsuitable and can rank those categories in varying levels of acceptability. From there, the brand suitability parameters are shared with the publisher(s). The publisher partner is responsible for serving ads only in the approved areas.

However, complexities associated with brand placement and engagement continue to evolve. New media channels and inventory types emerge all the time. While many of the publishers can be sorted or designated based on the subject matter, some of the largest platforms cannot vet content in a way that is actually needed, specifically social media platforms. It is not necessarily a fault of the social platforms; rather, the volatility associated with user-generated content that they are made up of. That said, this is a pretty big problem because we all know the majority of ad-spend flows through them.

Additionally, when you layer in the fact that our country has gone through several critical moments in recent history, heavily impacting consumer habits and outlooks, it is more important than ever for brands to be smart on how and where they are present. To this point, 83% of millennialsOpens a new window want companies to align with their values, and 76% want executives to address issues they care about, according to a 5WPR 2020 Consumer Culture Report. This can not be taken lightly. 

A Nuanced Approach to Brand Safety

With this in mind, the digital marketing industry developed a new parameter aimed at mitigating this risk and fine-tuning placement environments. This is done by incorporating brand suitability measures. This approach turns the traditional idea of brand safety on its head. Brand suitability is much more about what environment a brand wants to run ads in than noting where it does not. 

While it is a simple thought on the surface, it offers brands greater confidence in where their ad spend goes and how audience engagement occurs. For example, when setting up a campaign, instead of simply identifying unsuitable content categories, an advertiser can strategically call out examples of areas to lean into. Let us take a look at the word “shoot.” It would not be out of place for several brands to make a note of that word as an area to avoid. However, for brands like Canon or Nikon, it would be a huge miss to exclude that term altogether. Content publishers might not be referencing the word in association with violence, but perhaps in the vein of a celebrity photo shoot or video production work.

We can see how brand suitability actually presents a nuanced approach to fine-tune exactly what content is most relevant and better aligned. 

Strength in Unison

The key to optimizing brand safety in today’s market is actually in utilizing both brand safety and brand suitability in concert. Additionally, brands and marketers need to follow industry benchmarks set forward by the IAB and work internally to self-regulate and ensure they are seeking the right content or environments from their publisher partners. This approach future-proofs overarching brand safety needs, especially as new channels and inventory options emerge — it seems Web3 and the Metaverse are picking up speed regarding consumer interest and brand buy-in. 

To further strengthen brand safety initiatives, brands and advertisers should work with an ad verification partner, like DoubleVerify or Integral Ad Science, to be most effective. By utilizing third-party partners, the advertiser has the control to set up unique tiers of suitability and various settings that meet their needs. From there, constant monitoring and feedback ensure advertisers feel confident their campaigns are executed exactly as they expect. Additionally, there must always be a strong foundation of self-regulation here. Advertisers need to monitor and make sure their own inventory is of the highest standards and meets critical brand safety criteria expected by their partners.

See More: The Age of Brand Intimacy: Why Marketers Should Care

As brands understand their consumers and know what content is most suitable for them from a marketing perspective, the combination of these tools and approaches enables them to better target and engage desired audiences in the safest way. By paying close attention to developing trends and strictly monitoring inventory options, brands and advertisers can meet critical brand safety criteria expected by their partners and the overall digital marketing industry. 

What steps have you taken to meet the brand safety criteria expected by the industry? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

MORE ON BRAND SAFETY 

• How Digital Advertising Has Evolved Since the Brand Safety Crisis
• The Brand Safety Conundrum and What To Do About It