Tips and Resources for Marketers Navigating Brand Safety & Suitability on Platforms

Updated December 2025 (v1.1): Expanded guidance on fraud and scams, and added platform-specific incident-response best practices.

In today's digital advertising landscape, managing brand safety and suitability is more critical than ever, and navigating platforms in particular poses a unique challenge for marketers. In this resource from BSI, AJ Brown, BSI's Chief Operating Officer, and Dave Byrne, founder of TrustRaise, aim to equip marketers with the insights, tools, and strategies needed to navigate the complexities of these environments. This resource draws on Brown and Byrne's extensive experience leading brand safety practices at major social media platforms, as well as expertise from current brand safety leaders at platforms and large brand advertisers.

platform-guide

From understanding foundational concepts to level-setting on difficult conversations between marketers and platforms, this guide equips marketers with the knowledge to protect their brand and make informed ad buying decisions.

What You’ll Learn

Foundational Concepts
Establish a shared vocabulary for discussing monetized content, brand safety, brand suitability, and platform safety, providing the foundation for the guidance and decision-making frameworks used throughout this resource

Monitoring Compliance
Explore the importance of using both first-party and third-party tools to continuously monitor brand safety and suitability. Gain insights into how transparency reports can inform and enhance your brand safety practices.

Roles and Responsibilities Across the Ecosystem
Disentangle the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in the digital supply chain, including platforms, publishers, and third-party providers. Learn how collaboration and accountability are key to maintaining a safe and suitable advertising environment.

Navigating Platform Safety Policies
Get practical guidance on how to navigate and adhere to platform safety policies. Learn about reporting procedures for objectionable content and how platform rules impact brand safety efforts.

What Brand Safety Isn’t
Clarify common misconceptions about brand safety. Understand the facets of responsible marketing that typically fall outside the scope of platform brand safety teams, and how best to navigate these incongruencies when issues arise.