Brand Safety 2025: Driving Customer Value
Posted by Victor Z Glenn • Dec 13, 2024 8:00:00 AM
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the concept of brand safety has matured from merely avoiding harm to fostering environments that add value for advertisers, publishers, and audiences alike. The industry has highlighted several areas over the years where advertisers can be less restrictive on brand safety options - widening their audiences, and therefore their appeal. Recent research from The Drum highlights the great potential of more “open” internet audiences. Wider audiences bring higher levels of affluence, education, and purchasing power, while narrow audiences create limited reach and emphasize frequency among high media consumption audiences. As a simple example, ads on reputable news sites not only drive a 77% boost in brand performance. but also capture more attention compared to ads on social media platforms. The performance lift is undeniable, yet while 74% of advertisers claim to embrace new approaches to brand safety, only a fraction (22%) actively fund credible journalism. Bridging this gap is essential to improving results and building your brand – while supporting quality journalism and sustainable high-value ad spaces.
Live events are another frontier where brand safety meets opportunity according to a recent AdAge article. With the shift of live tentpole events like Thursday Night Football to streaming, advertisers can continue to tap culturally significant moments with a programmatic targeting precision that traditional live TV has lacked. These big audience and highly engaged environments require careful navigation, but present significant rewards when approached thoughtfully. By combining the reach of live events with the targeting capabilities of programmatic advertising, brands of all sizes can participate in connecting with the right consumers and elevate their visibility while being progressive on suitability.
As the industry looks ahead to 2025, many believe that the focus shifts towards audience sophistication. Consumers are increasingly discerning, understanding the distinction between the content they engage with, and the advertisements they encounter. Brands that prioritize media responsibility and suitability—not just safety—stand to gain trust and loyalty over time. Although in a digital world, everyone is looking for immediate results, not enough attention gets paid to creating value for customers over time. Additionally, the emphasis of high value space contributes to a healthier and safer media ecosystem. This requires collective effort, with advertisers, agencies, and tech vendors refining systems that meet diverse needs while empowering the best content to thrive. Ultimately, brand safety is no longer just a defensive strategy—it is a proactive commitment to creating value. By fostering environments where credible media and high value advertising coexist, brands not only enhance their reputations but also contribute to a more robust and trustworthy digital ecosystem. This shift redefines what it means to safeguard a brand in a complex, interconnected world.
Topics: Brand Safety, Customer Experience, Ad Quality, Technology, Ad Adjacency, Consumer Experience, Standards, Brand Suitability, Social Responsibility, Ad Tech, content, Engage Responsibly, Events, education, Contextual Intelligence, Social Media, content creators, digital advertising, contextual advertising, ad placement, content moderation, Sustainability