Do you trust me?

Posted by Jeremy Spitzberg • Aug 15, 2019 6:32:01 PM

We're at a point where our society doesn't trust any source of information. While advertisers are looking for new ways to reach audiences, they first have to examine their own culpability, and work to ensure that they're not damaging their own reputations.

That's the thrust of a new MediaPost commentary. While the author spends most of the time analyzing ways for brands to reach, and leverage, the few remaining trusted sources, they do comment on how lack of brand safety has gotten us into this mess.

Marketers and technology companies haven’t helped things, with the advent of “fake influencers,” concerning data breaches and worries over spying on consumers. The trend is spurring major brand marketers to look for new strategies to communicate with skeptical consumers.

Not mentioned, but certainly factors, are ads that run alongside pirated/stolen content, or those that transmit malware.

All the best targeting in the world won't make a difference - and certainly won't increase a consumer's trust - if the advertising isn't delivered as promised. If it doesn't reach it's intended audience - if views are hijacked by bots, or if ads run where they're not supposed to run - nothing is gained.

Advertisers need to take brand safety seriously. They need to designate brand safety officers to ensure that best practices are established and followed. Only in doing so will they ensure that they, "first do no harm".

Topics: Brand Safety, Customer Experience, Ad Adjacency, Advertisers, Piracy, Malware

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