Brand Safety Videos

Safe, Suitable, and Unsuitable: How you view content can unlock brand performance
with Phil Cowdell

In this three session series, brand safety practitioners Louis Jones of BSI and Phil Cowdell of Channel Factory break down some of the key issues impeding brand performance in digital media.

In Session 1, Phil and Louis wind back the clock a bit and reflect on their shared history in media, and the evolving role of brand safety and creators in brand communication today. Cowdell highlights the importance of nuanced understanding and contextual alignment in digital/social content. Then we introduce the concept of “Conscious Advertising,” a framework that not only focuses on how to unlock brand potential, but promotes doing good business while doing good. By leveraging data to assess billions of videos and channels at a granular level, Cowdell argues brands can optimize for performance while remaining socially and environmentally responsible. What he calls “performance plus.”

As their discussion continues in Session 2, Louis and Phil dig deeper the concepts of conscious advertising, emphasizing that brand safety is only the floor. What truly drives outcomes is suitability, or contextual relevance, and there are six levers prime for powering brands forward while aligning with brand values. Cowdell critiques traditional content categorization as overly broad and wasteful, advocating instead for brand-curated environments that match specific audience mindsets and moments. By targeting individual videos and creators based on granular data, advertisers can move beyond basic safety filters to environments that generate genuine attention. This segment underscores that “getting it right” requires refined and updated tools, and the right partners to navigate what’s safe, suitable, and in step with brand values. The brand safety community has to upgrade from established tools like the Brand Safety Floor + Suitability Framework, not cling to them.

Returning and rounding out the discussions in Session 3, Louis and Phil discuss how brand safety has evolved beyond adjacency concerns into a broader societal mandate. Cowdell specifically highlights how marginalized communities, like DEI and differently abled, are now critical drivers of brand performance. Referencing government actions and clinical research, Cowdell calls out the urgent need for marketers to take responsibility for their role in shaping the digital environment that impacts world views, and takes some time to highlight social media's impact on the mental health of young people. This isn’t just an opportunity, but an obligation.