The evolution of technology, content, and social media platforms has significantly impacted brand safety. In just 25 years, brand safety has advanced from the pre-digital dark ages to the cutting edge of advertising technology. Brand safety was primarily concerned with tangible issues like poor product placement, trademark infringement, and negative press in the pre-digital era.
Simple isn't sometimes better; it was difficult to target, scale, and measure campaigns, and a lot of creative energy was expended on tasks that computers can now perform.
A brand's safety concerns today extend beyond traditional print advertising to websites, blogs, and social media platforms. As a result, marketers and advertisers must rethink abou their brand safety tools and strategies.
Here's how brand safety has evolved over the years:
Before Digital Marketing
Previously, advertisers used billboard and print ads to entice customers to purchase. These methods were effective during that time but raised brand safety issues. The placement of advertisements could harm a company's reputation.
Previously (and still today), advertisers were concerned with:
Placing the logo incorrectly. It only takes a Turkish Airlines ad on the side of an escalator with an aeroplane flying directly into the ground or a Starbucks sliding door van failure to turn a simple logo placement and brand name into a negative one. As you close the van door, you see the Starbucks logo followed by the word “Sucks.” This is a prime example of poor logo placement.
Poorly placed products. The placement of specific products next to items in the store may also risk brand safety. Assume you're in the grocery store and notice a display of condoms next to the kids' section. What's your reaction? We'll let you fill in the blanks, but there isn't likely to be anything positive.
Products that are being used negatively. The backlash against a brand due to its products being used for a harmful purpose is nothing new. A well-known example is the 1994 white Bronco chase involving O.J. Simpson, which occurred before the advent of digital marketing. Simpson made the Ford Bronco infamous. When people hear "Bronco," they immediately think of Simpson's getaway vehicle. This was not what Ford intended.
These are only a few of the challenges advertisers face. When digital marketing entered the picture, these issues morphed into a new set of problems.
After Digital Marketing
As digital advertising evolved from traditional advertising and reached a wider audience, it raised concerns about brand safety. Here are some of them:
Poor programmatic ad placements. In addition to poor product placement, programmatic ads have appeared next to non-brand-safe images, articles, and unsavoury websites. For example, Applebee's dancing cowboy commercial appeared on CNN in a split-screen format alongside the headline "Russia invades Ukraine." The quick-service restaurant chain informed CNN of its dissatisfaction and discontinued its relationship with the network.
Hijacking your brand by rogue groups. Meghan Trainor's brand and likeness were used in an ad against marriage equality without her permission. A group of people stole her image from the internet and used it to spread their propaganda.
The trainer quickly found herself dealing with the damage. She is not the only one. In addition, the TIKI torch brand was inadvertently linked to a brand safety issue when it was used at a white supremacist rally.
Disastrous PR and influencers. Influencers collaborate with brands to expand audience reach. Nonetheless, this can backfire on both the influencer and the brand. Consider yourself an influential figure, such as beauty guru Huda Kattan. You are featured in a Sephora advertisement that appears on an unsavoury website. Perhaps Kattan has a PR disaster, and Sephora is forced to decide whether or not to continue running her ads (similar to Papa John's). Either outcome could be disastrous.
The adverse effects of YouTube. In 2017, YouTube lost 5% of its top North American advertisers due to brand safety concerns. The main reason was that ads were being served alongside extremist content. This major brand safety issue affected top brands such as Netflix, Nissan, and Under Armour. Because of this, Nissan and Under Armour have decided to pause their YouTube ads.
It's time to take control of advertising.
Brand safety is a fluid concept in digital marketing. A universal rating system is needed to enforce and regulate. Advertising placements that are bad for one company may be suitable for another. What's more concerning is that YouTube asks creators to rate their videos despite the massive amount of content they must manage. Creators are not unbiased, and the majority are unfamiliar with offensive or safe content.
Marketers and advertisers must move beyond outdated thinking and concentrate on how to deal with brand safety right now. Engage with a brand safety solution provider like mFilterIt to ensure your digital assets are threats-free. We help protect your brand's reputation by keeping your assets away from high-risk digital content for both the web and the app. Get in touch to know more.
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