“One Size Does Not Fit All” With Brand Safety & Suitability

DoubleVerify has released a new global study showing that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to brand safety and suitability in advertising (lead image: Mark Zagorski, CEO, DoubleVerify).

In a study with more than 19,000 participants across 17 countries, the snappily titled “Factors That Influence Brand Safety and Suitability” report showed that focusing solely on content adjacency is only a starting point for determining a safety and suitability strategy.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Publicis Media and leading brands such as Kraft Heinz, Reckitt and Comcast and showed that, in addition to context, advertisers must also take into account the message conveyed by the ad, the audience’s perception of the ad, and the brand’s own sensitivities, to craft effective and impactful campaigns.

“By embracing a more holistic approach to brand safety and suitability, brands can not only maintain their reputation and integrity but also ensure that their advertising efforts resonate with the target audience and deliver the desired results,” said Zagorski.

“With the insights gleaned from this report, advertisers can adopt a more comprehensive and sophisticated approach to brand safety and suitability.”

“DV’s research challenged industry norms, viewing this topic from a consumer lens and illustrating that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to brand suitability,“ added Yale Cohen, EVP, global digital standards, Publicis Media.

“This unique approach brings the consumer and industry perspective together to better understand the insights that live at the intersection of brands, consumers and content. Our learnings will help us customise suitability settings – improving both the protection and scale of our brand clients as they seek to drive more meaningful connections with consumers.”

The research found that older respondents, those in rural areas, and women were more sensitive in general.

For example, consumers older than 65 were on average, 17 per cent more likely to rate content as “unsuitable” when compared to the youngest demographic.

Younger respondents expressed a more favourable response to all tested stimuli. They were notably more receptive to medium-risk adult and sexual content (24 per cent more suitable) and celebrity gossip (29 per cent more suitable) compared to the older demographic.

Globally, men found ads alongside all content types more suitable. On average, they rated content 8 per cent more suitable and 4 per cent less unsuitable compared to women.

“DV’s new brand safety and suitability research provided useful and relevant insights,” said Nick Jazerian, VP of media, North America, at Kraft Heinz.

“Brand safety and responsible marketing are important focus areas for Kraft Heinz, and this research shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution in developing responsible campaigns. There are different risk tolerances across demos, genders, brands, and countries, and we must evolve our brand safety and suitability practices to adapt to the critical nuances.”

“This research demonstrated to us how dynamic our brand suitability settings need to be, and the myriad factors that influence how consumers view our brands, all of which evolve over time. As a result of this research, together with Publicis (Spark Foundry) and DoubleVerify, we are adjusting our suitability profiles, and plan to revisit them on a regular basis,” added Todd Rosen, executive director programmatic strategy, Comcast.

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