A new study by advertising tech firm Sizmek has found that 38 per cent of marketers admit to having placed ads on harmful or unsafe websites.

The study surveyed over 500 decision-making CMOs in the US and Europe.

According to the findings, some 64 per cent of respondents admitted it was a challenge to implement effective brand safety solutions while an equal number agreed that brand safety came at the overall effectiveness of a campaign.

A further 57 per cent complained that online brand safety had become too expensive and 61 per cent said they had a third-party brand safety solution or partner in place for their digital campaign.

Sixty three per cent agreed that Facebook and Google didn’t offer enough transparency to brands and 76 per cent said they were prioritising getting more transparency for their campaigns.

Commenting on the findings Sizmek’s VP of product management and real-time decisions, Hardeep Bindra, said: “The digital media ecosystem is complex and fragmented, so it is no surprise that marketers are prioritising efficiency and transparency from their partners.

“These survey results confirm what we’ve been hearing from our clients about simplifying the supply chain and the challenges they face with brand safety and a complicated vendor landscape,” Bindra said.