In 2017, when we launched our first BrandRx study of the media and marketing industry's brand safety problem, the landscape looked very different. Rogue CEOs, hapless social media stars and divisive political news had marketers on their guard. That year, 75 percent of marketers said they were exposed to unsafe content. By 2018, conditions had improved. An update showed that code-red level concern among marketers dropped from 90 percent to 60 percent. But there is only so much you can learn in the lab.
This spring, GumGum embarked on a cross-country journey to see how marketers are navigating the brand safety challenge now. We spoke with brand and advertising agency executives in Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta. Download the guide for a journalistic view of our travels.
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We found that digital marketers are progressing from issues of brand safety to suitability, demanding third-party verification from partners and generally becoming more sophisticated when evaluating and executing contextual alignments.
Hidden pictures: Much like a pit stop at a roadside motel, unverified ad buys can land your brand in an "iffy" environment. In this hidden picture game, the room seems comfortable, but look closely to find the hidden dangers.
Brand catastrophes aside, the day-to-day navigation of suitability standards can exclude super-engaged audiences from ad buys. Whitelisting and direct deals with premium publishers afford safety, but niche content creators don't necessarily need to be demonetized.
Welcome to Verity: While brands and agencies are using a suite of tools to ensure a safe environment for their ads, too few scan images as part of their regimen. That's why GumGum is introducing Verity, a new product that deploys computer vision in the fight for safe and suitable environments.
