Brand safety has a hypocrisy problem. A show with violence – like “Criminal Minds,” the police procedural about serial killers – can attract big brand advertiser dollars. Meanwhile, news stories about the war in Ukraine or Black Lives Matter get flagged, with brands sidestepping ads against that content.
“But when is the industry going to call BS on the brand safety double standard?” wrote Managing Editor Allison Schiff in a column on the topic. On this week’s episode, we discuss the response she received to her column. Going into the nuances of brand safety raises wonky media questions about how blocklists drive scale down and costs up.
And brand suitability is also related to ongoing transparency concerns. Especially on streaming TV, brands often don’t have the show-level transparency that might lead them to opt out of certain types of content (certainly not on the level they can on the digital side).
But digital media publishers, too, resent the lack of transparency of brand safety vendors and the brands that use them. By not knowing what keywords brands are blocking, it’s challenging for publishers to monetize their coverage of current events, from wars to social movements.
Recapping retail
Despite inflation and fears of a recession – and some pretty strange year-over-year comparisons – Black Friday and Cyber Monday set online sales records this year.
But within those records, there are some notable changes in consumer behavior, reports AdExchanger Senior Editor James Hercher. For example, retailers discounted more this year than last year, when supply chain shortages made brands reluctant to discount goods because they were already struggling to meet demand.
Also, many brands spread out their sales instead of concentrating them on Black Friday. But if supply chain shortages were the name of the game last year, this year warehouses are stuffed full. It may take until January – and its accompanying 70% off clearance sales – for everyone to truly see how the holiday retail season will shake out.
