Brand Safety Is Not Driving Media Allocation Decisions in 2018/19

The relative insignificance of brand-safe environment, defined in the survey as "Content aligns with brand needs," can help explain the investments Facebook and Google/YouTube are poised to capture in the next 12 months.  Of 53 media companies, Facebook, Amazon and Google/YouTube rank first, second and third, respectively, based on respondents' intention to increase spend this year.  When it comes to positive perceptions of brand-safe environment, however, Facebook and Google/YouTube place in the bottom ten of 53 media companies while Amazon ranks 11^th.

In November 2017, eMarketer reported that nearly 60% of marketing executives increased their spending on channels that can prove they are brand-safe.  When P&G cut more than $200 million in digital spend, the CPG giant cited brand safety as a contributor to that decision.  P&G CMO Marc Pritchard went on record when the company suspended all advertising on YouTube last spring.  He has since praised the efforts of both YouTube and Facebook as the media titans have taken steps towards ensuring a brand-safe environment.

Marketing executives and corporate leadership may be beating the brand-safety drum, but MediaVillage's research shows that day-to-day decision makers are not as likely to base their individual investment choices on brand safety.  This is ironic considering that just last May, over two thirds indicated a brand-safe environment as extremely relevant to their decision-making, rating it "9/10" on a ten-point scale.  It is worth considering that agencies, struggling with their own perceptual challenges, may feel it unsafe for their agency brand to discount a brand-safe environment as a very relevant condition to media planning.  With a focus on brand safety coming from senior leadership it is not surprising that the perceived importance of a brand-safe environment would trickle down to buyers and planners.  Industry confusion over just how to prioritize the component pieces of media decision-making reflects respondents' general impulse to overstate importance when asked about it forthright. 

Media sellers putting an emphasis on brand safety should be aware that such communications are not likely to count either for or against them.  With Meredith and Vice being the two exceptions, brand safety does not have as significant an influence on a buyer's intent to increase spending with a specific publisher.  It should be underscored that the analysis proves only that brand safety is not a strong influencer -- not that it has zero influence. This still challenges legacy players that may have perceived a brand-safe environment as their competitive edge over Facebook and Google/YouTube.  Ultimately, while brand safety may continue driving industry conversation, it is not driving business to the extent they might have thought.

Photo by Markus Spiske/Unsplash

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