GroupM publishes updated marketers playbook for brand safety

A new report released by GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, offers new category-specific recommendations for marketers on the future of brand safety. As policy shifts, political winds and the global pandemic impact advertising, brand safety opportunities and risks are evolving just as quickly to keep pace.

Traditionally, most brand safety was limited to digital—programmatic and social. Now, with established media digitising and reinventing itself, opportunities to improve brand safety practices are appearing across new avenues. Combined, these factors yield new challenges for established media, and old challenges for new media.

The report reveals how brand safety may evolve into the future within the context of political, social and technological shifts. Then looks to specific challenges in five categories currently undergoing rapid transformation: Connected TV, Digital Out-of-Home, Location Data, Audio and Gaming.

“In the first six months of 2020 alone, CCPA has taken effect, Google announced it would be phasing out third cookies, the home stretch of the 2020 presidential campaign has come into full focus – increasing the attention on fake news – the world has been hit with a global pandemic, and most recently protests related to racial inequality,” said John Montgomery, GroupM global EVP, brand safety.

“Each of these events marks a unique opportunity to continue to challenge our brand safety practices. And, as people continue to evolve in how they consume content, there is always opportunity to push the envelope to create an even safer, more trustworthy online world. We look forward to continuing to do that for our clients and partners.”

Some of the key items to consider in the evolution of brand safety are:

● Policy shifts, such as GDPR and CCPA, among many others around the world, have created a seismic ripple throughout the industry, the full effects of which are yet to be felt. As old measurement methodologies, such as third-party cookies, fall away, the industry has an opportunity to collectively create better standards.

● The COVID-19 pandemic has established a ‘new normal’ ‘digital first’ lifestyle for the majority of the global population. Consumption habits have changed (more news, gaming and streaming content). Where consumers go, advertising follows and, with it, new opportunities to strengthen brand safety measures arise. Aggressive keyword avoidance demonetises online news, especially during the COVID crisis... Local news faces an existential crisis.

Fake news and technologies that create 'deepfake' videos are growing more sophisticated, and threaten to further erode institutional trust. Brands must be more proactive than ever in preserving their core assets and demand transparency in all transactions.

● Connected TV promises to command a larger share of budget in the coming years. However, measurement is fragmented across devices and publishers. Brands should demand greater transparency and interoperability among key players.

● Digital Out-of-Home is set to grow more advanced and complex, as programmatic buying becomes more commonplace. While Out-of-Home has long been used for broad awareness, it remains an open question as to whether brands will have—or need—access to more granular targeting and measurement solutions.

● Gaming presents a huge opportunity in terms of audience, but brands must navigate a vast landscape of platforms, titles, player personalities and publisher relationships. E-sports continues to grow in popularity, but brands must be aware of adjacency risks (violence and language, particularly). If people continue to stay home in the aftermath of the Coronavirus, gaming audiences will retain some of the recent, rapid growth.

“Consumers and brands use technology to access media in new and interesting ways,” said Christian Juhl, GroupM global CEO. “As behaviours, habits and preferences shift with social factors, responsible brand safety requires a constant assessment of these changes, and their impact on how brands continually earn consumer trust. GroupM has long acted as an industry advocate in shaping how we manage brand safety across new and established media partners. It’s never been more important than it is now, and we stand by our commitment with this latest guidance.”

Read the full playbook below.