Brand Safety in Digital Marketing: A Critical Concern

According to a recent Statista report, brand safety is the leading concern among programmatic advertising experts worldwide as of mid-2024 with over 60% of programmatic advertisers being concerned about their brand safety and reputation on the web. In the modern era of digital marketing, ads are placed on every possible corner of the internet, with billions of dollars spent in this field by companies. This attracts fraudsters, alongside unwanted and unreliable sites. Many marketers have little control over where their ads appear due to, e.g., automation, management through agencies and many more factors, raising a critical question: Can this harm a brand? The answer is simple—yes.

Ad Fraud as a Threat to Brand Safety

Through programmatic advertising, campaigns often buy ad slots across the web without knowing where they will land. If you think you know where they land, did you know domain spoofing exists, where the site pretends to be a well-known site but in reality it is a completely different, junk site? Marketers falsely assume their ads are safe from “unwanted” sites such as fake news sites, next to conspiracy theories but also on 18+ sites—also known as the “3 Famous P’s”(P*rn, Poker, Pill).

The Long-Term Impact of Unsafe Ad Placements

This can severely damage a brand’s reputation, as it becomes associated with untrustworthy or fraudulent sites. This not only alienates existing customers but also deters potential ones, pushing them toward competitors.

A prime example of this occurred in 2017 when brands like YouTube and McDonald’s faced massive backlash after their ads were found alongside extremist content. This led to a wave of major advertisers pulling their spending from YouTube, forcing the platform to overhaul its ad placement policies. If globally recognized brands can be affected, no company is truly safe from the risks of unsafe ad placements.

Another very recent example is that ads belonging to big tech companies were running next to so-called CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material), unknowingly helping the site fund the operation. It is scary on which dark corners of the internet ads can be displayed without the people responsible for the campaign even knowing it.

Additionally, brands are not just scaring customers away—they are also wasting their ad spend. Every marketer has a set budget to allocate across different channels, and programmatic buying is one of the most widely used methods. Additionally, many ads end up on Made-for-Advertising (MFA) sites. These sites not only often contain bot traffic, but also consist of very junky content shedding a bad light on your company if your ads are being placed on these sites. We have written an article diving into deeper detail of MFA sites if you are interested.

If brands fail to tackle this issue, they will continue to waste their budgets rather than invest in strategies that drive real engagement, leading to a lower return on investment (ROI). The numbers we have collected from our customers vary heavily, but we have NEVER had a company with 0% junk placements, on average however, 20-30% of placements are junk placements.

How Brand Safety Drives Sustainable Brand Growth

A well-regarded brand is more likely to retain existing customers, attract new ones, and command higher pricing—because customers are willing to pay more for a reputable brand. This places them above the competition as a premium choice.

People say, “All publicity is good publicity,” but let’s be honest—being linked to unsafe/unwanted sites does not help a brand grow, so there are definitely more effective ways to spend your budget.

Solution to Brand Safety Management

The easiest way to protect your brand is to be proactive—meaning, you must track your ads. By monitoring ad placements, you gain full visibility into where your ads are displayed and whether the traffic is bot-generated or from real users. For this, post-bid tracking is essential to ensure ongoing visibility and control over your ad placements (Here you can read more about post-bid measurement).

Brand reputation isn’t just about risk management—it’s a long-term investment that fuels sustainable growth, customer retention, and financial success.

Do you want to know where your ads are really being displayed? Then contact us for a free cybersecurity ad fraud assessment or take a closer look at your onsite traffic with our free trial and take control over your campaigns!