IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem, announced the findings of its 2023 Brand Safety Poll. 157 industry professionals from across the digital advertising value chain gave their opinions on how brand safety has been tackled over the past 12 months, providing insights on what action needs to happen in 2023.  

The results highlight how seriously the industry is taking brand safety, and show how the ecosystem has changed in the last couple of years to place more emphasis on ensuring brand-safe environments.  67% of respondents agree or strongly agree that brand safety was a key priority for the industry in 2022 with 53% of respondents further agreeing that the industry has done a good job of tackling brand safety over the past 12 months. This is up from 36% in 2019. 71% cited technology innovations as helping to solve brand safety concerns. This is up from 65% in 2019. 

Helen Mussard, CMO, IAB Europe, commented: “The poll results highlight how seriously the digital advertising industry takes the safety of brand advertising investments and how improvements have been made in tackling this over the past couple of years. Furthermore, it is encouraging to see stakeholders recognise the importance that technology plays in tackling brand safety and suitability. We will continue to work with our members to highlight advances and best practices in this area, to enable brand-safe experiences for both advertisers and consumers.” 

Privacy and Sustainability Now More of a Challenge than Brand Safety 

When asked to rank brand safety alongside other industry challenges, the majority of respondents said brand safety is the same in terms of challenges compared to last year. The challenges that have increased are privacy, transparency, and sustainability. 57% of respondents said that privacy concerns are more of a challenge than last year, only 8% said it was less of a challenge. Less than half of respondents said that transparency and sustainability are more of a challenge than last year.

The Rise of Brand Suitability 

Respondents agree that there has been a greater demand for brand suitability over the past 12 months and that brand safety requires a bespoke approach to each client’s needs. 

Brand Safety in 2023

Looking at what needs to happen in 2023 to further tackle brand safety and ensure trust for both advertisers and consumers, responses focused on creating new rules for news creators; Safeguarding customer privacy, More technical support; More verification and Content control. 

The full results of the poll can be found on IAB Europe’s website here.