IAB Europe’s Brand Advertising Committee conducted a survey in November 2019 to ask industry experts for their views on how brand safety has been tackled in 2019 and determine what action needs to happen in 2020. Whilst there are lots of studies which look at consumer views, the BAC wanted to find out what is actually happening from the advertising industry experts.

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 emphasise on ensuring brand safe environments.

Key findings include:

• The results reveal that brand safety and privacy remain priorities, with 77% of respondents saying that brand safety was a key priority.
• 57% of respondents agreed that brand safety was more of a challenge than in previous years, citing increased understanding and knowledge of brand safety by advertisers.
• When outlining how the buy-side protected against brand safety concerns, the Brand Safety Poll indicates that blacklists and keyword targeting remain the dominant methodology.
• A common theme within the Poll was the ongoing need for industry education, with wider discussion about solutions, differences, options, further education and knowledge exchange cited as important in 2020.

IAB Europe members can login to access the report below.