Time to replace brand-safety paranoia with a nuanced approach

Opinion

We all need to take responsibility for the longer-term effect of where we spend our media money, writes the CEO of Electric Glue.

Autumn is most definitely here, and the post-summer media events circuit has kicked off with a flourish. One all-pervasive theme that is standing out, and rightly so, is the importance of quality, trusted news and its benefit to advertisers.

Kicking off on this theme was the inaugural ‘Advertising: Who Cares?’ — an initiative kicked off in April by Nick Manning and Brian Jacobs in a bid to discuss and debate how to make the ad world a better, more productive, more accountable, and more creatively-driven place.

Unintended and unwelcome consequences

One of the key workstreams of the day was around quality news environments and how important they are to us as agencies and advertisers, but also to society.

In a time of unprecedented change, with the shift to online, the huge growth of the giant platforms, the explosion of adtech and the tsunami of data, it is fair to say there have been some unintended and unwelcome consequences.

There are serious issues around trust (or lack of), there has been a huge rise in fake news and misinformation, and paranoia around brand safety seems to be at an all-time high.

Recently the global advertising and marketing firm Stagwell held a ‘Future of News’ event, unveiling new research, which suggests that our obsession with brand safety “has gone way overboard”.

According to the study, based on more than 22,000 adults, ads appearing next to news content that may be deemed as “non-brand safe” such as crime and harder news topics performed just as well as ads appearing around typically “brand safe” editorial such as entertainment and sports.

The challenge we face

Unfortunately, we know blanket blocklists are in place which negatively impact news brands.

Whether it’s a “catastrophe” or a “trauma”, there’s a “victim” involved or indeed a “ceasefire”, advertisers are missing out on being present in quality, trusted journalism and the hugely positive results that derive from being in these attentive and engaged environments.

In fact, analysis of the IPA Databank by effectiveness expert Peter Field shows the link between trust in news brands and advertiser profit growth has risen sharply over the last decade. Looking at profit growth, advertisers using news brands experienced an 88% uplift in the period 2018-2022 compared to non-users of news brands. Field says this is because ads appearing in news brands are seen as trustworthy and suggest high quality, which are now the two most important brand metrics that lead to growth for advertisers.

Electric Glue’s work with Charlie Bigham’s is a prime example of utilising a national news brand to great commercial effect. The long-running partnership with The Guardian has built trust and authenticity, while showcasing the brand and founder’s passion for quality.

We all know that good advertising matters: advertising that is relevant, truthful, engaging and effective. But where it appears also matters, and not just from an ROI perspective, also from a democratic and social standpoint.

Speaking at the Stagwell event, the former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, best known for that Prince Andrew interview, made the case about the importance of backing news: “If you care about truth and integrity and empowering people, this is a wonderful opportunity. People have to seize this opportunity to be part of the truth revolution.”

Yet there are cases of advertisers not just blocking words — which is bad enough — but entirely avoiding being in the news environment.

They are dodging news as a category in its entirety, all in the name of being brand safe.

This is our responsibility

We live in a world where there is so much misinformation and fake news, terrifyingly so, and there’s no doubt that we, as an industry, have a role to play in supporting and helping to fund properly curated, regulated news and journalism.

I’d like to challenge agencies and advertisers to check their blocklists. Only recently it transpired that nearly half (45%) of Reach publication’s Euro 2024 final coverage was blocked from receiving advertising, having been wrongfully deemed “not brand safe” due to words such as “shoot”. It is time to consider a more nuanced approach.

We all need to take responsibility for the longer-term effect of where we spend our media money.

Thankfully, what we do know from these events is that people do care, and that we can all effect change if we put our money where our mouth is. Jo Allan, CEO of Newsworks, recently talked about the “growing number of allies in the market who understand the importance of journalism”.

Enders Analysis CEO Douglas McCabe, meanwhile, said: “journalism provides material brand leverage, not its opposite. The whole system should be turned on its head, and quantify the benefits of context for pricing power and consumer propensity”.

Actions need to follow words

There seems to be momentum building, and I am fully in favour.

Our industry is great at talking — after all we are in the business of communications — but this time around it will be our actions that count, not our words.

I hope you care as much as I do. If you do, then together let’s make a positive change.

Pippa Glucklich is CEO of Electric Glue