While bad actors have scaled their efforts through AI, advertisers have simultaneously deployed their own AI tools to stay ahead of fraudsters and keep their distance from misinformation. For example, fraud prevention and sentiment analysis is now powered by AI/ML models to help advertisers comprehend the nuances of content so they can make more informed decisions about where ads are placed.
This climate of uncertainty has sparked heated debates on brand safety, compelling brands to retract their advertising from many news outlets, even reputable ones. This dynamic not only exacerbates the struggle against misinformation but also inadvertently leads to revenue loss for publishers, as advertisers reallocate and minimize their campaign spend out of an abundance of caution.
Despite these challenges, there is a way for marketers to tackle the daunting task of balancing brand safety with the need for impactful digital campaigns.
An evolving landscape calls for evolving solutions
Traditionally, many advertisers have used keyword blocking, an exclusionary approach that prevents ads from appearing in the context of specific words or phrases, in an attempt to protect their brand. While keyword blocking was once a popular method of navigating brand safety concerns, it casts an undiscerning net.
Since keyword blocking doesn’t take true context, sentiment or emotion into account, this approach can result in a brand missing out on reach and blocking diverse content, diverse content creators or general information on important topics that consumers seek out. This often results in unintended consequences, such as penalizing reputable publishers without effectively mitigating risks.
Avoiding online news sites or posts that contain certain words and phrases is a missed opportunity for brands looking to connect with audiences.
When you stop testing, you stop improving
Instead of heavy-handed approaches that harm quality publishers, let’s work as an industry to identify a more thoughtful approach to avoiding misinformation (and where it thrives unchecked) empowering advertisers, publishers and platforms to respond forcefully and rapidly to prevent its spread.
Let’s look to, and support, industry associations like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) to help guide us as we work toward progress. And let’s lean on the power of AI to understand brand risk in both the open web and social platforms, leveraging measurable data to continue moving the entire industry in the right direction.
