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Brand safety concerns have long clouded advertising alongside news content. As a marketer and advertiser, you might think twice before placing your ads against news stories, fearing harm to the reputation of your brand.
However, new findings by Stagwell challenge those longtime fears, showing that advertising in news environments could be just as safe and effective as it is traditionally in positive settings such as sports and entertainment.
In this post, we will uncover some common myths about brand safety in news advertising and show why news content stands out for its marketing opportunities for advertisers like you.
Myth #1: News Content is Unsafe for Brands
Many marketers believe that advertising adjacent to controversial or sensitive news topics has a negative impact on their brand. The concern is that it creates a linkage in the consumer's mindset to political turmoil, a crime report, or news of conflict with your brand.
However, such was not the case in this study from Stagwell. Ads appearing next to news content—including political news, demonstrated no decline in purchase intent or consumer favorability. In the Stagwell study, Coca-Cola ads were tested near political news, the news ads showed a purchase intent of 62%, compared to 61% for entertainment and 64% for sports news.
This suggests that brand-safe advertising is achievable regardless of content type, or at least to a certain extent. Topics tested included ‘Middle East’, ‘crime’, and ‘Trump/Biden’, highlighting the potential for news media to play a key role in brand advertising.
Myth #2: Ads Next to Negative News Harm Brand Image
There’s an irrational fear that any negative or controversial news automatically damages a brand’s reputation. Research shows that consumers are relatively comfortable seeing ads next to negative news, provided the news source is trustworthy. Trusted journalism advertising can actually enhance your brand’s perception rather than harm it.
Additionally, relying on keyword blocklists to avoid negative content often results in missed opportunities. Words like “war” or “bomb” can have benign uses in various contexts, meaning your ads are unnecessarily blocked from appearing alongside quality news content.
💡 The Untapped Potential of News Content
News content is unparalleled in audience engagement. News interests a greater audience segment than entertainment and sports combined, with highly engaged readers who actively make an effort to seek out information. High engagement leads to high purchase intent and high brand trust. According to specialists in the industry, through news environments, brands are able to reach audiences that are not just interested but deeply engaged with the content. By leveraging high-quality news content and advertising, you can reach motivated audiences and amplify your overall marketing effectiveness.
Myth #3: Technology Can’t Guarantee Brand Safety in News
Another common myth is that technology can't ensure brand safety within news environments. The truth is that new developments in AI and contextual targeting tools have transformed brand safety content. These AI-powered solutions will make semantic data possible and curate contextual content with precision, having controlled ad placements.
Some contextual intelligence solutions like Silverpush's Mirrors go one step ahead in contextual detection, detecting celebrity name, brand name, and activities for optimum view of all ad placements. This solution helps you bypass sensitive topics with custom inclusion and exclusion themes while appearing in relevant, high-quality news contexts and mitigating ad misalignment.
With real-time monitoring and local insights, Silverpush also amplifies brand safety while filtering unsafe content without losing reach. It comes to achieve a personalized, privacy-compliant ad experience that maximizes engagement and drives positive brand recall.
💡 Realigning Brand Values with News Advertising
The type of news content you choose to advertise alongside should be aligned with your brand values. Contextually aligned and suitable ad content adds value to your brand message and outcome. Brands like Ssense and Maybelline capture cultural trends by advertising alongside relevant news stories and resonating with consumers who value mindfulness and cultural relevance. You can drive even more positive results while maintaining always-on brand-safe advertising by tailoring campaign content to meet the particular consumer threshold and working closely with partners.
Myth #4: Keyword Blocklists are the Best Way to Ensure Brand Safety
Keyword blocklists have, for a long time, been a blunt instrument employed by advertisers wanting to avoid making their ads appear against undesirable content. This is a very outdated practice that's often counterintuitive. For example, blocking terms like "dead" may protect ads from showing relevant content, such as an article covering a Grateful Dead concert.
Instead of blocking these terms, solutions such as Silverpush's contextual intelligence solutions can offer smarter optimization that intelligently balances risk while using advanced filtering to avoid overblocking. These AI-driven methods ensure better control of the ad placements without losing out on the engagement, hence brand-safe, yet at the same time, maximize the ROI, reach, and effectiveness of ad campaigns.
The Future of Brand Safety in News Advertising
The future of brand safety in news advertising is being shaped by AI and advanced technology. Tools like Silverpush's contextual intelligence solutions use AI to deliver precise ad placements by analyzing the context and sentiment of news content. Their Human Augmented Filter makes sure AI-driven insights are verified by human oversight to reduce AI errors or "hallucinations."
Additionally, it keeps advertisers up-to-date about best practices, balancing the leading edge of technology with human vigilance. In sum, those advertisers that lead in harnessing these technological changes but with continued human vigilance are in essence opening up new avenues of reach and impact in news environments, ensuring that the ads are safe and effective.
Wrapping Things Up
News content is a powerful and safe space for brands when approached in a strategic fashion. The myths of brand safety within news advertising grow increasingly ungrounded due to developments in technology and supportive research. Those brands that reconsider their fears by leveraging quality news content advertising can experience increased engagement, trust, and purchase intent without compromising on their brand integrity.
If you want to see how Silverpush can help your brand reach relevant audiences in a brand-safe and suitable news environment, then reach out to us today and book a demo to see how AI-driven contextual intelligence helps drive better marketing effectiveness.