What Is Brand Safety And Why Does It Matter?
Brand safety is a hot topic in podcasting. According to the IAB, (Internet Advertising Bureau), brand safety is defined as keeping a brand’s reputation safe when they advertise online and to avoid placing ads next to inappropriate content. Depending on the brand, however, appropriate verses inappropriate can be subjective.
As an advertiser, what can you do to ensure you’re aligning your brand with the right podcast content?
Until recently, the only way to know if podcast content is “safe,” or brand appropriate was to physically listen to an episode or series. Clearly, this is a time-consuming task so AdTech companies are evolving quickly and some are adding services to help provide other ways to make sure a podcast show is brand safe.
For example, there are services that can help provide transcripts for episodes. These transcripts can be searched for possible brand conflicts, however not all podcasts offer transcription [yet]. Along with transcriptions, there are a few other things an advertiser can do to determine if aligning their brand and a particular podcast or network of shows is the right thing to do:
Read reviews.
Podcast reviews are plentiful, and most can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Don’t just read the good reviews, or the bad. Read a few of both positive and negative reviews and if the podcast has been around a while, see what people said a few years ago to what they are saying now. These comments may provide the additional insight you’re looking for.
Be a social sleuth.
Some podcasts have social accounts along with their hosts social media. It may be tempting to gauge brand alignment with the volume of followers a page or host has but sleuthing further can help illustrate how a host engages with consumers and ask yourself, “Do they treat their consumers how the way I would treat my own?”
Be in good company.
Some podcast host providers, ad servers or agencies can do the vetting for you. Chances are if other respected brands are purchasing host reads on a particular podcast or network, whether they are national, regional, or local advertisers, your brand will be in good company.
With all the brand-vetting and safety options available to advertisers today, a great podcast campaign is just a click away. Explicit content may not be a deterrent for you, but political content might be. Every brand’s alignment and safety needs are different so due a little diligence early in your planning process and you’ll sleep better at night. Want to see if our Pionaire Podcasting’s brands align with yours for your next podcast campaign? Click here and we’re happy to help!
