MMA Global Is Prepping CMOs for the Future of Brand Safety

Brand safety measures tend to be premised on avoiding negative ad environments as opposed to supporting websites and platforms that foster trust in addition to mindfully delivering news and images. In tackling the issue, marketing trade association MMA Global wants to do more than issue another set of dire warnings about guarding against sites that traffic in shock and hostility. The group's Brand Safety and Suitability Strategy Guide is a how-to for setting up internal frameworks to reduce the risk of ads being associated with content that negatively impacts an advertiser and their message. But rather than focusing on mitigating the fallout that comes from ads being distributed across the darkest parts of the web, the trade organization's guidelines arm brand stewards with a directive to promote content that pushes back against polarization and outright lying, said Lou Paskalis, president and COO of MMA Global. The guidelines are intended as the first in a series of initiatives to address the current dangers to brand safety and suitability. It begins by identifying an underlying problem: CMOs can't afford to take an ad hoc approach to managing their companies’ media relationships anymore. Claiming ignorance of how ad exchanges distribute ads to unsavory websites and adjacent to rancorous social media conversations is not an option. Aside from stoking political ire and distrust, image-sharing platforms that instill insecurity and anxiety among youths are also drawing more awareness among advertisers. As the debates over appropriate content roil legislative houses and people's own homes, as well as corporate boardroom, there is little tolerance for the excuse that it's impossible to police real-time ad distribution. Instagram Details Several Updates, Tests Aimed at Boosting Teen Safety on Its Platform “Regardless of where marketers find themselves on the journey of implementing a brand safety and suitability practice, I believe they will find real utility in this comprehensive guide,” Paskalis said. “It’s fair to say the guide is crucial to any marketer attempting to create or improve their preparedness.” By marketers, for marketers There's a challenge inherent in any trade organization's guidelines. The need to speak broadly on a specific problem invariably comes up against one-size solutions that can never fit all. So the MMA emphasized giving CMOs the tools to come up with a framework to develop systems of their own. The basic goals involve minimizing the risk of online ad buys placed indirectly via exchanges, while allowing for a rapid response when brand's image appears where it shouldn't. The guidelines also represent a warning: If CMOs don't actively support publishers and platforms that offer safe harbors and reward positive attention, the only choices left will be less than optimal experiences for both brands and consumers. In other words, environments whose noise can't be breached even by the most creative brand messaging. Billed as "created by marketers for marketers," the guidelines cover issues including CMOs' roles and responsibilities, budgeting for brand safety, choosing the right vendor and crisis management. By starting with CMOs, the guidelines recognize that any real industry change must start with those who control the flow of dollars to media outlets and platforms. Although not involved with the guidelines, Twitter is partnering with MMA Global on an upcoming webinar on brand safety; sponsors of the guidelines did include input from major brands AT&T, Bank of America, CVS, General Motors, Marriott, Molson Coors, Travelers and Interpublic Group media agency UM Worldwide, all of whom will help the organization continue to develop the discussion on safety and suitability. A Call for Caring About Online Safety From the Center for Countering Digital Hate "At Twitter, we believe in the power of conversation and enabling everyone to share their voices and engage in an open and public way," Twitter chief customer officer Sarah Personette told Adweek. "We focus every day on understanding what makes people feel comfortable and safe via three focus areas: policies that lead, products that protect and partnerships, such as this one we have with the MMA, that drive industrywide change. These are all critical efforts, and underline our belief that by keeping people safe, we keep brands safe, too." An expanded remit The guidelines also represent the latest expansion of MMA Global's focus. The trade group was founded as the Mobile Marketing Association in 2000, when "the year of mobile" was still nearly a decade away from becoming reality. In 2019, the association moved away from being narrowly defined as "mobile" and instead asserted its "marketing" focus more directly. After all, mobile is central to how advertisers and consumers connect online, and the distinctions between smartphone and desktop experiences have become largely matters of screen size and little else. The release of the MMA guidelines also marks Paskalis' first work since joining the trade group in October. As a marketing leader at Bank of America, where Paskalis was most recently svp of customer engagement and media investment, he was frequently outspoken about the problems in navigating ad buys on Facebook and other outlets. In a conversation with Adweek, Paskalis said he was initially inspired to bang the drum on brand safety after attending an industry event in 2015. At a conference in Hollywood, Florida, speakers such as Jon Mandel, a fiery former media buyer-turned-consultant, railed about the lack of transparency in ad placements, while tech executive Michael Tiffany warned attendees of rampant ad fraud. "You need to get all over that," Paskalis' BofA boss told him at the time. "This is year six for me personally, but the work on the MMA brand safety and suitability guidelines started long before I arrived," Paskalis said. "MMA CEO Greg Stuart told me years ago that brand safety was exactly the kind of thing the trade organization should be taking on. So that focus just naturally progressed. I'm kind of excited now that we're producing what I think is a seminal work in the media and marketing space generally." As for next steps, the MMA is collaborating with the Brand Safety Institute (BSI) as part of that organization's outreach to other industry trade groups including the Association of National Advertisers and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. "These guidelines are the building blocks," said BSI co-founder Neal Thurman. "Now, we have to get into the details about specific channels, particularly ones that are emerging like connected TV and the metaverse. The options for brand safety within an established channel like desktop programmatic are fairly recognizable. After-the-fact ad verification and validation are well known. But when it comes to CTV, the metaverse and other new channels, we're not there now. But we have to get in front of these new environments now, not later." How Brands Can Find Value in the Metaverse

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Ad Hoc Measures Don't Cut It for Brand Safety Anymore

MMA Global warns marketing leaders to do more to preserve credible media spaces

David Kaplan

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David Kaplan