In the sometimes chaotic world of digital advertising, brand safety is a concern for CMOs seeking to safeguard their brand’s reputation and ensure consumer trust.
Retail Media Networks have emerged as a strong option for making sure ads reach the right audiences and are featured next to brand safe content, on retailer websites, in their apps and on other properties trusted by consumers.
Brand Safety pertains to avoiding content or situations that can negatively impact the reputation of a brand and will typically apply across brands. Unsafe content would include racism, pornography or criminal acts.
A connected concept – Brand Suitability – refers to targeting parameters that are unique to each brand, set by its values. According to the IAB, ‘an ad placed outside a specific targeting parameter might lead to a brand safety incident with potential negative consequences that extend beyond reputational damage.’
During this period, Retail Media has continued to trend upward and is expected to hit $59.61bn total spend in 2024. The medium has garnered the attention of the world’s biggest brands because of its proximity to point-of-sale during the purchase journey and access to closed-loop measurement and attribution.
A less discussed advantage of onsite Retail Media is the brand safety that comes with advertising on a reputable retailer’s properties. Retail Media Networks can be strategically utilized to align with a brand’s values and protect its integrity in the digital space.
Retail Media Networks are platforms operated by retailers that allow brands to advertise directly to their audiences within the retail environment, including e-commerce websites, mobile apps, and even in-store displays.
By leveraging the Retail Media Network of a specific retailer, brands can tap into valuable customer data, target their audiences effectively, and enhance the overall shopping experience.
For safety-conscious brands, onsite Retail Media offers greater control over where their ads appear – namely on a retailer’s website or app, alongside other products in a relevant or adjacent category.
This concept of brand safety is also appealing to non-endemic brands (brands whose products aren’t sold through the retailer), and Retail Media providers on the cusp of innovation are beginning to make this inventory available.
As the site content is purely related to products, this greatly reduces the chance of brands’ ads being positioned near negative messaging.
With advanced targeting options and ad placement controls, brands can ensure that their ads are showcased in environments that align with their brand values and resonate with their target audience.
Targeted Advertising: Retail Media Networks enable precise targeting based on customer data and behavior, ensuring that ads reach the right audience without compromising brand safety.
Contextual Relevance: Placing ads within a retail environment enhances contextual relevance, creating a seamless integration between a brand and the consumer’s shopping journey.
Trust and Credibility: Consumers inherently trust the retail platforms they use. Recent research from IPG Mediabrands Commerce and Google, run by Kantar, found that around half of shoppers chose an outlet out of habit. By associating a brand with these trusted environments, you enhance the brand’s credibility and foster positive perceptions within the target audience.
Once a brand has a strong relationship with a trusted Retail Media Network, it can also consider partnering on additional tactics, including offsite ads. This involves the retailer purchasing inventory from channels on the web, social platforms, and Over the Top (OTT) or Connected TV (CTV).
The primary benefit of offsite is the potential to reach customers outside of the retailer’s website or app, whilst leveraging the retailer’s first-party data. Of course, offsite offers less certainty around Brand Safety and Suitability.
Having a strong relationship with a Retail Media provider is therefore essential, as is a watertight policy on Brand Suitability, but the power of onsite and offsite combined can offer brands full funnel, targeted campaigns.
If you’d like to know more about how IPG Mediabrands Commerce can help to activate Brand Safe Retail Media campaigns, please get in touch.
