Why content safety matters for brands

This article details how consumers respond when ads appear next to inappropriate content, based on a survey from the CMO Council and Dow Jones.

Digital advertising that appears adjacent to "objectionable content" risks alienating almost half of a brand's potential customers, according to a new study published by the CMO Council, an executive network for marketers, as part of a research program with Dow Jones, the news provider.

Drawing on a survey of 2,000 people from North America and the UK, the two organizations found that when marketing messages are shown alongside material which is considered to be offensive, a range of negative reactions result:

  • 37.3% of respondents would "change the way I think of the brand when making a decision to buy";
  • 10.5%...

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