For marketers using YouTube and linked TV, brand safety is becoming less important as performance and measurement become more important considerations.
This is the conclusion of a recent study conducted by Pixability, which polled professionals from U.S. media agencies who purchase advertisements on video platforms. In the poll, media buyers were asked to assess the significance of over a dozen campaign objectives, such as efficiency, audience targeting, performance, measurement, brand safety, and business outcomes.
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In Nov. 2024, Pixability completed its 2025 report, and brand safety, which had been the top issue for marketers since 2022, fell to No. 6. Last year, brand safety was scored lower than ad performance, measurement and reporting, efficiency, audience targeting, and business outcomes.
Although it’s a noticeable change, Pixability chief marketing officer Matt Duffy noted that it’s crucial to recognize the little gap between the top-ranked goal and those a few spots behind.
“All the way down, the numbers are rather close. “There aren’t any significant changes,” Duffy remarked. “For [agencies], ad performance and measurement are the most important factors, while brand safety and appropriateness were somewhat lower on the list.”
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The pattern may be attributed to a larger backlash against the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that the Trump administration has targeted.
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Chris Ebmeyer, senior vice president and director of media services at 160over90, says it’s also proof of improved set-it-and-forget-it technologies that let brands focus more on other things and worry less about brand safety.
“We’re very attuned to brand safety because agencies themselves and the vendors we work with have really made it a priority,” Ebmeyer said. “Maybe because we’ve been performing well, marketers aren’t as concerned about it.”
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According to Duffy of Pixability, another contributing cause is that brand safety has received too much attention in recent years and is only now starting to fade. He clarified that advertisers are not arguing that brand safety is no longer important, but rather that the industry became so focused on brand safety that it neglected other issues, such as audience engagement.
“While brand safety is crucial, audience engagement shouldn’t suffer as a result,” Duffy stated.
In addition to ranking, media buyers were asked to evaluate the dangers of disabling third-party, pre-bid brand safety features like inclusions and exclusions in Pixability’s survey. Regardless of whether they employed a third-party service or not, respondents stated that they would still anticipate that the majority of their advertisements will reach the target population.
Additionally, the poll asked consumers to select whether advertisers prioritize performance or suitability, or whether they want to strike a compromise between the two goals. Most respondents (70%) stated that they make an effort to balance performance and appropriateness.
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