Why Your Campaigns Should Be Using a Verified Allowlist
Have you ever wondered where your ad dollars really go—or whether your brand is showing up in the right places? In today’s digital landscape, it’s a question every marketer should be asking. Before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, brand safety was already a priority for programmatic media managers. However, the rapid changes brought about by the pandemic elevated it to the top of the list. The forced digital transformation, combined with an environment where any type of content could generate negative associations, made it clear: where your ads appear matters more than ever.
Unlike many trends that faded in the post-pandemic world, brand safety continues to grow in importance. According to WARC’s Future of Programmatic 2024 report, 60% of advertisers and agencies identified brand safety as a major concern in programmatic advertising [1]. And it’s not hard to see why. The stakes have never been higher, with consumers expecting brands to align with their values and be careful about the content they support.
The programmatic media market is now more focused than ever on where its money is going. Advertisers are no longer satisfied with just asking, “Are we hitting KPIs?” Today, marketers want answers to bigger questions: How long are our ads being seen? Are we supporting reputable publishers? Are we inadvertently funding low-quality or fraudulent content? This shift from “what works” to “why it works” empowers brands to take control of their ad spend in ways that were previously overlooked.
Here’s a staggering fact: According to the ANA’s 2023 Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study, only 36 cents of every dollar spent on programmatic advertising reaches working media. The rest? Lost to fees, non-viewable ads, and impressions on low-quality, made-for-advertising websites [2].
But there’s a catch. Many brands trying to prioritize safety rely on expansive keyword blocklists. On the surface, blocklists seem like a smart way to protect your brand, but they often backfire. Trusted publications that cover sensitive topics like “mental health,” “LGBTQ,” or “climate change” can be unfairly flagged and excluded, creating a chilling effect on journalism. Imagine running a high-quality news site, only to lose ad revenue because of a single flagged word. For Black-owned publishers, this issue is even more pronounced. According to a 2023 article by Digiday, discriminatory keyword blocklists continue to miscategorize their content, resulting in lost revenue and stifled voices in underrepresented communities [3].
This over-cautious approach does more harm than good. Minority-owned and community-focused publishers often rely on programmatic revenue to stay afloat. By blocking ads on these sites, brands unintentionally hurt the very communities they claim to support. Worse yet, they miss out on connecting with audiences who value inclusivity and authentic representation.
So, what’s the solution? Enter verified allowlists—a smarter, more proactive alternative. By curating high-quality inventory in advance, brands can ensure their ads appear alongside reputable content while reducing the risk of harmful associations. Unlike restrictive keyword blocklists that unintentionally penalize legitimate journalism, allowlists enable advertisers to place their ads on pre-vetted publishers known for their integrity, human traffic, and genuine audience engagement.
