TikTok Bolsters Brand Safety and Ad Verification with New Controls and Partnerships

Social media platforms are in a constant effort to reassure advertisers that their messages are shown in a suitable environment. TikTok has recently unveiled additional controls and expanded verification partnerships aimed at bolstering safety measures for marketing campaigns. As one of the fastest growing platforms, it is important for TikTok to demonstrate robust brand risk management to retain and attract more spending from major companies.

TikTok will now provide category exclusions and vertical sensitivity selections directly within the ad settings interface. This gives advertisers increased control over where their promotions may appear in relation to surrounding content. There are four categories that can be blocked entirely - gambling, violent video games, combat sports, and youth focused content.

Being able to avoid association with certain subject areas allows brands to maintain consistency in their messaging. For example, a large technology company promoting its gaming division to adults may feel comfortable having ads appear alongside videos about violent games. However, when promoting productivity tools, the same company likely wants protection against being shown near that type of content.

The vertical sensitivity option provides advertisers with 11 topics to either select or avoid, such as pets, beauty, food, fashion/retail, travel, financial services, technology, automotive, gaming, professional services and entertainment. A travel brand focused mainly on nature scenes, hiking and outdoor adventures may not want their ads placed close to content about volcanoes or floods.

Likewise, a financial institution could prevent matching to videos providing beginner level financial advice or strategies from novice creators. Having increased control over ad surroundings based on brand positioning and target audiences is valuable for crafting effective marketing messages.

In addition to the new placement controls, TikTok is expanding its partnerships with several major ad verification firms that help ensure campaign metrics are accurate and brand-safe. Companies like DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science and Zefr independently fact check and scrutinize performance data to validate numbers and detect any potential policy violations.

Using third party tools to audit campaign results provides advertisers with extra peace of mind. Measurement data and the environments ads are shown in can be independently analyzed for safety, free from platform bias.

For simplified access to all available brand safety features, TikTok has launched a new dedicated "Brand Safety Hub" section directly within the Ads Manager interface. Advertisers can now easily toggle settings, access resources and view tools to optimize protection directly from one centralized location. Simplifying navigation helps busy marketing teams quickly adjust strategies and stay on top of any changes to company policies or controls.

As one of the most rapidly growing social platforms, it is important for TikTok to consistently demonstrate robust brand safety measures are in place. The company has faced some past questions around censorship, inappropriate user generated content, and data privacy issues.

These expanded controls and verification partnerships aim to further alleviate concerns that promotions may run near harmful, objectionable or policy-violating material. Showing a strong dedication to protecting advertisers helps build long-term trust, which is critical for platforms highly dependent on marketing dollars.

While enhanced controls and third party fact checking are helping strengthen brand safety on TikTok, issues could still emerge down the road as user behaviors and content evolve. It is important for marketing teams to stay up to date on any changes through their smm panel.

Regular reviews allow adjusting strategies and keeping budgets focused on performing placements. Speaking to an expert agency like Great SMM could help optimize using social platforms in a fully compliant and profitable manner. We offer consultation services to navigate platform policies and tools, aiding businesses in protecting their brands.