PYLER Asks the Right Question at DMS 2023:“Are You Prioritizing Brand Safety?”

At DMS 2023, PYLER asked a bold question: Are marketers truly prioritizing brand safety?
Survey results reveal a surprising gap between ad execution and content control — and why that must change.

As a company specializing in video ad solutions, PYLER participated in the Digital Marketing Summit (DMS) 2023, where top-tier marketers and global brands gather to explore the future of marketing.

Image Credit: Digital Marketing Summit

Since its launch in 2016, the Digital Marketing Summit has served as a hub for exchanging practical insights and industry trends, earning consistent praise from marketing professionals across Korea.

The theme of DMS 2023 was “Meet the Future of Marketing”, with sessions focused on:

• Integrating AI into marketing strategy

• Predictive marketing with big data

• Brand building with generative AI

AI-centered adtech companies were especially active at the event, including PYLER — which showcased its newly launched AiD beta: a video ad solution powered by Multi-Modal AI.

What Is AiD?

AiD is an AI-based video content analysis solution that detects and blocks ad placements on inappropriate or unsafe content, protecting brand reputation and ad spend.

With many brand and digital marketers in attendance, PYLER joined DMS 2023 to gather real-time feedback and emphasize the importance of brand safety — an increasingly critical component of any brand strategy.

Brand image and public trust are high priorities not only for marketers but for everyone involved in corporate growth and brand communication.

Chapter 1:
Do You Know What Brand Safety Really Means?

At DMS, PYLER conducted an on-site survey to gauge awareness around brand safety. The results were surprising:

• 68.3% of respondents said they had never heard of brand safety.

• 46.9% admitted they did not know what kind of content their brand ads were appearing next to.

These findings suggest a significant gap between ad execution and content control — despite the growing risk of reputational damage.

Brand safety isn’t just a marketer’s problem — it’s a business issue. Ads that appear next to inappropriate or harmful content can instantly undermine consumer trust and diminish brand value.

Chapter 2:
Why Brand Safety Must Be Part of Your Ad Strategy

When asked whether brand safety should be a core consideration in YouTube advertising, a resounding 89.8% said yes.
Among them:

• 28.2% were aware their ads had been placed near adult or violent content

• 23.1% recognized that their ad budgets were being wasted on such placements

However, during field interviews, very few companies were found to be actively addressing brand safety — either with in-house monitoring or third-party solutions. This is likely due to the volume of ad placements, which far exceeds what internal teams can manually track, combined with limited transparency into ad algorithms.

Of the 10.2% who answered “no” to brand safety being a priority:

• Half said they trust YouTube’s algorithms

• Others cited performance KPIs taking precedence over brand protection

But as discussed in our article 'When Advertising Backfires: How Brands Lose Trust by Paying for the Wrong Placements', relying solely on algorithmic targeting without safeguards can result in serious brand crises.

Moving Forward

Focusing only on performance metrics increases the risk of ad exposure to sensitive or foreign-language content that may harm brand equity.

Solutions like AiD offer an effective way to balance performance with brand protection — helping advertisers avoid costly and reputation-damaging placements.

PYLER hopes the results of this survey will prompt more marketers and brands to:

• Reevaluate their understanding of brand safety

• Engage in cross-functional dialogue about ad placement

• Implement clear safeguards to protect brand value at scale

Brand safety isn’t just an industry buzzword — it’s a shared responsibility. The sooner we treat it as such, the better protected our brands will be in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

You can find more details about the Digital Marketing Summit on the official website:
Digital Marketing Summit Official Website