Comscore Helping Advertisers Weigh Running in Virus Content

Comscore said its brand safety tools have added a segment that will screen content to protect brands from unwanted associations with the COVID-19 crisis.

Over the past week 22% to 30% of ad impressions were running alongside content that contains themes related to the Coronavirus and related epidemic themes.

The new tool will let advertiser fine-tune their brand safety applications based on their risk tolerance as more material about the pandemic appears in the media.

The tool also give publishers the flexibility they need to help their advertisers navigate the evolving Coronavirus news cycles, Comscore added.

"The sheer volume of content regarding the Coronavirus outbreak has marketers looking for sophisticated and specific solutions to avoid exposing their brands to unwanted negative content," said Rachel Gantz, general manager, Activation Solutions, Comscore. "We are working closely with our clients to maintain brand-safe audience engagement and this tool will hopefully give marketers one less thing to worry about."

The new release is being added to Comscore's Activation suite, which is designed to help advertisers reach specific demographics, and behavioral, TV, OTT and CTV audiences...The Epidemic brand safety filter is now available for all users of Comscore's contextual targeting suite.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.