In this blog, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of leveraging YouTube ad topic exclusions to exclude specific topics and ensure your ads only appear where they matter most—preventing them from showing on irrelevant channels and videos. It’s time to refine your approach and make your brand stand out in the right context.

Can YouTube Ad Topic Exclusions Ensure Brand-Suitable Content?

Shaping your brand’s presence goes beyond just targeting specific topics for your video advertisements – it extends to the strategic use of YouTube ad topic exclusions. These exclusions offer a counterintuitive approach, allowing you to refine your brand’s suitability by clarifying topics that don’t align with your product or service.

Contrary to common belief, viewers don’t immediately encounter your ad creative upon entering YouTube; instead, they first engage with the content they’ve chosen to watch or actively searched for. It’s at this moment that your video ad makes its entrance. The critical factor here is the topic surrounding your ad, setting the tone for the viewer’s perception.

• Topic Exclusions: What Does This Mean For YouTube Advertisers?
  • How To Exclude Specific Topics From YouTube Ads
• Why Advertisers Should Exclude Content By Topic in YouTube Advertising

Topic Exclusions: What Does This Mean For YouTube Advertisers?

YouTube ad topic exclusions play a crucial role in the meticulous process of campaign construction, especially for Strike Social, where brand suitability is a top priority.

At its core, applying topic exclusion lists allows advertisers to steer clear of specific content categories such as news, politics, religion, controversial regions, drugs, crime, and mature men’s interests. These exclusions are not one-size-fits-all but adaptable building blocks that form the foundation of brand-conscious campaigns.

Let’s look at two different brands, for example:

Certainly, while some topics may overlap, each brand typically maintains a unique list of targeted topics. Conversely, the default topic exclusion lists are designed to steer clear of content featuring profanity, sexualized material, violence, and drugs.

Consider the news app, which aims for broad coverage; it might not employ additional YouTube ad topic exclusions. In contrast, the travel app, tailored for tourists and families seeking vacation plans, can craft a specific exclusion list. This list may include topics like business news, finance, sports, and politics. Such exclusions ensure that the app’s video advertisements don’t appear in searches related to current events, allowing them to surface on more relevant content such as travel vlogs and vacation recommendations.

The beauty of topic exclusions lies in their adaptability. Your topic exclusion lists can vary not only between different brands but also within campaigns and across seasons. Campaign-specific and ad group-specific lists ensure that YouTube ad topic exclusions evolve in tandem with brand needs and the unique goals of each advertising initiative.

How To Exclude Specific Topics From YouTube Ads

To build your topic exclusion lists for your YouTube ads, here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Begin by accessing your Google Ads account and navigate to Display campaigns from the Views bar at the top.
2. In the navigation menu at the left side of the screen, click on the Campaigns icon.
3. Click the Audiences, keywords, and content.
4. Choose Content from the drop-down menu.
5. Once on the “Content” page, locate and click on the Topic Exclusions tab.
6. On the “Topic exclusions” page, identify the topics you want to exclude.
7. Conclude the process by clicking on the Remove button.

Note: The outlined instructions are for the updated Google Ads user experience. Access the previous design by clicking the “Appearance” icon at the top right of the screen and selecting “Use Previous Design.”

Why Advertisers Should Exclude Content By Topic in YouTube Advertising

While it’s easy to acknowledge that advertisers benefit from utilizing YouTube ad topic exclusions, understanding its advantages and considerations is essential.

How To Effectively Utilize Topic Exclusions For Enhanced Brand Suitability

Five integral components are at the heart of Strike Social’s brand safety and suitability, forming the robust fortress that ensures effective ad campaigns. Among these, YouTube ad topic exclusions are a crucial pillar, contributing significantly to brand suitability.

Seamlessly integrating YouTube ad topic exclusions with the broader brand suitability controls magnifies their effectiveness. Instead of viewing them in isolation, meticulously study and consider each component, from negative keyword targeting to video and channel placements, as individual steps in crafting a tailored campaign strategy.

Experience the unique benefits of Strike Social for brand alignment and campaign optimization. Book a meeting and connect with us for an insightful discussion. With almost a decade of insights, Strike Social ensures your ads capture attention and leave a lasting imprint. Beyond a typical ad campaign, our campaign handling management harmoniously amplifies your brand’s YouTube reach.

Expand your expertise. Browse Strike Social’s latest blogs here:

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The post Charting the Path to Brand Suitability: The Strategic Advantage of YouTube Ad Topic Exclusions appeared first on Strike Social.

A study last year revealed that 59% of respondents recognized YouTube ads as more relevant than ads on linear TV or other streaming apps. This highlights the immense potential for businesses to tap into a vast consumer base. However, with this opportunity comes the critical need for YouTube ad suitability and brand safety strategies.

YouTube Ad Suitability Matters: A Must-Know Factor for Video Advertisers

A single ad on YouTube has the potential to reach more than half of all Internet users and over 32% of the global population. This staggering reach makes YouTube a powerhouse for businesses looking to engage with their target audience and drive meaningful results. 

This blog post will explore the concept of YouTube ad suitability, its significance for advertisers, and strategies to harness its potential.

What Is Ad Suitability On YouTube

Ad suitability refers to aligning video ads with contextually relevant content appropriate for the target audience. YouTube has many types of content, from educational to entertaining. It’s important to match ads with the right content. Advertisers can enhance brand messaging and avoid potential brand misalignments by carefully matching ads to relevant content.

All videos uploaded to YouTube must comply with the platform’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. A video may violate the YouTube ad suitability guidelines. When this happens, it may be labeled as “not suitable for most advertisers.” This results in limited or no ads being shown. The guidelines prohibit profanity, hate speech, inappropriate content for families, and content promoting harmful behavior.

Why Should Advertisers Care About Ad Suitability

Making sure ads fit well on YouTube is key to protecting a brand’s reputation. Relevant ad placement fosters trust, enhances brand perception, and strengthens the connection with the target audience.

Ad suitability on YouTube holds significance for advertisers due to its potential impact on various aspects of their advertising efforts:

• Limited ad inventory: When an organic video is designated as “not suitable for most advertisers,” it may receive limited or no ads. This can reduce the number of ad placement opportunities for advertisers on YouTube videos, limiting their reach and potential exposure.
• Brand safety concerns: Placing ads near unsuitable content can harm a brand’s image and create negative associations. YouTube’s ad suitability guidelines provide a protective framework, ensuring ads are displayed in a brand-safe environment.
• Campaign impact: YouTube’s ad suitability tools provide advertisers with access to brand-safe inventory, empowering them to achieve their ad goals. This approach enables them to maximize ad reach and enhance visibility within the platform.

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Further Reading

Using Negative Keywords for Better Targeting in YouTube Ads

Keyword targeting helps position your ads with relevant content by associating them with specific terms. On the other hand, negative keyword targeting works to shield your ads from being shown alongside flagged or undesirable content.

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YouTube’s Approach to Ad Suitability

YouTube has complex rules for what videos can have ads. These rules help keep brands safe on 99% of ad types. YouTube offers brand suitability controls, empowering advertisers to refine ad campaigns while ensuring maximum brand security.

Content Suitability Controls

Google Ads Content Suitability Controls allow advertisers to customize ad placements and align them with suitable content types. This centralized feature saves time, reduces errors, and enhances control over ad placements. 

In the coming months, Google will offer more guidance to help advertisers align with their brand identity in the evolving content landscape.

Tools that Uphold Brand Safety And Content Suitability 

Brand safety and ad suitability are two related concepts that go hand in hand in YouTube advertising. Advertisers need to balance ad suitability and brand safety. This helps them connect with their audience and run successful campaigns on YouTube.

Advertisers must proactively use these tools and techniques to optimize video advertising with YouTube ad suitability and brand safety.

Brand Suitability Partners

YouTube has collaborated with meticulously vetted third-party providers to offer various brand safety examples and tools. YouTube fostered these partnerships to empower advertisers, enhancing marketing performance and providing valuable content insights.

Content Exclusions

YouTube’s brand safety settings offer these controls to exclude unsuitable content types from your brand’s ad placements:

Content Types. Optimize brand consistency and relevance by excluding specific content types from your video campaigns. Exclude embedded YouTube videos and live streaming to ensure ad placement on pre-recorded videos, avoiding live event complexities.

Digital Content Labels. YouTube’s advanced technology assigns digital content labels, similar to movie ratings like G, PG, and more. 

Inventory Types. YouTube offers different inventory types to consider when optimizing ad placements based on brand suitability and preferences. These include expanded inventory, standard inventory, and limited inventory options.

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Further Reading

Latest YouTube Advertising Updates from Google Marketing Live 2024

At Google Marketing Live 2024, new features for YouTube advertising were introduced, aimed at strengthening brand visibility, expanding creative options, and increasing conversion potential on the platform. These updates promise to elevate your advertising strategies and improve overall campaign results.

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What Innovations Can We Expect in the Future of YouTube Ad Suitability

The future of brand safety and ad suitability on YouTube is promising as it evolves to meet changing needs. YouTube continues to develop advancements prioritizing the effectiveness of ad placements and the protection of brand integrity and user experience. Let’s look into some potential innovations that shape the future of YouTube ad suitability and brand safety:

Improved content analysis: YouTube’s continuous investment in advanced ad tech tools enables more compelling video content analysis. By utilizing IAS’s machine learning capabilities, these tools provide improved insights into context, sentiment, and audience relevance. IAS measurement offers comprehensive analysis aligned with GARM, empowering marketers with granular campaign reporting for brand safety.

The IAS YouTube Brand Safety & Suitability Measurement updates offer the following advantages:

Customized brand suitability options: Advertisers can define and refine brand suitability preferences on YouTube using unique profiles, research insights, and positioning. This powerful brand safety targeting tool enables advertisers to align ads with suitable content, ensuring relevance, resonance, and maximum impact.

Ad Suitability’s Impact on Your YouTube Campaigns

In this article, we explored YouTube ad suitability, its significance for advertisers, and strategies to maintain brand safety. Success in YouTube advertising lies in striking the right balance between brand suitability, effective ad placements, and audience engagement. 

Looking ahead, advertisers can optimize ad placements, enhance brand integrity, and run impactful campaigns on YouTube. Stay informed about emerging trends to unlock YouTube advertising’s full potential and achieve remarkable business growth.

The post The Crucial Role of Ad Suitability in YouTube Ad Campaigns appeared first on Strike Social.

Understanding YouTube Brand Safety in Video Advertising

A few years ago, a well-known British newspaper, took a drastic step by blacklisting YouTube. The cause? Their ads had been inadvertently displayed alongside hate speech and extremist content. The repercusion were immediate and far-reaching, as major household brands like Toyota, Proctor & Gamble, AT&T, and Verizon promptly withdrawing millions in advertising dollar from YouTube.

This watershed event not only tarnished YouTube’s reputation but also dealt a heavy blow to the advertising industry. Advertisers were thrust into an unwelcome spotlight, their carefully crafted brand messages aligned with harmful and inappropriate content.

Fast forward to six years later, a pressing question emerges: What proactive steps has YouTube taken to protect brands advertising on their platform from another brand safety crisis?

What Role Does Brand Safety Play In Your YouTube Ads Strategy?

As brands increasingly lean on video advertising to establish a foot hold in the market, the aspect of safety and suitability has been in most media plans. Research shows a distinct consumer preference for video content, with an impressive 73% of consumers swayed by a brand’s social media presence in their buying decisions. When consumer resonates with the ad, a highly favorable perception that leads to purchase. However, brand’s association with inappropriate or mismatched content have an opposite impact, potentially driving consumers away.

To further understand the significance of brand safety on YouTube, let’s take a look into the essential roles it plays in shaping your video advertising strategy:

Minimizing Brand and Content Misalignments in YouTube Ads

• Leverage YouTube’s popular and trending content to maximize exposure and reach.
• Note that not all content aligns with a brand’s values or appeals to its target audience.
• Monitor the suitability of ad content closely.
• Ensure a cohesive alignment between the brand’s narrative, identity, and the context of ad presentation.

Asserting Control Over Ad Placements

• Exercise control over ad placements to avoid inappropriate, contentious, or irrelevant content.
• Utilize the power to create entirely tailored video environments for better brand control.
• Enhance brand perception by governing where and how it appears on YouTube.

Protecting Brand Reputation

• Implement brand safety measures for active and vigilant monitoring of brand’s presence on YouTube.
• Leverage Google’s AI, machine learning algorithms, and manual review process to filter out unsuitable content.
• Maintain a safe and respected platform for both viewers and advertisers via YouTube’s robust brand safety features.

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Further Reading

The Crucial Role of Ad Suitability in YouTube Ad Campaigns

In YouTube advertising, brand safety and ad suitability are closely connected. Advertisers must find the right balance between these two aspects to effectively reach their audience and run successful campaigns.

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Free Gift: Get the YouTube Brand Safety And Suitability Guide and learn how to integrate brand safety as a strategic imperative. Discover proven tactics to strengthen your brand’s identity, optimize ad performance, and forge trusted connections with your target audience. Download the guide today and revolutionize your YouTube advertising approach.

What Happens When Ads Appear Alongside Inappropriate Content On YouTube?

The appearance of ads alongside inappropriate content on YouTube can have a profound influence on both brand perception and consumer behavior. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to grasp the potential ramifications associated with such occurrences.

A primary repercussion is the adverse influence on consumers’ purchasing choices. Roughly 80% of consumers are inclined to decrease or entirely cease purchasing products advertised alongside extreme or violent content.

In addition, around 90% of audiences perceive the advertiser as ultimately accountable for the placement of their ads. Consequently, any association with inappropriate content can lead to a loss of consumer trust and damage the brand’s credibility. This calls for proactive measures to ensure ad placements occur in settings that harmoniously align with the brand’s values, messaging, and target audience.

It is also worth noting that 37% of media agencies acknowledge that without proper brand suitability measures, ads run the risk of appearing in unsafe contexts. The sheer volume of content on the platform makes it a complex task to ensure complete brand safety. However, it is not impossible to tackle. By utilizing Youtube’s brand safety tools, brands can assert control over their reputation and assure that their ads are displayed in environments that seamlessly align with their brand image.

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Further Reading

What Happens When My Facebook Ads Appear With Inappropriate Content?

With the wide variety of content shared across Facebook, maintaining digital brand safety requires careful oversight. Businesses must ensure a secure and trusted brand presence on the platform, as it significantly influences customer perception and credibility.

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Brand Suitability, Contextual Targeting and Reporting

YouTube offers a range of brand safety tools that have been developed in partnership with carefully vetted third-party providers. These tools are designed to meet YouTube’s stringent brand safety standards, ensuring a trusted and reliable solution for advertisers.

By partnering with these providers, YouTube aims to empower advertisers with the necessary capabilities to enhance their marketing performance and gain a deeper understanding of content trends on the platform.

Putting Your Brand First: Strike Social’s Unyielding Brand Safety Commitment

With Strike Social’s extensive expertise and experience, we prioritize safeguarding brands and their reputation by implementing robust measures to mitigate risks and maintain a secure advertising environment.

From meticulous campaign planning to seamless execution, our dedicated team adeptly navigates the intricacies of the platform to ensure your ads are showcased in suitable contexts. We understand the significance of aligning your brand with relevant content, and we employ advanced strategies to protect your ad placements.

Building Bridges of Trust With YouTube Brand Safety

Integrating brand safety in your YouTube advertising strategy is not just an option but a strategic imperative. 

By prioritizing brand safety, you can deliver more impactful and meaningful advertising campaigns, strengthen your brand identity, and establish trusted connections with your target audience. Consumers appreciate brands that prioritize their well-being and take active steps to ensure a positive and meaningful experience. As a result, brand safety becomes a bridge that connects brands and their audiences in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Building trust through brand safety is not just a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment. It requires staying vigilant, adapting to the changes in the digital market, and utilizing the available tools and technologies to secure your brand’s reputation.

The post Understanding YouTube Brand Safety in Video Advertising appeared first on Strike Social.

However, as the popularity of video marketing grows, so does the need for effective management of harmful content. As a recognized global leader in campaign management, we understand the criticality of brand safety. In this blog, we will explore YouTube’s strategies for managing harmful content and familiarizing ourselves with the controls and settings that empower advertisers to maintain brand integrity.

Know Where Ads Appear: Understanding YouTube Inventory Types

Video marketing has been at the forefront of marketers’ minds over recent years. it’s become an integral part of most marketing strategies. According to the Wyzowl State of Video Marketing Report 2023, 96% of marketers deem it important. Additionally, an impressive 92% reported a positive return on investment (ROI), illustrating the video’s advertising potential.

Businesses and digital marketing agencies can protect their brands by understanding YouTube’s harmful content management and harnessing ad safety controls. Also, they can enhance user experience and drive better results in video advertising campaigns.

This blog will provide insights into the comprehensive measures employed by the platform, such as the YouTube inventory types, allowing advertisers to have greater control over video placements.

• How YouTube Proactively Manages Harmful Content
• Content Exclusions in YouTube Ad Campaigns
• What are the Different Inventory Types
• How to Set Up Content Exclusions
• Other YouTube Brand Safety Tools To Explore

How YouTube Proactively Manages Harmful Content

YouTube, as an open platform, faces the challenge of maintaining a balance between creative expression and protecting the community. By employing their 4 Rs in YouTube brand safety – Remove, Reduce, Raise, Reward – the platform strives to maintain a vibrant and inclusive community while empowering advertisers to safeguard their ads from controversial and sensitive content.

4 Rs – Remove, Reduce, Raise, Reward

	REMOVE: YouTube uses a mix of human moderators and advanced machine learning algorithms to detect problematic content. Automated flagging systems allow the platform to detect and review content before it reaches a wider audience. Additionally, this YouTube brand safety feature encourages its community and experts in the Trusted Flagger program to report potentially problematic content, ensuring a proactive approach to content removal.
	REDUCE: Understanding the impact of borderline content, YouTube changed its recommendation systems. These changes aimed to reduce the watchtime of non-subscribed, recommended content. In the US alone, YouTube saw a 70% drop in watchtime of such content after implementing these changes. Continually refining its algorithmic recommendations, YouTube strives to keep the views of non-subscribed, recommended borderline content below 0.5%.
	RAISE: YouTube acknowledges the importance of authoritative information, particularly in news, politics, medicine, and science. To address this, YouTube’s brand suitability features include elements that prioritize authoritative voices in search results and recommended videos. Features like Breaking News, Top News shelves, and information panels help users make well-informed decisions based on contextual information.
	REWARD: The platform enforces strict brand suitability guidelines to protect against misuse, such as spam or impersonation. Advertisements are kept from controversial or sensitive content, with non-compliant videos facing limited monetization or ad restrictions. Continuous or severe violations could lead to suspension from the YouTube Partner Program.

Video Ad Safety Promise

With the Video Ad Safety Promise, YouTube automatically applies exclusions to prevent ad placements on controversial content, such as terrorist acts, nudity, and recent sensitive events. However, advertisers have additional control over their ad placements by setting up YouTube inventory types, allowing them to align their ads with their brand values and further safeguard their brand.

YouTube’s brand suitability controls are crucial in empowering advertisers to curate their ad placements and establish a safe and suitable environment for their brand messages. By utilizing these settings, advertisers can navigate the diverse landscape of YouTube’s content and avoid associations with content that may not align with their brand values or business objectives. This level of control ensures that their ads are seen in the context they desire, enabling them to reach their target audience effectively.

Content Exclusions in YouTube Ad Campaigns

YouTube understands that even policy-compliant content may remain unaligned with advertisers’ brand values. That’s where these YouTube brand safety settings come into play, providing additional control to exclude specific types of content that may not be suitable.

These settings are designed to empower advertisers with granular control over where their ads are displayed and ensure that their brand is associated with content that aligns with their values.

Content Types

To maintain brand consistency and relevance, advertisers can exclude specific content types from their video campaigns. This feature enables advertisers to avoid associations with content categories that may not align with their brand’s tone or target audience preferences. 

• Embedded YouTube videos: These are videos embedded on websites outside of YouTube’s website. By excluding this content type, campaign reach will only focus on videos hosted on YouTube.
• Live streaming videos: This category includes live events broadcasted on the platform, managed via external streaming software or streamed directly through YouTube. You can exclude this content type so ads will only appear on pre-recorded videos to avoid potential complications associated with live-streaming events.

Digital Content Labels

YouTube employs advanced classification technology to assign digital content labels to websites, pages, videos, and apps within its network. These digital content labels are akin to movie ratings, such as G and PG, and provide an additional layer of information about the suitability of content for different audiences. 

• DL-G: Content suitable for general audiences (can also select “Content suitable for families”)
• DL-PG: Content suitable for most audiences with parental guidance
• DL-T: Content suitable for teen and older audiences
• DL-MA: Content suitable only for mature audiences
• Not yet labeled: Content that hasn’t been labeled yet because they haven’t yet completed the classification process

Inventory Types

YouTube offers different inventory types that advertisers can exclude based on their preferences and brand suitability. The YouTube inventory types include:

• Expanded inventory
• Standard inventory
• Limited inventory

What are the Different Inventory Types for YouTube Ads

By choosing the appropriate YouTube inventory types, advertisers can customize the reach and visibility of their video campaigns. Let’s dive into the various YouTube inventory types and discover how they enhance brand suitability and customization for advertisers.

Expanded Inventory

With the expanded inventory option, advertisers can showcase ads on all YouTube and Google video partners that meet the monetization standards. This choice provides maximum access to a wide range of ad-eligible videos.

Standard Inventory

By default, all Google Ads accounts are opted into the standard YouTube inventory type. This option allows brands to display ads across a diverse range of content suitable for most brands. It includes popular music videos, documentaries, and movie trailers. The content available for ad placement adheres to YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines, which consider factors such as the strength and frequency of profanity and the appropriateness of subject matter like sensitive events. Ads will not appear on content featuring repeated strong profanity, sexual content, or graphic violence.

Limited Inventory

The limited inventory option provides brands with exceptionally stringent guidelines on inappropriate language and sexual suggestiveness. 

Videos included in this YouTube inventory type undergo additional scrutiny, ensuring an even higher level of scrutiny for inappropriate language and sexual suggestiveness. Consequently, ads will be excluded from appearing on some of YouTube’s most popular music videos and other widely consumed pop culture content across YouTube and Google video partners. 

Explore the following YouTube inventory types to discover the specific content categories included and excluded in each one:

How to Set Up Content Exclusions for Video Ads

By adding multiple exclusions to ad targeting, media buyers can add another layer of security to make sure ads will not appear with harmful content.

Here’s how to set it up content exclusions video ad campaigns:

When creating new video campaigns

1. Log in to your Google Ads account and navigate to the Campaigns section.
2. Click on the Campaigns icon and select the Campaigns dropdown from the section menu. Then, click on Campaigns to proceed.
3. Click the plus button to create a new campaign.
4. Choose one or more goals that best align with your campaign objectives. If none of the predefined goals fit your requirements, select the option to create a campaign without goal guidance.
5. In the “Campaign type” section, select “Video” to create a video-specific campaign.
6. Enter the necessary information to create your campaign.
7. Locate the “Content exclusions” panel within the campaign settings.
   1. Click “Inventory type” and choose the appropriate inventory type that suits your video campaign requirements.
   2. Under “Excluded types and labels,” you can exclude specific content types and digital content labels from your video campaign.
8. Proceed to create an ad group within your campaign and craft a compelling video ad. You have the flexibility to complete these steps later if you prefer.
9. After completing the necessary configurations, click “Save and continue” to finalize your campaign setup.

When editing an existing video campaign

1. Click on the Campaigns icon from your Google Ads account to access the Campaigns section. Then, click on the Campaigns drop-down in the section menu.
2. From the Views bar at the top, select “Video campaigns.”
3. On the left side of the screen, click on the page menu then click on “Settings.”
4. Click on the name of the Video campaign that you want to edit.
5. Configure your settings as follows:
   1. Inventory Type: In the “Content exclusions” panel, click “Inventory type” to select the appropriate inventory type for your Video campaign.
   2. Excluded Types and Labels: Click “Excluded types and labels” and choose the specific content types and digital content labels you want to exclude from your Video campaign.
6. After setting this up, click “Save” to confirm your updated settings.

Setting up for all video campaigns

1. On your Google Ads account, click on the Campaigns icon.
2. Click on the “Audiences, keywords, and content” drop-down in the section menu, then select “Content.”
3. From the tabs at the top, click on “Settings.”
4. At the top of the page, click on “Account settings.”
5. Under Content exclusions, update the settings for the following:
   1. Inventory Type: Click on “Inventory type” and select the inventory type you want to apply to all Video campaigns in your account.
   2. Excluded Types and Labels: Click on “Excluded types and labels” and choose the specific content types and digital content labels you want to exclude for all your campaigns, including Video campaigns.
6. Once you’re done, click on “Save”.

Note: Account-level control of content exclusions is only available in the new Google Ads experience.

Other YouTube Brand Safety Tools To Explore

In 2021, YouTube became the first digital platform to receive content-level brand safety accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC). This prestigious accreditation was granted to YouTube again in 2022, solidifying its position as the only platform with such recognition.

YouTube has actively collaborated with advertisers and agencies to understand their requirements better and establish best practices. This collaborative effort led to developing strategies like utilizing the different YouTube inventory types and reevaluating the necessity of excluding specific content categories. Advertisers who learned to navigate the YouTube brand safety controls effectively witnessed various performance benefits, including increased reach, higher view-through rates, and reduced cost-per-view.

The diversity of YouTube brand safety options presents greater control over ad placements across the Display Network and YouTube.

These additional brand suitability features are available for the setup of ad campaigns. However, note that these settings might influence the campaign’s performance.

Excluded Sensitive Content

Applying content exclusion prevents ads from appearing next to content categories deemed sensitive for some brands. These exclusions apply to all campaigns running on the Google Display Network, except Video campaigns.

The following categories can be excluded: 

• Tragedy and conflict
• Sensitive social issues
• Profanity and rough language
• Sexually suggestive content
• Sensational and shocking

Excluded Content Keywords

Content keyword exclusions ensure that ads do not display on videos, channels, websites, and apps related to specific words. These exclusions apply to all YouTube or Google Display Network campaigns. Up to 1,000 content keywords can be excluded at the account level.

Keep in mind that content keyword exclusions only support exact matches. Additionally, it’s important to consider that certain words may have multiple meanings. When excluding a content keyword, ads will be prevented from appearing on any content related to that word, even if the context differs from your intended targeting.

Excluded Placements

Placement exclusions prevent ads from appearing on specific videos, channels, websites, and apps that may not align with the brand or product. Up to 65,000 placements can be excluded, which applies to all campaigns running on YouTube or the Google Display Network.

Note: While exclusions are done to the best of YouTube’s ability, the platform cannot guarantee that all related content will be excluded.

Reinforce Brand Safety with YouTube’s Ad Safety Resources

Ensuring YouTube brand safety and maintaining integrity are crucial considerations for advertisers. Fortunately, the platform has recognized this need and taken proactive steps to address it. Through their commitment to managing harmful content and implementing YouTube inventory types, YouTube provides advertisers with powerful tools to protect their brands and deliver a safe advertising environment.

By understanding the intricacies of the different YouTube inventory types, you can make informed decisions about where your ads appear. This knowledge empowers media buyers and advertisers to align ads with suitable content, confidently navigate the platform, and ensure brand safety while advertising on YouTube.

The post Know Where Ads Appear: Understanding YouTube Inventory Types appeared first on Strike Social.

According to the reports on TrueView in-stream ad placements, major brands discovered that a significant portion of their TrueView in-stream ad spend, ranging from 42% to as high as 75%, was allocated to sites and apps within the Google Video Partners (GVP) network that failed to meet Google’s own standards.

In light of this revelation, advertisers and industry stakeholders find themselves grappling with pertinent questions that demand urgent answers. What implications does this have for advertisers? Are we on the brink of another Google boycott? Is Google still a reliable and effective platform for advertising?

As your trusted campaign management partner, Strike Social wants to assure you that our commitment to transparency, integrity, and quality remains unwavering across all our campaigns.

How Strike Social Handles Ad Placements On Google Display Networks

From meticulous campaign planning to seamless execution, our dedicated team adeptly navigates the intricacies of the platform to ensure your ads are showcased in suitable contexts. We understand the significance of aligning your brand with relevant content, and we employ advanced strategies to protect your ad placements.

Through ongoing optimization strategies, we fine-tune your campaigns to ensure optimal performance and maximize the return on your advertising investment. Our ultimate aim is to provide you with peace of mind, knowing that your brand is protected and your ads are delivering optimum results.

Here’s how we maintain the highest standards across all our YouTube video advertising campaigns:

TrueView Instream Campaigns

In TrueView Instream campaigns, where Skippable TrueView assets are utilized, we never run these campaigns off YouTube or on video partners. This ensures that the video content is solely featured within the designated ad space, with audio typically enabled. A paid view is counted when an individual actively chooses not to skip the ad for a specific duration. 

The majority of our campaigns utilize TrueView and are exclusively confined to YouTube’s inventories.

Related article: What are TrueView ads and their benefits?

YouTube Video Action Campaigns (VAC)

While Google does not currently provide an opt-out feature for Google Video Partners in VAC campaigns, the exposure on Google Partners typically represents a smaller portion (around 15%-20%) of the overall investment in these campaigns. 

We are diligently working to gain more control over this aspect. Until such control is granted, it is our responsibility to inform you that some exposure on Google Partners may occur for specific goals including engagements (YouTube hosted such as Channel Followers or Live Viewers), downloads, subscribes, and landing page views or site actions.

Related article: Best Practices for Video Action Campaigns

YouTube Shorts

Strike Social harnesses the potential of Shorts for campaigns with specific view goals. It is important to mention that Shorts run within VAC inventory, and marketers are currently unable to opt-out of Google Video Partners when utilizing Shorts. 

While exposure on Video Partners may be part of the overall mix, we firmly believe in the immense potential that Shorts offer to marketers. We eagerly await further advancements from Google that will provide us with increased control in this regard.

Staying Ahead: How Strike Social Adapts to Drive Exceptional Results for Your Brand

At Strike Social, we recognize that your brand’s success in the high net worth realm depends on more than just safeguarding its reputation. It requires a meticulous approach to data analysis, visualization, and a deep understanding of your unique requirements. That’s why we prioritize open communication and collaboration to ensure that our campaigns align seamlessly with your business goals.

Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of our partnership. We remain at the forefront of industry developments, continuously adapting to changes to deliver exceptional results. Our advocacy for enhanced controls and safeguards in digital advertising underscores our commitment to protecting your investments.

Your trust in Strike Social is a privilege we deeply value. We are grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our partnership and help your brand achieve remarkable success in the digital realm. With our unwavering dedication, we will continue to navigate the dynamic field of digital and social media advertising, ensuring that your brand’s potential reaches new heights. Discover Strike Social’s ad optimization strategies and how you can maintain campaign visibility with the support of a trusted media team.

• 
  YouTube Ads for Traffic and Action Campaigns: Do They Work?
• 
  Shifting From TikTok to Instagram Reels Ads Without Losing Performance
• 
  7 Emerging Digital Marketing Trends for 2025

The post Upholding Integrity In Video Advertising: Strike Social’s Prudent Approach Amidst The Google Ads Issue appeared first on Strike Social.