News publishers are an invaluable part of our society, providing essential information and fostering public discourse. But as we’ve seen so far in 2024, contentious election cycles can increase challenges for digital advertising in the news sector.

Despite the audience engagement that comes with news content, brands sometimes choose to avoid advertising next to volatile topics altogether. Advertisers still benefit greatly from the audiences of established news outlets – even during election years, when volatile content is more commonplace. This is why it is in both sides’ best interests to revise their approach to brand suitability in 2024 and beyond.

Election season dynamics: Impact on buyers, sellers and audiences

Divisive rhetoric and misinformation surge during election years and make online audiences more sensitive to the content they consume. Despite this, publishers still need to juggle the unique requirements of each buyer with a fast-paced and unpredictable 24-hour news cycle. This often requires continuous adjustments to keep up with demand and maintain brand suitability alignment.

Advertisers face their own election-year challenges. Our research emphasized this with a survey revealing that two out of three consumers would likely stop using a brand or product if it appeared next to false, objectionable or inflammatory content. Some brands respond to this increased wariness by tightening their avoidance measures, which can inadvertently reduce campaign reach and negatively impact news publishers.

Instead of both sides continuing to miss out on vital opportunities to generate revenue and reach engaged audiences, there is an opportunity to improve the way we communicate and transact with each other. A few small adjustments can make a big difference with the right tools and tactics.

Best practices to consider during election seasons

These best practices are a great starting point for brands and publishers to manage brand suitability requirements and reduce brand suitability violations. They can also make longer-term partnerships more sustainable once a contentious election cycle is over.

1. Advocate for context-based suitability measures over keyword-based ones

More nuanced brand suitability settings offer smarter and more sophisticated protection than simple keyword-based tools. They enable buyers to make decisions based on the actual content and its sentiment. Some solutions allow advertisers to go deeper than a “yes or no” approach to the screening process by letting buyers choose their own levels of risk tolerance toward certain types of content, such as whether it is user-generated or more authoritative.

2. Promote use of inclusion lists as a trusted publisher

Some brands and advertisers are mindful of the value that trusted news sources provide in any climate, both to their own goals and to society at large. These buyers might be more open to tools like inclusion lists, which can preserve their access to compatible news publisher inventory no matter what their brand suitability settings might be. The only hurdle is that they might not be aware of their existence. Publishers can take this as an opportunity to educate their partners and ensure their placement on any inclusion lists that they eventually develop.

3. Facilitate open and frequent communication with partners

Advertisers and publishers should work together and troubleshoot potential delivery issues as quickly as possible. Even small problems can significantly impact campaign performance if they are left unchecked for long enough. For example, is your team asking partners to update their keyword lists regularly? Do they understand the partner’s sensitivities enough to align their ads on the appropriate pages? Questions like these, alongside a consistent reporting schedule are a helpful way to ensure that partners are on the same page and budgets are spent effectively on the right audiences.

Brand suitability: Advancing the conversation

News is one of the most engaging forms of media. And during an election cycle, audiences seek out information to inform their decision making. Despite its potentially polarizing nature or volatility, news can provide a highly engaging context for brand placements. However, to ensure that the context is ultimately suitable, it is important to engage in nuanced decision making and to keep the conversation going.