Keyword blocking: Brand safety or overreach?

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, IAB UK's CMO, James Chandler, delves into a pressing issue impacting advertisers, publishers and tech experts alike: the unintended consequences of keyword blocking in news environments.

Recent research from Mantis reveals that terms like "victims" and "incident" are still blocking ads on content like Super Bowl-related coverage, affecting both publisher revenue and advertisers’ reach. In fact, even pop culture icons like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande have found their names on keyword blocklists, raising important questions about the effectiveness and overreach of these filters.

James is joined by Becca Hutson, Editor-in-Chief of The News Movement, Tom Pickworth, Director of Technical Operations at Mail Metro Media and Fiona Salmon, Managing Director at Mantis, to discuss the implications of this issue and what steps the industry needs to take to foster a more balanced approach to brand safety, context and advertising reach - and what it will take to drive real change.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic - drop us a line at podcast@iabuk.com

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