We Have a Transparency Problem in Advertising – and It’s Getting Ugly

Picture this: You’re on a business trip. You hire a driver to take you through the city. 

You hop into the backseat, feeling quite confident. The driver has a bunch of certifications hung up, and he even promises you that “he’ll avoid the bad neighborhoods.”

But halfway through, you realize he’s driving with a blindfold on.

You try not to panic and ask:

“Wait, can you see the road? do you know where we are?”

And he answers:

 “Well, I know we’re somewhere in the city. Probably.”

Sound absurd? 

Welcome to the current state of brand safety.

 

How Did We Get Here?

For years, marketers have stacked verification tools on top of DSPs, hoping to stay protected and ensure their ads appear only in “safe” environments. 

The theory was simple: smart tech would keep brands away from harmful or controversial content.

And yet, here we are.

Just a few weeks ago, Adalytics, released a report rattling the industry. Despite the protective walls built by ad platforms and so-called brand safety tools, ads from some of the world’s most recognizable brands were found… let’s just say, in places no brand wants to be.

No names need to be mentioned here – you likely saw the headlines. We’re talking about sensitive, borderline criminal environments that could ruin a CMO’s weekend (and maybe their job, and those are moderate case scenarios).

 

The Illusion of Safety

The issue isn’t a glitch in the system (or bad luck). 

It’s structural. 

At the core are programmatic systems designed for speed and scale, but ones that often leaves marketers in the dark about where their ads really end up..

Marketers are being shown domains, but rarely the actual pages where their ads are landing. Sure, you know your ad was on “BigPublisher.com,” but was it next to a Pulitzer Prize-winning article… or something better suited for the dark corners of the internet?

You. don’t. know.

And here’s the twist: the tools you rely on might not know either.

 

Complexity and Convenient Excuses

Now, to be fair, part of this is a byproduct of privacy regulations (which we should all applaud) and the extreme complexity of adtech (which, depending on who you ask, is either brilliant or broken).

But complexity can also be a cover. Some players in this ecosystem benefit from keeping things in the dark. The less you see, the less you ask about where your money goes.

It’s the oldest trick in the book: don’t show the map, and no one will complain about getting lost.

 

When “Oops” Becomes a Legal Risk

The real kicker? This isn’t a brand safety issue only anymore. 

It’s creeping into legal territory.

When ads appear next to dangerous or illegal content, it can lead to regulatory headaches and lawsuits. 

For global brands, this is a potential corporate governance nightmare.

So here’s the uncomfortable question: 

How many more scandals do we need before we admit the system is fundamentally incapable of doing the job it promised?

 

The Case for Radical Transparency

Here’s where I pivot – because despite how hopeless this sounds, there’s a way out.

The industry doesn’t need more black-box solutions. 

It needs to balance privacy with radical transparency. 

Marketers should be able to see, with precision, where every impression lands:

– The exact URL
– The full context of the content
– The sentiment and tone of the environment

Yes, it means smarter use of first-party data. 

And yes, it means evolving beyond the old system where “good enough” was the industry standard.

 

Seeing the Road Ahead

Here’s the good news: the tech to do this already exists. 

The question is no longer can we fix it – it’s, will we?

Marketers have a choice to make:
Keep trusting the blindfolded driver OR demand a clear view of the road ahead

Because here’s the thing: 

When your brand ends up in the wrong place, it doesn’t matter how advanced your targeting was or how catchy your creative looked. The only thing that matters is how fast you can explain it to your boss – and to regulators.

The next time someone tells you, “Don’t worry, we’re brand safe,” you might want to ask:
“Can you show me exactly where?”

If they can’t, it might be time to find a new driver.