TikTok unveils brand safety tools to shield advertisers from gambling, other sensitive topics

TikTok has rolled out two new brand safety tools aimed at providing marketers with greater control over the content their ads appear alongside, enabling them to avoid violence, gambling and lotteries, and other sensitive topics.

The social media platform introduced the tools at its Beyond Brand Safety summit on Thursday, presenting them as key additions to its existing inventory filtering platform.

The first tool, category exclusion, empowers brands to steer clear of content featuring gambling, violent video games, combat sports, and youth-oriented material. This feature allows marketers to manually activate category exclusion and tailor their content filters according to their preferences.

The second tool, vertical sensitivity, ensures that ads are placed in brand-safe environments within 11 distinct verticals, including pets, beauty, food, fashion, travel, and technology. Marketers can select from pre-configured categories that accommodate vertical-specific sensitivities.

These brand safety initiatives mark TikTok's latest effort to provide advertisers with more control over their ad placements. Previously, third-party brand safety tools did not automatically filter out content related to the excluded categories.

TikTok's push for enhanced brand safety comes amid increasing scrutiny over the platform's content moderation practices. The company has faced mounting pressure to address concerns regarding inappropriate and harmful content, particularly as it seeks to attract more advertisers.

In addition to unveiling the brand safety tools, TikTok has also introduced a brand safety hub within its ads manager, streamlining the process for marketers to utilize these new features and manage their content preferences.

The announcement of these tools coincides with TikTok's participation in the 2024 IAB NewFronts, where it will make its pitch to advertisers. However, the platform's future in the US remains uncertain pending a Senate vote on legislation that could compel its parent company, ByteDance, to divest its assets in the nation.

Media buyers are closely monitoring these developments, as the outcome of the Senate vote could significantly impact TikTok's presence in the U.S. market.