B2B marketers putting more focus on brand safety

More than half of B2B marketing leaders surveyed by research and advisory firm Forrester in its 2024 B2B Brand and Communications Survey say brand safety extends beyond advertising and includes how they form partnerships, choose suppliers and make business decisions.

Karen Tran, principal analyst at Forrester, says marketers should be looking at brand safety in the context of the associations and engagements the brand has with suppliers, vendors, customers and other stakeholders, including ensuring that their beliefs, behaviours and values are aligned with the brand’s purpose and values. 

Brand safety, she says, is ultimately about building and preserving trust. However, in an era characterised by political uncertainty, social instability, data hacks, corporate scandals and misinformation, achieving brand trust has become more challenging than ever.

Forrester’s Business Trust Survey 2023 shows that 74% of global business buyers said they were likely to trust a company affiliated with a trusted brand, compared with 42% who would trust a company affiliated with an untrusted brand. Buyers said they were more likely to recommend, forgive and do business with companies affiliated with brands they trust.

Forrester’s Global Trust Imperative Survey points out that though consumers are hard-wired to trust, technology — social media in particular — makes it harder for consumers to trust brands, frequently diminishing confidence levels.

“When crisis strikes one brand, the fallout can impact associated brands as well,” says Tran, adding that this is why brands need to think about the companies they do business with, including whether their beliefs and behaviours align with their brand values and what reputational risks might exist in these relationships.

Tran recommends that B2B companies expand their definition of brand safety to include all aspects of their business relationships and initiatives to better protect their brands.

“The new definition for brand safety is safeguarding a brand’s reputation, ensuring that it minimises harmful associations while consistently building favourable perceptions,” she says. This requires that businesses scrutinise partner, vendor, supplier and customer reputations and be sensitive to pressures that impact brand safety, including considering cultural nuances, legal regulations and shifting political and social values.

It also requires building strong, resilient and trusted brands able to navigate a crisis, should they occur. Forrester’s research reveals that US consumers who trust a company are three times more likely to forgive it for mistakes than those who don’t trust it and 80% are willing to buy additional products from it or experiment with new products.

Deidre King, a strategic consultant and former MD of Jacaranda FM, says brand safety in the B2B space doesn’t always get the airtime it deserves even though it’s just as crucial, especially in a South African context where business is built on relationships, trust and reputation.

“B2B brands are under constant evaluation. It’s not only about your creative and messaging; it’s also about who you partner with, what your company stands for, whether your brand values match theirs, and the platforms you choose to associate with. Frankly, if something doesn’t align — whether ethically, culturally or reputationally — it can cost you credibility and business,” says King.

“In an era of increased focus on ESG, compliance and values-based decision-making in South Africa, brands that are linked to misinformation, toxic environments or ethically questionable practices will not only damage their marketing impact but could also impact their ability to operate in certain industries.”

Brand safety, she says, has to become about more than just avoiding risk, and should be about showing up with integrity. 

“When a brand practises brand safety, it signals to clients and partners that the business is intentional and reliable, and aligned with where the market is headed. Brand safety in B2B isn’t just about avoiding risk — it’s a strategic lever for reinforcing trust, influence and long-term value.”

Trust in brands is just as important to local consumers as it is to US consumers and as relevant in the B2C market as it is in the B2B market, says King. “Given South Africa’s unique and complex social and economic dynamics, trust is not just a nice-to-have but a fundamental requirement. In a local context, brand trust goes beyond product quality or service delivery [and] is about how brands show up in the world, how they speak to our local realities, how inclusive and ethical they are and whether they reflect the values of the people they’re trying to reach.”

Brand safety, she adds, can’t merely be a box-ticking exercise to protect media budgets but needs to be a reputational consideration.

“Where and how your brand appears matters, especially in a digital environment where content can shift tone in seconds. South African consumers are quick to call out brands that miss the mark and even quicker to reward those that get it right, which is why South African marketers need to be as vigilant as their global counterparts — or even more so. Marketers and brands, therefore, need to be intentional about not only their creative and messaging but also the spaces they inhabit both online and offline. Trust, once earned, is the most valuable brand currency you have and your licence to operate.”

The big take-out: “Brand safety in B2B isn't just about avoiding risk — it’s a strategic lever for reinforcing trust, influence and long-term value.” — Deidre King, strategic consultant