The effect of exclusions on performance can be significant. Video campaigns that do exclude digital content labels (besides content suitable for families) see CPMs that are over 80% higher than those that don’t exclude digital content labels (besides content suitable for families).

With estimated impact, brands can understand the implications of content exclusions for ad reach and performance. Agencies can also play a huge role in helping clients navigate the available options.

3. Using Google AI to deliver ads responsibly

In an era of AI-powered ads, it’s important to trust that you’re reaching customers around suitable content. At YouTube, we’ve long relied on a combination of people and AI-powered technology to enforce our ad-friendly and community guidelines. Viewers, advertisers and creators alike benefit from a safe, vibrant platform.

Specifically, AI can detect patterns that help us find content similar to what we’ve already removed, in some cases before it’s even viewed. We use AI to identify and remove spam automatically and remove re-uploaded content already determined to violate our policies. It’s an approach we use for comments and ads on YouTube, too.

Inputs from our teams of human reviewers are used to further train and improve the accuracy of our systems on a much larger scale, so our systems are always getting better.

4. Working with the industry to validate our approach

Our combination of people and technology is working but you don’t have to take our word for it. We recently received content-level brand safety accreditation from the Media Rating Council for the third consecutive year. This continued accreditation followed an extensive audit that reviewed not only our policies and team of human raters but also the technology that analyzes the videos uploaded to the YouTube platform.

Additionally, we prioritize safe and suitable ads experiences across platforms and formats. We’re pleased that YouTube advertising meets 99% effectiveness for brand safety across in-stream, livestream, Shorts and Watch Next and Home feed content as determined by GARM brand safety standards.

5. Helping you tailor ad placements across YouTube

Our inventory is safe, and we’re making it easier to tailor your ad placements across inventory and formats. We recently expanded our suitability inventory types to more areas, notably YouTube Shorts. Inventory types are a simple, straightforward way for marketers to align the goals of campaigns with groups of available content.

With standard inventory, you can access the very best of YouTube, all of which must adhere to our advertiser-friendly guidelines. This is what we recommend for most advertisers. Depending on your brand, you can switch to either limited or expanded inventory. With this approach, we’re enabling your ads to be safe and suitable.

UK-based BT Group, one of the world’s leading communications services companies and a long-time believer in brand suitability, has been testing inventory types on YouTube for the past year. “Using these new controls, we have been able to develop an approach which extends our reach but ensures our ads appear within appropriate brand-safe content,” says Graeme Adams, General Manager of Media at BT Group.

Use inventory types to pair your appetite for inventory with your brand’s preferences.