Skip to content
Get started

Level Up Your Ads: Mastering DSP Brand Suitability Settings

Jacob Heinz
Jacob Heinz |

You’ve spent hours and cash on ads, just to watch your promo get stuffed next to clickbait or plain garbage. Fun? Not at all. It’s the kind of thing that makes CMOs want to pull their hair out.

If you’ve ever handled digital ad buying, you know one badly-placed ad—maybe it ends up near weird conspiracy posts or silly memes—can send your brand team into panic mode. It’s not just money down the drain. It’s that awkward, sometimes embarrassing moment when your carefully made message pops up somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t be seen.

Now, say hello to DSP brand suitability—it’s in open beta, fresher than your last TikTok scroll. This isn’t only about avoiding the “bad parts” of the internet. It’s about being laser-sharp: your ad turns up only where it makes sense for your brand. On Twitch, display inventory, or video, you call every shot.

Before, “brand safety” just meant not getting burned. Now, platforms have dropped all sorts of new controls—you actually get to pick your online neighbors. Amazon Ads, Adobe DSP, Facebook too—they’re all rolling out tools that let you do way more than just block mature content. Think: handpicked spaces, real-time tweaks, and testing out shiny new features before everyone else gets a taste. You don’t just keep your brand safe; you set the mood—landing in the right place and looking sharp too.

Need help running or improving these programmatic campaigns? Get expert help and advanced moves in our DSP Services.

Key Takeaways

  • Open beta DSP brand suitability: get next-level control, including Twitch
  • Set custom suitability levels by API—forget those lame, stock blocklists
  • Connect with DoubleVerify, IAS, Comscore for power-up brand safety
  • Real-time reporting: tweak as you go, keep everything on-brand
  • Great for testing and shaping the future of DSP features

Brand Suitability vs. Brand Safety

What’s Going On?

You know brand safety—staying away from violent stuff, adult content, fake news. It’s needed, but super basic. Brand suitability? That’s your espresso shot. It doesn’t just skip the sketchy stuff. It only puts your ad where your vibe really fits. This is all about YOUR brand’s tone, audience, and look.

Picture this—you run a DTC athleisure company. Maybe your brand is chill and playful, or maybe it’s all about looking rich. You want your ad next to a sad news story? Didn’t think so. With suitability levels, you can draw a line: “Show my ad to workout fans and health nuts. No drama, please.”

Let’s go deeper. Brand safety is like a shield. It blocks your ad from the worst of the internet—hate, adult stuff, scams. But brand suitability? That’s you picking the exact map points where you wanna hang out. If your vegan protein brand never wants to pop up next to BBQ grill videos, no problem. You make that rule.

Expert says: “Brand suitability gives marketers both a shield and a scalpel. Safety keeps away bad vibes; suitability puts you where you look the best.” — Katie Sabo, Director, Integral Ad Science

Nuance = Control

Let’s be honest, generic blocklists are clumsy. Suitability? It’s like surgery. You can set your exposure by topic, by mood, by who’s watching. Want your new vegan snack to avoid hunting blogs but run on vegan athlete streams? Super easy with DSP open beta tools.

Now advertisers can build whitelists (places you DO want to show up) plus blocklists (places you DON’T)—and switch these on-the-fly as new info comes in. This is chess, not tic-tac-toe, with your ad placements.

Open Beta Controls

Why Go Open Beta?

Open beta isn’t just a buzzword. It’s your playground. Advertisers get first try at fresh controls: shape campaign filters, test targeting, and give feedback before it goes public. Amazon DSP’s open beta, for example, lets you set stuff at advertiser or ad-group level—split up campaigns with scary accuracy.

This hands-on use helps DSPs fix problems before releasing to everybody. You get to set what works for YOUR brand, not just use someone else’s boring guardrails. Think of it like painting your own parking spot so your brand isn’t parked between two rusty beaters.

Features To Know

  • Advertiser & Ad-Group Controls: Target on the whole account or individual campaigns. Niche one for Gen Z gamers or a big campaign for many, you decide where your fence stands.
  • API Tweaks: Use brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails for rules across the board; use brandSafetyTierTarget to get detailed, per-group control. Not just button clicking—it’s actual behind-the-scenes customizing.
  • Media Supported: For now, think Twitch, Display, Video—no audio or plain images yet. But open beta means more features fast.
  • Instant Feedback: Live reports tell you exactly where ads went and how your placements matched your brand’s vibe. If you’re a premium beauty brand and your ad lands next to a home-fail meme, you can fix it right away.

Real-world: Running ads for a premium coffee brand? You want to avoid bargain-hunter sites. Open beta makes that happen—before the ad even launches.

The big win here is speed AND control. See your data and safety reports piped into your dashboard almost instantly. Don’t wait weeks—every tweak is like hitting fast-forward on chess moves.

Suitability Stack

Why Context Matters

Amazon and Adobe pull in outside partners. DoubleVerify, IAS, Comscore, Peer39—these tools let you:

  • Filter placement context before you buy, not after
  • Use exclusion lists: block huge chunks or just tiny topics you hate
  • Add keyword filters for more safety

Best part? Third-party tools don’t just track words—they check the full page. If a page says “sports” but it’s really a scandal piece, your ad will skip it.

Stuff like DoubleVerify, Peer39—these plug-ins bring your own brand rules. If your brand has iron-clad needs, the DSP isn’t flying solo. Power buyers stack these tools, like adding cameras and alarms to a gated fence.

Pro Hacks

Running Adobe DSP? “ADSP_” goals give you better fine-tuning—not just for results, but for the whole brand vibe: risk, tone, audience. Lots of DSP buyers miss this. It’s like buying a Tesla and never touching Autopilot.

Try audience match, mood analysis, or real-time brand scorecards with these partners. Let’s say your campaign should always feel "upbeat," but a bad headline slips through and goes viral. Your filters help you bounce back.

Expert says: “In beta, ad buyers jump from safety to actual suitability. You do more than avoid risk—you get better results.” — Jeremy Fain, CEO of Cognitiv

Real-Time Reports

Change your mind? Change your filters, live. Automated tools like Amazon’s Brand+ or Performance+ link suitability with real-time results. See right away what fits, what flops, and shift on a dime.

If your new campaign lands on an esports site you didn’t pick, a few clicks and it’s gone. No more week-late reports. You’re moving from scrambling after mistakes to actually getting ahead. You can track suitability, measure uplift, even spot problems before they blow up.

Testing and Shaping

Beta = Playground

Remember: open beta means you help build what’s next. Try filters, break stuff, try weird combos. The feedback is quick—platforms switch things up based on how YOU and others actually use the tools.

You aren’t just watching change—you’re making it. Early users in Amazon and Adobe’s beta groups have seen new rules appear in weeks based on what they ask for. The more you play, the faster DSPs grow up for real use cases.

  • Exclusion Pros: Block serious, sensitive, or boring stuff if your brand is fun-first. Selling kid tech? Swipe away anything with politics or heavy news.
  • Custom Keywords: Go wild with negatives—block any term you don’t want linked to your campaign, even stuff like “spoiler alert” to dodge leaks for a show.
  • Pre-Bid Checking: Tag bots, avoid scams. Fraud tools like White Ops or partners keep the bad guys out before they even cost you a penny.

You Have A Say

You are not just another number. Beta testers help steer new changes before everyone gets them. Want Amazon Ads to click better with Twitch stars? Your hands-on info goes right to the builders.

For example, testers didn’t like some genre rules in Amazon DSP. So, devs rewrote things so you can skip “reality TV” on live streams. Real feedback = real changes.

Expert says: “Beta features are coded from brave marketers’ input. Try early, help write the manual.” — Sophia Lee, Head of DSP Product

Direct feedback has shaped settings for product placements and influencer stuff. You might see your tip or bug fix land in the update log.

Recap: Suitability Beta Benefits

Here’s the fast list for your next meeting:

  • Nail your ad placement for both safety and deep brand fit
  • Use APIs to automate exclusion lists and levels, for accounts or single groups
  • Add strong third-party plug-ins for max filter power
  • Stop ad waste by shutting out bad content before you even bid—save money, save face
  • See instant results with real-time reporting, adjust as you go
  • Beta users help decide how features work—first-mover wins

It's more than just skipping disasters. You make every dollar do more for loyalty and clicks. In one open beta, brands layering suitability tech saw up to 25% more good clicks (IAS 2024).

Suitability FAQs

  1. What’s the difference between brand safety and suitability in DSPs?
    Brand safety blocks all risky stuff. Suitability matches context to your style, audience, and rules. You pick how loose or tight you want it.

  2. How do I access suitability controls in open beta?
    On Amazon DSP, set rules by advertiser or ad group with the API—look for brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails and brandSafetyTierTarget. For now, works with Twitch, Display, and Video, but it’s expanding fast.

  3. Why bother with third-party integrations?
    They give supercharged filters (think DoubleVerify, IAS), so you never run ads somewhere wrong—before you pay. Plus, good for legal stuff or custom safety needs.

  4. Can I adjust settings after launch?
    Yep. Real-time controls and reporting let you tweak lists, groups, and topics any time. Set-and-forget is over. Now, you fix as soon as things change.

  5. Is this just for testing? Will features change?
    Yes—it’s open beta. That means it’s always changing, and your feedback can shape how it ends up for the world.

  6. What’s in it for me besides safety?
    You’ll save money, get better engagement, move faster, see more data—and brag about shaping the latest DSP tricks.

Quick Start Guide

  1. Know what your brand can’t be near. List out stuff you never want your ads beside (like hunting for cat brands).
  2. Jump into your DSP settings: Use API or ad manager to pick suitability levels for accounts or groups.
  3. Plug in more filters: Add DoubleVerify/IAS for more control. Don’t be afraid to layer tools.
  4. Set pre-bid rules: Block bad keywords/segments before ads show. For example: skip “unboxing” unless you WANT reviews.
  5. Watch live reports: Use dashboards to see where ads went, and change rules fast. Check by country, device, theme, or even mood.
  6. Test and give feedback: Try combos, check what works, share notes. This gets your must-have features built sooner.

Sitting in the open beta front seat means you’re not just prepping for the future—you’re setting the standard for brand spaces online. With DSP suitability tools, no more nightmare ad spots—only brand wins, faster, and made for what’s coming next.

Want to boost your whole ad setup? See how AMC Cloud gives you more data and control to guide every campaign decision in real time.

Want more from your ads? Check our guides for Amazon Attribution and the new Amazon brand lift studies. Need even more DSP ideas? Dive in with our DSP Optimization tips.

References

Share this post

Keep reading