Media Planning
Part of Media quality and brand suitability
Defining placement standards across channels
Turn brand suitability rules into placement specifications buyers and suppliers can apply and check across channels.
A placement standard describes, testably, where an ad may run, what context is acceptable and what evidence confirms delivery. Write one advertiser policy, then translate it into each channel’s placements and reporting. ‘Keep the campaign brand safe’ gives a buyer too little to apply or check.
Define the context rule
List firm exclusions, contexts needing review and positive examples. Reporting on a harmful event can differ from promoting it; suitability is an advertiser-specific judgement.
For each rule, record its reason, owner and scope. Does it concern a publisher, section, neighbouring content, format or time period? A domain-level approval may not settle page-level adjacency.
Translate the rule into a bookable specification
| Channel or route | Specify before approval | Ask how delivery will be checked |
|---|---|---|
| Direct publisher | Property, section or unit, format, flight and permitted substitutes | Booking line and dated placement report or proof |
| Open-web or app buying | Eligible inventory, exclusions and applicable environment settings | Available site, app, deal and exception detail |
| Video | Eligible inventory and relevant content or adjacency rule | Format-specific placement and suitability detail |
| Audio | Publisher or programme environment and any content rule the seller can apply | Schedule, delivered plays and available context detail |
| Out-of-home | Approved sites, screens or panels and display periods | Site-level delivery or agreed proof |
Request these fields; they are not promised reporting capabilities. If precise context is essential but cannot be identified later, settle that before booking. A play, display period and digital impression remain different delivery units.
Channel-Specific Placement Specifications
- Direct Publisher
- Property, section or unit, format, flight, permitted substitutes
- Open-web or app buying
- Eligible inventory, exclusions, environment settings
- Video
- Eligible inventory, content or adjacency rules
- Audio
- Publisher or programme environment, content rules
- Out-of-home
- Approved sites, screens or panels, display periods
Placement Delivery Units by Channel
- Play (Audio)
- Delivered plays with context detail
- Display Period (OOH)
- Site-level delivery or agreed proof
- Digital Impression
- Contextual suitability verified at delivery
- Booking Line & Placement Report
- Proof of placement confirmed pre-approval
Check the control’s coverage
Match each rule to a setting that can apply it. A named placement, inventory level, category exclusion and later review operate at different levels; controls differ between platforms and campaign setups.
Coverage is rarely complete, and some campaign types or selected deals may sit outside account-level settings altogether. Check the campaign, deal and account settings used for the proposed buy.
Approve the specification
Apply the draft rule to one clearly acceptable placement, one excluded placement and one borderline example. If reviewers disagree, add the missing context or assign the decision to a named owner.
Attach the approved version to the brief and booking instructions. Date later changes so delivery can be assessed against the rule in force when it ran.
