Brand Safety Officer : Joshua Lowcock

In 2020, Joshua Lowcock stated that

“If it is the purpose of a brand to serve the public, and advertising is the way to build brands, then brands need to ensure that the same media channels used for advertising to reach people do not result in or contribute to harm.”

– Joshua Lowcock

At the heart of this, is Joshua’s belief in Media Responsibility, that where you place your ads and what your advertising funds, matters. Otherwise, your advertising will fund misinformation, hate speech, and cause harm to society.

This is why AdWeek wrote, it’s time to hire a Chief Brand Safety Officer.

Joshua Lowcock served as Universal McCann’s (UM) first ever Global Brand Safety Officer (GBSO). Responsible for helping protect UM’s clients and brands from brand safety challenges faced across all media. Joshua also represents UM at the 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies) as a cross-industry liaison on the Advertiser Protection Bureau (APB).

“Our clients and their customers have a right to expect advertising to only appear in brand safe environments.”

Joshua helped define the Advertiser Protection Bureau with the 4As as brand safety is an industry challenge. Brand safety doesn’t discriminate by advertiser, brand, platform, or market. This is why a centralized and coordinated approach is needed.

“There is no competitive advantage in brand safety. It has to be a standard for the industry. We’re (UM) trying to get ahead of the curve and show some leadership and stewardship on how Brand Safety can be addressed.” – Joshua Lowcock, AdExchanger

Preventing your brand advertising from running on inappropriate content is just part of the challenge. Brand safety also requires taking proactive steps such as using defining your brand safety profile, using whitelists and blacklists, regular auditing of safety controls, and holding all partners (agencies, technology, and media) accountable for delivering your advertising in brand-safe environments. As a Brand Safety Officer, Joshua Lowcock can help navigate these complexities and define a process for helping to keep your brand safe.

Over the last few years, brand safety has now also expanded to include protecting your brand from bad actors. Just as hostile foreign powers distributed fake news during the Brexit and US Elections – we are now seeing bad actors looking to manipulate consumer perception of companies and brands. These new threats require more than “social listening”, it requires a different set of skills and partners, which a Brand Safety Officer can help you identify and navigate.

If you are serious about protecting your brands from being associated with inappropriate content then brand safety needs an executive mandate and oversight. If you would like to learn more about how a Brand Safety Officer like Joshua Lowcock and Universal McCann can help protect your brands, please contact us.

Media Coverage

The following articles provide details on Joshua Lowcock’s initial appointment as Brand Safety Officer. For subsequent media coverage, see here.

Media Coverage

Media Coverage: Joshua Lowcock Appointed Brand Safety Officer

Media Coverage: Advertiser Protection Bureau (APB)

Media Coverage: Appointment as Brand Safety Officer

UM Media Release