"When [a campaign] goes wrong, sometimes brands are so unprepared, and your reputation really is your most valuable asset," said Nicolas Spiro, chief commercial officer at Viral Nation.

While influencer marketing budgets are growing, brand safety measures aren’t keeping pace, according to a new EMARKETER and Viral Nation report.

The danger of expansion without scalable brand safety was the subject of a session at EMARKETER's Future of Digital Summit. Here are the key takeaways.

Rushed vetting poses risks

While about 82% of marketers consider influencer marketing to be at least “somewhat safe,” over 50% spend 30 minutes or less vetting a single influencer.

The report reveals a disconnect between brands and agencies when it comes to vetting responsibility.

• Only 21.8% of brands believe their agency partners have a well-defined vetting process.
• Only 29% of agencies report offering standardized vetting protocols.
• While 96.6% of brands want documentation on influencer vetting, only 25.6% consistently receive it.

“Marketers do care about brand safety, but we’re in a time when budgets are being squeezed, and there is only so much time and so many resources,” said our analyst Minda Smiley. “Sometimes they will have to prioritize metrics like performance or ROI over investing more resources into a vetting process.”

Managing creator volatility

Creator partnerships can involve complex judgment calls on what content is brand safe, making brand safety an ongoing investment for brands, said Smiley.

"Creators are human beings, and they might seem brand safe and suitable one day, and then the next day they can be caught up in a scandal or controversy for something totally unexpected," said Smiley.

While brands might feel too overwhelmed by brand safety to thoroughly invest in it, the repercussions of a rushed task can be costly, said Spiro.

“I think brands are really on the precipice of getting in a lot of hot water,” he said. “It takes just one mistake to destroy your reputation.”

Building brand safety solutions

AI will be crucial in scaling brand safety measures by analyzing vast video content, helping brands conduct thorough vetting while maintaining efficiency, said Spiro.

The panel offered two immediate steps for brands:

• Document current vetting processes and understand how influencer partners are evaluated with brand safety partners.
• Develop clear brand guidelines to move from reactive to proactive safety measures.

This change can make brands feel more comfortable producing bolder creative, said Spirio.

“[Brand safety] also allows you to be a little bit more fearless with your strategies, storytelling, and campaigns if you feel really confident in the partner,” he said.

Download the full report.