Sarah Vosloo, head of digital performance at Spark Foundry NZ, on why brand safety and sustainable advertising go hand in hand.
The beginning of the year always brings a flurry of activity – and in this rush, it’s easy for responsible media practices to slip down the priority list. Brand safety and suitability may still surface, but often as separate conversations, treated like buzzwords or hygiene factors rather than the building blocks of a stronger system.
What if we stopped viewing these as isolated initiatives and instead recognised them as part of one holistic approach? As we head into 2026, the industry has an opportunity – and responsibility – to make safety, suitability and sustainability fundamental to how we operate, not optional extras.
This isn’t about chasing the latest trend. It’s about building systemic solutions that deliver trust, resilience and long‑term growth. By moving beyond fragmented efforts and embracing a unified framework, we can ensure these principles endure as cornerstones of the industry.
What is responsible media?
Responsible media is a unified approach to media planning and buying that integrates a number of critical pillars, including but not exclusive to:
- Brand safety: Ensuring ads appear in environments that protect brand reputation.
- Brand suitability: Aligning placements with a brand’s values and audience expectations.
- Sustainability: Minimising the carbon footprint of media activity and supporting local publisher ecosystems.
Instead of treating these as siloed initiatives, responsible media positions them as interwoven pillars. When combined, they create a framework that safeguards brands, supports cultural and economic ecosystems and addresses the growing demand for climate-conscious practices. For agencies and advertisers, this isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business. Consumers increasingly expect brands to act responsibly, and those that do will earn trust and competitive advantage.
Why it matters now
The economic climate has made efficiency a top priority, but efficiency without responsibility is short-sighted. Sustainability is often deprioritised because it feels intangible or costly, while safety and suitability are treated as reactive measures. This fragmented approach creates fatigue, and teams feel like they’re chasing the next buzzword instead of building lasting solutions.
Why we’re struggling
There’s a real tension in our industry: sustainability versus performance. When budgets tighten, the instinct is to prioritise short-term results over long-term responsibility. But this is a false trade-off. Responsible media isn’t about sacrificing performance for sustainability; it’s about combining them. Results have clearly shown by embedding responsibility into planning, measurement and optimisation, we can deliver campaigns that perform while reducing environmental impact and supporting local media partners. Responsibility and results can coexist when we stop treating them as competing priorities.
Despite good intentions, delivering responsible media at scale is challenging. Three core barriers stand out:
- Siloed conversations: Safety, suitability and sustainability are often managed by different teams, creating fragmented strategies.
- Cost focus: Sustainability initiatives are perceived as expensive, making them vulnerable in tight markets.
- Lack of channel breadth: Carbon measurement tools are still evolving, and many channels lack robust solutions.
These challenges stall progress and client buy-in. When sustainability feels like an ‘extra,’ it’s easy to deprioritise. But the reality is that responsible practices reduce risk, build trust and create long-term value, benefits that far outweigh short-term costs.
How we can do better
The path forward requires both a mindset shift and practical action. To begin with, safety, suitability and sustainability must be treated as one unified conversation rather than three separate projects. Responsible media should be embedded directly into planning and delivery, becoming a default consideration rather than an optional add‑on.
Supporting local publishers is also critical – not only does it ensure brand suitability and local impact, but it also helps sustain New Zealand’s cultural and economic ecosystem.
Transparency is equally essential. By measuring and reporting carbon impact with the tools already available, agencies build trust and highlight genuine progress. Importantly, progress doesn’t require measuring every single impression or channel. The most effective starting point is to focus on the biggest impact areas – high‑volume channels and energy‑intensive formats – and build from there. Perfection isn’t the goal; meaningful, demonstrable progress is. This kind of transparency and incremental improvement fosters credibility and client confidence.
Responsible media isn’t a trend, it’s a transformation. By unifying safety, suitability and sustainability, we can move past fragmented, reactive approaches and build strategies that transcend media and truly matter. The future of media isn’t just about reach and efficiency, it’s about responsibility, resilience and growth. As we step into 2026, let’s set a new standard: one where responsible practices aren’t optional, but the foundation of how we shape the industry’s next chapter.
