The American Association of Advertising Agencies (commonly known as the 4A’s) has linked up with executives from a number of media agencies to form a coalition dedicated to ensuring brand safety.

The Advertiser Protection Bureau (APB) includes representation from agencies including Dentsu Aegis Network, GroupM, Havas Media, Horizon Media, IPG Mediabrands, MDC Partners, Omnicom Media Group, and Publicis Media.

These companies will work together to prevent ads from appearing in unsafe environments – whether those ads are from their network or not – with the aim of achieving ‘Advertising Assurance’, which is what the 4A’s calls is efforts to enforce trusting environments for brands and consumers to coexist in.

“There has been a lot of discussion around brand safety,” said Marla Kaplowitz, president and CEO of the 4A’s. “What’s unique about Advertising Assurance is that it evolves that discussion to a more holistic view of what our responsibility is to consumers, to brands and to each other because advertising assurance can’t happen if we’re not communicating with each other and working together.”

The formation of the APB is the 4A’s first step of Advertising Assurance initiative. The Association will also develop a risk management module, create a code of decency, and educate the ecosystem as it strives to prevent brands from appearing in unsafe environments.

“When it comes to brand and consumer safety, media agencies have to put competition aside,” said Louis Jones, EVP of media & data at the 4A’s. “Brand safety and the negative impact it has on consumer trust is an issue that affects everyone. APB is our first step in breaking down the silos to create a united community that protects the health of all brands, while keeping consumers safe, too. Of course, this isn’t just an agency conversation; our industry has to have active participation from brands and publishers to be successful in improving the litany of issues around this topic. We look forward to working collaboratively with our industry partners to create effective solutions.”