Blacklists and whitelists: how to control where adverts appear

Today, digital advertising operates quickly and with almost no human intervention. Algorithms identify the audience, allocate budgets and optimise ad placements all by themselves. The reports present a clear picture: reach, frequency and cost per contact. But behind these figures, the most important aspect is often overlooked — exactly where the ad appears and what content it is displayed alongside.

In peacetime, this is a matter of reputation, but in wartime it is no longer merely an image issue. Advertisements may end up alongside toxic content, on russian or affiliated platforms, or in environments working against Ukraine. And whilst some brands simply do not control this process, others sometimes consciously accept such placements for the sake of cheaper impressions or greater reach.

How advertising ‘ends up’ on undesirable channels

In programmatic buying and video advertising, a brand does not usually select a specific YouTube channel or page manually. They buy an audience and impressions, and the system itself decides exactly where the ad will appear. The algorithms focus on effectiveness: cost per contact, reach, and the likelihood of achieving the objective. It’s fast, scalable and convenient. But this is precisely where the blind spot arises.

The brand sees the figures in the dashboard, but does not always see the full picture. Reports show the results, but do not explain the context of each impression. If a channel meets the platform’s technical requirements and is monetised, an advert may appear on it automatically, regardless of the narratives it conveys or the stance it takes.

This is precisely where the risk lies. Advertisements may end up on russian or affiliated channels, alongside manipulative or openly toxic content. In a war context, “undesirable environments” are not merely questionable topics. They are ecosystems that work directly or indirectly for the aggressor state: shaping the messages it needs and profiting from the audience’s attention.

Therefore, in a system where decisions are made by an algorithm, a brand needs its own control mechanism. But here it is important to understand: simply knowing where advertising should not appear is no longer enough. The question is also where exactly the brand wants to be present. And here, the conversation about blacklists inevitably turns into a conversation about whitelists.

What are blacklists and whitelists

Blacklists and whitelists are two different ways of controlling the environment in which adverts appear.

A blacklist answers the question: where should we not be. It is a list of channels, websites or content types on which the brand’s adverts must not appear under any circumstances.

A white-list works differently. It answers the question: where do we want to be present? In other words, adverts are shown only on verified and deliberately chosen platforms that meet not only safety requirements but also the brand’s objectives.

In practice, this difference is fundamental. A blacklist helps to filter out obviously undesirable environments, but does not provide full control over where the adverts will appear instead. A whitelist is a more precise tool. It does not simply limit risks, but allows you to consciously choose the context in which the brand wishes to be present.

This is important not only from a safety perspective, but also in terms of effectiveness. For example, if a brand is targeting a premium property audience, it makes sense to show adverts not ‘to everyone’, but on a selection of vetted business channels where this audience actually exists. In this case, a whitelist becomes not just a way to avoid unwanted content, but also a tool for more precise targeting.

The standard restrictions of Google, YouTube or other platforms do not provide this. They are configured according to a universal logic, geared towards the global market and do not take into account the Ukrainian context — the language, narratives, and the specifics of the information landscape during the war. What constitutes “acceptable content” for a platform may be fundamentally unacceptable for a Ukrainian brand.

Why a high-quality blacklist cannot be created quickly

A high-quality blacklist is an ongoing task.

The internet changes every day. Channels shift their tone, start discussing different topics, change their stance or format. The audience changes, and the status of monetisation changes. What appears neutral or safe today may convey entirely different meanings tomorrow.

That is precisely why lists cannot be created ‘once and for all’. They need to be reviewed, checked and updated. This requires time, experience and a deep understanding of the Ukrainian information landscape, especially in wartime, when a shift in rhetoric can be of fundamental importance.

At newage., our own whitelists and blacklists have been compiled over 7–8 years and now cover over 30,000 YouTube channels. This is not just a database, but a tool for day-to-day campaign management. It is constantly updated and reviewed, because the environment is constantly evolving. And if a brand wants to control where its money goes, such a system cannot be created quickly.

Why a whitelist is a more precise tool

A blacklist helps eliminate obvious risks. But it does not answer the key question: where exactly will the ad appear instead. That is precisely why a white list is a more precise tool. It provides control not only over what to avoid, but also over where the brand wants to be present.

A white list allows you to work not just with inventory, but with context and audience. The brand is placed where its people are, where the content is relevant, and where its communication looks organic.

For example, when it comes to premium property, there is no point in scattering ad placements across random channels. It is far more precise to work with a selection of business channels where there is already an audience with the appropriate income level, interests and mindset. In this case, the white-list becomes a tool for pinpoint targeting.

Yes, this may reduce scale and reach. But at the same time, it improves the quality of engagement: the ad appears in the right context, in front of a relevant audience, and without the risk of unwanted associations.

At newage., we treat the whitelist as a system: we create our own curated lists of channels by category — business, sport, lifestyle and other segments. This allows us not only to filter out risks but also to manage the environment in which the brand appears more precisely.

How it works in practice

Let’s imagine a brand launching a video campaign about reliability, trust or long-term value. In media reports, everything may look good: the campaign delivers reach, an acceptable cost per contact and the required frequency of impressions.

But if the advert appears alongside manipulative, toxic or frankly dubious content, the brand loses the most important thing — the power of its own message. Formally, the campaign works. But the context surrounding it speaks to the audience in a completely different language.

That is precisely why the issue is not merely about avoiding undesirable channels. The issue is also about placing ads in an environment that reinforces the brand’s communication, rather than contradicting it.

Audit of Ukrainian YouTube and Digital Research

It is easy to talk about brand safety in abstract terms. It is harder to look at the real picture and understand where advertising money actually ends up.

That is why the newage. team conducted a systematic audit of Ukrainian YouTube. Over 50,000 channels were analysed. The final sample included only monetised channels, i.e. those that can actually display adverts and generate revenue from them. We were interested not simply in the presence of channels on the platform, but specifically in the channels where brand budgets actually end up.

This approach allowed us to cover 99% of Ukrainian YouTube, whilst deliberately excluding russian, children’s and blatantly ‘trashy’ channels. As a result, we gained a clear understanding of exactly where adverts are actually placed today, in what context they appear, and which environments are actually supported by advertising revenue.

This picture is complemented by the findings of Digital Research 2025, which the newage. team conducted to document systemic changes in Ukrainians’ digital behaviour and the role of brands in the media landscape. The research shows that video has firmly established itself as a key channel of influence, where audience habits, trust and expectations are formed.

At the same time, it is not just the creative itself that matters, but the context and environment in which it is perceived. It is the video ecosystem that is most sensitive to associations — where, alongside what, and with what content a brand appears. This is highlighted separately in the analysis of the formation of new digital habits and premium segments.

As a result, a brand’s success in the video ecosystem depends less and less on a single format or idea, and increasingly on control over the placement environment. This is precisely what is discussed in the article on brand effectiveness in the video ecosystem.

A blacklist helps reduce risks. A whitelist provides more precise control. And this is precisely what constitutes a mature approach to placement today: not simply avoiding the undesirable, but consciously choosing where the brand wants to be.

At newage., we regularly analyse the display environment and help brands understand the context in which their advertising actually works — and how it can be changed.