Brand Safety on Strava: A Marketer’s Guide

As marketers, we’ve all heard the cautionary tales. We put time, money, and creative energy into a campaign, only to see our ad appear next to content that undermines the very values we’re trying to promote. That’s the essence of brand safety. And while it’s been around as long as digital advertising, it’s become more urgent as campaigns go programmatic and platforms deal with moderation at scale.

EY’s Media & Entertainment report found that 70% of brands have faced at least one brand safety risk - a statistic that makes all of us pause when we think about where our ads show up.

But brand safety alone isn’t enough anymore. Advertisers are moving toward brand suitability - not just avoiding unsafe content, but actively aligning with environments that reflect brand values. As the Internet Policy Review puts it: “Suitability means finding contexts that are not only safe but also beneficial for brand identity.” 

That’s where Strava comes in.

Before we dive into what makes Strava unique, let’s quickly level-set:

• Brand Safety: Ensuring your brand’s content does not appear alongside harmful, inappropriate, or illegal material (e.g., hate speech, misinformation, adult content).

• Brand Suitability: Going further - placing your brand in environments that actively support your message, values, and tone, creating resonance rather than just avoiding risk.

The shift matters because, as marketers, we all want more control and confidence. IAS data shows over half of consumers would reconsider a brand if its ads sit beside inappropriate content, and 82% consider the appropriateness of ad-adjacent content important, signaling that context truly matters.

Across the digital ecosystem, platforms have struggled to balance scale, openness, and safety. We’ve all seen examples:

• Programmatic environments are still rife with risk: over 60% of advertisers and agencies cite brand safety as their top concern in programmatic buying.

• Platforms have been in the spotlight when ads from leading brands ended up next to extremist or harmful content, prompting major advertisers to pull budgets in protest (WARC analysis).

We’ve all seen how messy these environments can get. That’s exactly why it’s worth looking at platforms built differently, where the audience and content naturally minimize risk.

Strava is a purpose-built platform for sharing activities. It’s a community with a clear mission: connecting athletes and active people worldwide. That DNA makes Strava fundamentally different to other platforms and well-positioned to deliver both brand safety and suitability.

If we zoom out, Strava checks both boxes that today’s marketers are demanding:

• Safe: Minimal exposure to harmful or controversial content thanks to focused use, clear policies, and enforcement.

• Suitable: Alignment with values of wellness, community, and achievement - a natural fit for brands looking to connect with modern, active consumers.

Across the industry, the bar is often set to “avoiding harm.” Strava goes further: it gives marketers an environment where brand values thrive and stand out.

Brand safety isn’t going away. If anything, it’s becoming more complex as digital channels multiply. But brand suitability is where the real opportunity lies. Platforms that deliver both protection and positive alignment will be the partners marketers lean on most.

According to IAS’s Media Quality Report, the global brand-risk rates are now tracked and benchmarked, showing that even small percentages of unsafe adjacency can have a big reputational impact.

Strava is where every ride, run, and climb becomes a story defined by progress and connection. For brands, it’s a unique chance to show up where ambition is real, and be part of the moments that inspire people to keep moving.