{"id":343161,"date":"2025-04-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/insider\/how-advertisers-can-avoid-overblocking-during-major-cultural-moments\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T12:43:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:43:14","slug":"how-advertisers-can-avoid-overblocking-during-major-cultural-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integralads.com\/apac\/insider\/how-advertisers-can-avoid-overblocking-during-major-cultural-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"How Advertisers Can Avoid Overblocking During Major Cultural Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Every year, major cultural moments like awards season, <\/span>the Super Bowl<\/span>, or <\/span>March Madness <\/span>generate headlines, social media buzz, and countless opportunities for advertisers to connect with highly engaged audiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But overblocking has been an ongoing issue. For example, this year’s Oscars-related content was often blocked from advertising due to overly restrictive keyword blocklists, causing advertisers to inadvertently cut themselves off from premium inventory.<\/span><\/p>

The consequence of an overreliance on keyword blocklists is twofold: advertisers miss valuable opportunities to engage with audiences, and publishers \u2014 especially in the news industry \u2014 lose critical ad revenue.<\/span><\/p>

So how can brands strike the right balance, ensuring they remain protected without missing out? <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why major cultural moments matter for brands\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Major cultural moments provide a huge opportunity for scale and impact. This year\u2019s Super Bowl, for example, garnered a <\/span>record breaking<\/span><\/span><\/a> 127.7 million viewers, all the while generating widespread buzz across key advertising channels. These “moment in time” events are often as costly as they are critical. The <\/span>average Super Bowl ad<\/span><\/span><\/a> in 2025 cost <\/span>$8 million for a 30 second spot \u2014 and it\u2019s important that these big investments yield big returns.<\/span><\/p>

For advertisers, these events aren\u2019t just about visibility \u2014 they\u2019re about impact. They offer a unique chance to align brand messaging with content people are deeply engaged in and emotionally connected to. Whether it\u2019s a highly anticipated film winning Best Picture or a buzzer-beater during March Madness, these moments drive heightened attention and real-time conversation, creating countless opportunities for meaningful ad placements. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The cost of overblocking: What advertisers are missing \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For years, keyword blocklists have been the default approach to brand safety. The logic is simple: brands create lists of words associated with risky content \u2014 terms like \u201cviolence,\u201d \u201cdeath,\u201d or \u201cshooting\u201d<\/span> \u2014 and prevent their ads from appearing on any pages that include them.<\/span><\/p>

But in practice, this approach is far too blunt.<\/span><\/p>

During the Oscars, for example, entire discussions about critically acclaimed films were off-limits to advertisers. A Best Picture nominee like <\/span>Emilia P\u00e9rez<\/span><\/i>\u2014which tells the story of a cartel boss transitioning to a new life\u2014might trigger blocks due to words like \u201ccartel\u201d or \u201cdrugs,\u201d even in the context of positive reviews or industry analysis. The same applies to March Madness coverage: blocking words like \u201cshot\u201d or \u201cshoot\u201d may seem logical for safety reasons, but it also eliminates access to high-interest and timely basketball highlights.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Rethinking brand safety and how to avoid overblocking\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Rather than relying on rigid keyword lists, advertisers need a more sophisticated approach that understands the full context of content before deciding whether to block or allow it.<\/span><\/p>

At IAS, we take <\/span>brand safety<\/span><\/span><\/a> beyond single-word exclusions by using AI-powered contextual technology to analyze content at the page level. Instead of automatically blocking a page for containing the word “<\/span>violence” <\/span>in the URL, our technology determines the actual context, sentiment, and emotion of the page to understand the true intended meaning.<\/span><\/p>

This level of nuance is essential, especially during major events where engagement is at its peak. When brands use contextual technology rather than static keyword blocklists, they can:<\/span><\/p>