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Context: The mover and shaker of digital
This is not just what we believe at Integral Ad Science, but it’s also what consumers say. According to recent IAS Power of Context research, 74% of UK consumers want to see ads that match the content that they are viewing on a page. Further still, 72% say that their perception of a brand is impacted by the surrounding content in which the brand’s ad appears.
At the IAS Innovation Summit, Chance Johnson, CRO at Integral Ad Science, was joined by Hannah Mirza, Media Program Lead at Diageo, to discuss the impact of contextual capabilities on digital advertising and how context is key for brand success and innovation.
Why context?
Contextual targeting is effective as it allows brands to deliver ads that are more relevant, thereby engaging better with consumers. As Hannah Mirza said in her opening statement for the IAS Innovation Summit session, “it allows Diageo to show up in a way that consumers feel is relevant. We align our brands to the places they belong, and the environments that represent our values.”
Why now?
The last year has seen not only the most content consumed online, but also a rise in hate speech and misinformation. Combined with privacy concerns and the deprecation of third-party cookies, marketers must use smarter ways to provide ads for their consumers. Brands and the digital advertising industry as a whole is pushing for innovation faster than ever before. As Chance Johnson noted,“we’ve seen a worldwide content boom and this is especially difficult for advertisers and marketers trying to keep up with emerging trends.”
The use and misuse of data has additionally led to a changing legal landscape, and how marketers procure and use consumer data has fundamentally shifted. “While in Europe we operate in a GDPR world, this set in motion many more markets replicating or planning to enact similar consumer data protections,” explained Mirza.
Contextual targeting is not just better for advertisers, but better for consumers too. Contextual also offers a welcome change from the targeting capabilities digital had previously offered. “As responsible marketers we have to put the consumer experience first,” commented Mirza.
Contextual Innovation
The IAS Innovation Summit session then moves on to innovation in digital advertising. Both Chance and Hannah provide useful cases where contextual targeting has added value for the digital advertising industry and how advances should be seen as continuous innovation.
“At Diageo we have been quick to always challenge ourselves with, what can we do better? It led us to work with the WFA on the creation of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, and as founding and active members we keep pushing for industry change. And the good news is it’s making a difference. I am incredibly proud of this work, but it’s a marathon not a sprint, and companies like IAS are a critical part of this journey,” said Mirza.
Contextual targeting and the semantic analysis of content is seen to be transforming marketing strategies and will impact the future of digital advertising spend. “Now more than ever it’s really important that we understand and act on the nuance of language, semantics, sentiment and even emotional impact and I think those items are taking centre stage when we’re deciding where to spend media dollars,” evaluated Johnson.
To hear the full conversation from the IAS Innovation Summit on context becoming the next mover and shaker for the digital advertising industry, watch the session here.
For further information on key topics visit our IAS Insider or IAS Website.
