The advertising landscape has changed dramatically. Consumer sentiment towards advertising has reached an all time low as people have grown tired of the saturation and intrusive nature of ad content. We are also already heading towards a “cookieless” future as third-party cookies are expected to be phased out by Google by the end of 2023. The continued emergence of the Metaverse is also likely to add an extra layer of complexity. All of this means that advertisers and publishers alike are faced with the prospect of completely overhauling their marketing strategies. However, for advertisers that are able to leverage the right technologies, they can innovate their marketing strategies while targeting consumers effectively without betraying their trust. This is where contextual advertising comes in.

Context is King

Contextual advertising leverages artificial intelligence (machine learning, image recognition and complex linguistic analysis) to place advertising content on relevant, brand-safe websites without the use of cookies. The contextual AI works by placing ads on editorial pages, which are considered to be the most “brand-safe” environments for advertisers. It is capable of processing natural language patterns and offering deep sentiment analysis, going way beyond just putting keyword blocks on articles.

Brand Safety is Top Priority

This is particularly important for advertisers and publishers as brand safety strategies now require a lot more nuance. Consumers no longer expect brands to remain silent on world events and social issues. For example, a survey of European consumers found that 70 percent were more likely to have a positive view of brands whose ads were placed alongside content related to the pandemic. In response to the conflict in Ukraine, many brands have come out and expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine, while some have even made donations to humanitarian organizations.

On the other hand, brands and publishers alike are wary of the negative reputational and financial consequences of being associated with negative content. A survey of consumers in both North America and Europe found that they were more likely to have a negative view of both the brand and the publisher when an ad is placed on negative content. It also found that they were less likely to purchase a brand when their ad features alongside harmful content. By leveraging contextual AI, brands can ensure they are placed on high-quality journalistic content, ensuring the highest levels of brand safety.

How Can Publishers Benefit?

The deep analysis of the material also allows publishers to exploit opportunities that they previously may have overlooked due to keyword blocks. The contextual AI processes natural language patterns and offers a much more nuanced understanding of the content than just keywords. For example, a keyword block may prevent a publisher from monetizing an article surrounding a football match simply because the word “shoot” appears in the piece. This of course will positively affect their bottom line, as they can expect a some 2.5x incremental increase in revenue from hosting appropriate ad content.

According to research by Google, 72% of people feel that their online presence is being monitored by advertisers and other companies, while 81% of those believe that the potential safety risks of data collection outweigh the benefits. It is important for publishers to play a role in offsetting this worsening consumer sentiment and rebuilding the reputation of online advertising. If an outlet is unable to provide a safe, unintrusive advertising environment, then the reputation of the site and the brands it hosts will suffer, and readers will not return, leading to decreased revenue.

It is important to remember that publishers are brands too, and contextual advertising presents them with an opportunity to protect their brand and generate positive consumer sentiment. When an outlet hosts relevant, non-intrusive advertising on their platform, it is providing readers with a much more pleasant experience. Not only will this allow publishers to build trust with their existing audience, it will also enable them to attract new readers, boosting their revenues.

Taking it to the next level

Contextual AI is constantly being refined and optimized, and is also capable of analyzing visual content, offering a complete analysis of every aspect of an article. The AI is capable of identifying various categories of negative content such as drugs, nudity or violence. This takes contextual targeting to the next level by offering brands and publishers increased efficiency and accuracy in their targeting.

By leveraging a full-stack contextual advertising technology that offers a full view of an article, brands and publishers are able to create a much more positive environment for consumers. Contextual ads are much more effectively integrated with the content of the page, ensuring that it is much easier to achieve brand safety and build valuable trust with consumers.