By Amit Relan
Contextual targeting has become an increasingly valuable tool for brands aiming to connect with audiences on video streaming platforms like YouTube. It’s a more relevant and effective way, unlike traditional targeting methods that rely on user demographics or behaviour, while contextual targeting focuses on placing ads like the content being consumed.
For instance, an ad featuring Ranveer Singh is placed with a video featuring Ranveer Singh in an interview, or a beauty and personal care brand ad with a fashion event video. Ads placed in environments directly related to the content being consumed. This approach not only enhances ad relevance but also aligns with consumer preferences for more personalised and less intrusive advertising.
AI driven modern approach to contextual advertising
Is your brand falling for the ‘clickbait title, tags and description’? Place your ad based on visual not just on keywords used in the title. YouTube provides demographics-wise and keyword-wise ad placements, but it has its limitations in a diverse geography like India, regional nuances and multiple languages.
Content, context and sentiment are key to modern approach to contextual advertising, which starts with identifying what’s in the video, independent third party India tool with Indian AI-ML tech can identify relevant ad placement with an added layer of brand safety to targeting by identifying unsafe placement based on sentiments and what happing in the video.
AI and machine learning algorithms have changed the way of ad placement in the last few years with advertisers more focused on reaching a more relevant audience. Huge amounts of data including context-based ad placements, and user behaviour are monitored to provide custom-made and relevant advertisements.
Contextual advertising is witnessing a rise in demand for privacy-focused targeting solutions due to increased concerns over data privacy and regulatory scrutiny. Instead, depending on invasive data-collecting techniques advertisers are investigating alternate approaches to audience targeting.
How a homegrown apparel brand going global optimises performance with contextual advertising
A prominent retail apparel brand encountered challenges in effectively targeting their advertisements on YouTube at a contextual level which was heavily dependent on keywords. As a result, their ad engagement rate remained suboptimal. Consequently, the collaboration with us, enhanced the visibility and contextual relevancy of their ads. Various attributes addressed for the retail apparel brand included
Ad briefs such as kids clothes, active wears, children’s pants, child trends, child sport, target are parents (20-45 years) and children (10-19 years), Geo-Location specified as India with focus on metropolitan cities. The targeted sentiments are happy, friendly, and joyful with high safety ratings and covering videos scenes that have sporty outfits, affordable, child safe, and feature comfortable wear.
The modern tools today with AI-driven analysis across YouTube Videos enabled by frame recognition & NLP identify relevant YouTube video for the inclusion URL lists. These are then automatically included in the ad managers in near real-time to optimise for relevant ad placements.
The result was that the retail apparel brand experienced a notable enhancement of 10% in contextual relevant targeting in a brand-safe environment, 5% improvement in the VTR and 7% improvement in the CTR.
Why advertisers are moving towards contextual advertising on YouTube
Contextual advertising, focuses on content rather than user data, offers a compliant and effective alternative. By aligning ads with relevant content, it improves ad relevance, enhances brand safety, and delivers a better user experience. Here are some perks of contextual advertising
Effective Contextual Targeting and Relevancy: Another advantage is that it accurately targets the audience based on their interaction with the desired content. Depending on the interests and needs of the users, contextual ads help marketers by monitoring the context of a webpage, app, or other digital platforms to regulate their advertisements.
Optimise User Experience: The user experience is highly influenced by contextual advertising, rather than providing consumers with generic advertisements. They deliver ads that perfectly blend with the surrounding context, which results in a seamless experience
Ad Relevancy and Secure Ad Placements: The AI-ML tech has improved the efficiency of contextual ad placements, pushing forward the growth in the market which has a major impact. digital advertising business, which is among the biggest in the world.
Improved Engagement: A protein supplement ad is more relevant on a fitness blog rather than beauty and makeup product ad, is more likely to attract audience attention and enhance engagement. Contextual advertising increases consumer engagement by displaying appropriate advertisements based on the content that customers are viewing. Based on the relevancy, it enables the rise in click-through and conversion rates.
Conclusion
Contextual Advertising ensures safe ad placement. Advertisements appear in appropriate and relevant content environments, thereby reaching the relevant audience and protecting the brand reputation. It helps focus on analyzing the context of web pages and digital content to avoid placing ads next to harmful, controversial, or inappropriate material. Brand relevance enables AI-based contextual level targeting that focuses on elements, logos, faces, keywords, objects, sentiments, and more for brands to choose the right ads at the right place. Custom targeting helps brands reach a more relevant audience with high returns on investment.
The author is co-founder and CEO, mFilterIt (Views expressed are the author’s own and not necessarily those of financialexpress.com)