In Context with KERV.ai: Matching the moment with dynamic creative

Contextual targeting in streaming TV is gaining momentum for a simple reason: it works. In this episode of In Context, Wurl’s Tori Owens sits down with Marika Roque, Chief Innovation Officer at KERV.ai, who explains that what’s really driving excitement around contextual in CTV today is performance. “When context is associated to a buy, the performance is higher,” she says.

Still, opportunity remains around how to best execute contextual campaigns in CTV. As Roque explains, “I think that one of the biggest misconceptions is that the same creative should be used regardless of the moment.” While buyers are increasingly activating contextual segments, few are dynamically aligning creative to the contextual moment. “We really need more lean in across brands and advertisers to understand that when the creative is changing based on the contextual moment, that the performance is higher.”

The results only reinforce the opportunity. Comparing engagement with standard CTV creatives to asset-level contextual targeting, Roque says KERV.ai has seen massive increases in performance – well over 200%.

Looking ahead, Roque believes the next evolution of contextual in CTV hinges on interoperability – particularly on the creative side. As interactive and commerce-driven experiences grow, consistency across platforms will become essential. “We need some sort of interoperability for the actual viewer. If we’re going to call to action, being able to add to cart from the TV, being able to connect commerce into it, that’s going to be a requirement.”

When context is associated to a buy, the performance is higher. We’ve seen increases in sales and conversion. So, [contextual] does perform. But, it also performs for the advertiser and for the publisher.”

Marika Roque

Chief Innovation Officer
KERV.ai

In Context is a Wurl original video series featuring short-form conversations with industry leaders exploring the impact of contextual targeting in CTV. Each episode dives into how emerging technologies are helping advertisers unlock smarter creative strategies, improve performance, and drive better outcomes on the biggest screen in the home.

Transcript

Tori: Well, thank you so much for being here, Marika. We appreciate it.

Marika: Thank you for having me.

Tori: We are here today to talk about contextual targeting, indeed. So I’m glad you mentioned that.

What do you think is really driving the excitement around contextual in CTV today?

Marika: Well, it’s performing. So that really helps. But there’s many, many things happening at the same time. You’re really seeing a lean in to more premium supply. When for a few years there, we went very long tail. Those things in parallel have really leveled up contextual at scale. But then when you look at the performance side, when context is associated to abide, the performance is higher. We’ve seen over 50% increases in engagement. We’ve seen increases in sale and conversion. So it does perform. But it also performs for the advertiser and for the publisher.

Tori: What do you think, from the buyer’s perspective, is the biggest misconception that they have about contextual in CTV?

Marika: I think that one of the biggest misconceptions is that the same creative should be used regardless of the moment. They’re buying segments pretty seamlessly once we kind of integrate. And I would say a very small percentage of the time, they actually have a dynamic correlation. So we really need more lean in across brands and advertisers to understand that when the creative is changing based on the contextual moment, that the performance is higher. And without that, you’re leaving some experience on the table.

Tori: I know, especially in your position as Chief Innovation Officer, you are thinking about innovation a lot. And I’m curious to hear your perspective on how advertisers can balance, or the industry can balance, innovation with interoperability, especially when it comes to contextual targeting. Where do you see that balance?

Marika: Well, I think you all are doing a great job with creating a place that’s streamlined in the bid stream to put contextual metadata regardless of what it is. You’ll see a lot of calls to action across a lot of contextual providers saying you need some sort of standardization in the actual taxonomies. I don’t necessarily disagree with that.

But in the future, I actually see a more of a call to action for the interoperability of the creative side. I really am challenging publishers, content owners, to lean in together and solve the problem as one, for the viewer. Because at the end of the day, regardless of how many apps you’re viewing, a lot of the publishers have the same viewer. So we want that experience that they have when we actually give them more of a dynamic and interactive experience to be similar. Versus imagine logging onto one type of TV, a Vizio, into your Hulu app and having to interact differently with the same brand than when you log on to your Samsung on your Hulu app, or even your Samsung on your Peacock app. We need some sort of interoperability for the actual viewer. If we’re going to call to action, being able to add to cart from the TV, being able to connect commerce into it, that’s going to be a requirement. And I actually see a lot of really cool things happening in that.

Tori: Awesome. You’ve alluded a bit to success stories and performance lift that you’ve seen through contextual campaigns. So I’d love to dig in there further and hear a little bit more about those results that you’ve been close to.

At a higher level, we’ve been doing contextual for a very long time, which means we do a lot of asset level as well. And when you look at basic engagement of just standard CTV creatives, and then you compare them to asset level contextual targeting, you see a massive increase in performance, like well over 200% increase from that. Then when you add pod level, you see another 200% or 300%, depending on the category, in terms of high level engagement data, if you’re just looking at the value of contextual at face value. So quite a bit in there, but the performance is there every time.

Tori: And you would think hearing those results that contextual is basically a no brainer. But to end the conversation, if you had one message for advertisers who are still hesitant about contextual and CTV, in just a few words, how would you pitch them?

Marika: I would ask them to do an A/B test and measure it. You’re going to see contextual outperform your base every time.

Tori: Well, Marika, thank you so much. This has been a great conversation.

Marika: Thank you so much for having me.