In Context with Innovid: The power of context and dynamic creative

In this installment of Wurl’s In Context interview series, Wurl’s Tori Owens sat down with Innovid’s Chris Murphy to discuss how CTV advertising strategies are evolving. The conversation highlights a shift from viewing context as a targeting parameter to using it as a critical creative input—where advertisers focus not just on where an ad runs, but on which creative is best suited for each moment.

Murphy emphasized that creative drives a significant share of campaign performance—often as much as 50%—yet it’s frequently underutilized. As contextual solutions become more sophisticated, including AI-powered, scene-level insights, advertisers can begin to align ads with the emotional tone and environment of the content itself. These richer signals help advertisers determine which message, visual, or offer is most likely to resonate in that specific moment, making dynamic creative optimization far more impactful.

That approach came to life in a joint Innovid and Wurl campaign for a QSR brand. Wurl identified emotionally-relevant content environments, while Innovid dynamically assembled creative elements, including localized messaging tailored to specific geographic locations. By pairing emotional alignment with tailored creative, the QSR campaign delivered results that exceeded previous benchmarks—showcasing how context and creativity work best when activated together.

Customers and consumers want more personalized content. They like the relevance. Sometimes it’s not necessarily a frequency problem; it’s a creative problem. You don’t want to see the same ad multiple times, but you may need to see that brand a few times to think about purchasing.”

Chris Murphy

SVP, Strategy & Business Development
Innovid

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.