In Context With Kantar: How authentic, emotion-driven advertising is powering CTV performance

On streaming TV, context is quickly becoming one of the most powerful drivers of performance. In the latest episode of our In Context video series, we sat down with Rachelle Minnis, EVP, Head of Media and Creative, NA at Kantar, to discuss how brands can use contextual targeting strategies to better connect with audiences – and how measurement is catching up to prove it.

Kantar’s work shows a clear shift in how contextual strategies are impacting outcomes. “When you’re looking at outcomes [and] message resonance, and your ability to persuade consumers, Kantar is actually finding that contextually-targeted campaigns in CTV are helping to drive that lower funnel at a higher rate than linear,” Minnis explained. In other words, contextual targeting isn’t just supporting awareness – it’s actively driving intent, engagement, and conversion.

That performance is closely tied to how consumers experience ads today. “Consumers’ receptivity to contextual targeting and CTV is a lot higher than marketers think,” Minnis noted, pointing to rising acceptance of ad-supported environments.

The reason? Ads are becoming less intrusive and more aligned with what viewers are watching, and how they’re feeling. “What I really think is driving that consumer receptivity is that ability to connect with consumers in a really authentic way. […] That’s really the key driver. You have to be able to connect with consumers in those key moments.”

Ultimately, that’s where emotion comes into play. “Emotion is a huge driver in advertising,” Minnis said. “At Kantar we find that ads that emotionally resonate with consumers are going to drive seven times that brand equity compared to a generally placed or non-emotive ad.”

As streaming TV continues to mature, the opportunity for brands is clear: lean into moments that feel relevant, timely, and authentic. With advances in contextual signals and measurement, advertisers now have the tools to not only reach audiences in this way, but also to resonate with them. And as Minnis highlights, when brands align with both the content and the consumer’s mindset, they don’t just capture attention – they drive meaningful, measurable impact.

We see that contextually targeted placements drive stronger outcomes – especially in the lower funnel – compared to placements that aren’t contextually targeted.”

Rachelle Minnis

EVP, Head of Media and Creative, NA
Kantar

Transcript

Tori:  Hi, Rachelle, thank you so much for being with us today. 

Rachelle: Thank you for having me. 

So, to kick things off here today, can you give us a quick overview of Kantar and specifically Kantar’s role in ad measurement?

Rachelle:  So Kantar’s role in ad measurement, I like to think that we’re a leader in the ad measurement space and helping brands assess the effectiveness of their campaigns. We work with the world’s leading advertisers, platforms and publishers, agencies, all with the goal of improving measurement, whether that’s online or offline, helping brands prove ROAS, optimize their campaigns, deliver really good experiences to consumers, and really look ahead and figure out what’s gonna be next from the measurement landscape.

Tori: Excellent, traditional TV budgets have long focused on moving the needle for upper funnel brand KPIs, as you know. Do you think contextual can play a role in driving brand outcomes for streaming campaigns? And I’m curious to hear what kind of firsthand results you’re seeing. 

Rachelle:  Yeah, absolutely. So linear TV is always gonna be a thing, right? It’s always gonna have really high reach and drive awareness and upper-funnel. But when you’re looking at outcomes and you’re looking at message resonance and your ability to persuade consumers, Kantar’s actually finding that contextually targeted campaigns specifically in CTV are helping to drive that lower funnel at a higher rate than linear. So we see across the board for all lower funnel metrics that CTV and contextual targeting is helping to drive that intent and really drive those outcomes. And what Kantar’s found that’s really interesting is that consumers’ receptivity to contextual targeting and CTV is a lot higher than marketers think. 

We just came out with our media reaction study that looks globally at marketers and consumers 58% of consumers are receptive to ads. It’s up from five years ago, it was less than 20% wanted to see ads. And what I really think is driving that consumer receptivity is that ability to connect with consumers in a really authentic way.

Tori: Absolutely, I think it’s something we’re hearing a lot is that we are understanding that the viewer is receptive to ads. So it’s all about finding them in the right moment to ensure that we know that they’re open to it, we know that they’re open to receiving them, but it just has to be in the right context. 

Rachelle: Exactly. They’re choosing ads supported formats, yes for price, but also because ads have become less intrusive. They’ve matched their preferences and matched them better and I think that’s helping as well. 

Tori:  And something at Wurl that we think about when we talk about ads being in context is emotion. So on that front, we’ve really been leaning into emotional alignment, placing ads in content that shares a similar tone or sentiment. So curious to hear from you, what world do you see emotions play in ad effectiveness, and any specific examples you can share there? 

Rachelle: Yeah, I think emotion is a huge driver in advertising in general, right? I think that’s what’s increasing ad receptivity is it doesn’t feel like a mass ad made for every single person. It’s something that’s personalized to them. At Kantar, we find that ads that have that equity and ads that emotionally resonate with consumers are gonna drive seven times that brand equity compared to like a generally placed or non emotive ad. So, it actually does impact your outcomes, not just consumer receptivity.

Tori:  Final question for you here, Rachele. From a measurement perspective, what does it take to operationalize contextual targeting effectively and what do you see top performing advertisers or agencies really doing differently to move the needle there? 

Rachelle: Yeah, so I think what I see advertisers doing that’s different, that’s able to move that needle is authenticity, and that’s really the key driver. So you have to be able to connect with consumers in those key moments. It has to be an authentic connection. It has to feel like it not only fits the person receiving the content, but it needs to fit the product, it needs to fit the brand, it needs to fit; if you’re placing this in a show, it all has to click.

And authenticity, I think is the biggest driver of what brands are doing right in this space and something that I think brands need to really pay attention to.

At Kantar, our goal is holistic multi-channel measurement. That’s what we’re working on with Wurl to be able to definitely say that this contextual placement or CTV or these additional moments are driving incrementality. So if you think about linear and it driving reach, right, that’s great. And then what’s the incrementality of contextually targeted versus not? And when we’re working with our partners, we do see that contextually targeted placements drive stronger outcomes especially in the lower funnel, compared to placements that aren’t contextually targeted and event compared to non-CTV. 

Tori:  Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here with us today, Rachelle. Appreciate it.

Rachelle: Thank you.

Tori: All right, so Rachelle, final question for you. From a measurement perspective, what does it take to operationalize contextual targeting effectively? And I’m curious to hear what you’re seeing top performing advertisers and agencies do differently. 

Rachelle: At Kantar, our goal is holistic, multi-channel measurement. That’s what we’re working on with Wurl. To be able to definitively say that this contextual placement or CTV or these additional moments are driving incrementality. So if you think about linear and it driving reach, right? That’s great. And then what is the incrementality of online? What’s the incrementality of contextually targeted versus not? And when we’re working with our partners, we do see that contextually targeted placements drive stronger outcomes, especially in the lower funnel, compared to placements that aren’t contextually targeted and even compared to non-CTV.

Tori:  Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here with us today, Rochelle. 

Rachelle:  Appreciate it. Thank you.