Contextual advertising is everywhere – but choosing the right adtech vendor is key
In the news: A breakthrough experiment by Verve reveals how contextual adtech needs new targeting methods to solve today’s advertising problems.
Slam dunk: Lessons for advertisers from 2024’s college basketball tournaments
This year’s college basketball tournaments captivated audiences like never before — a testament to sports’ power to unite and inspire fans. But beyond the thrilling dunks and impressive assists, there’s a bigger story about audience engagement and innovative advertising strategies. Let’s explore how “March Madness” sheds light on winning ways for brands, advertisers, and agencies to reach fans during sports’ most memorable moments. With strategies like contextual targeting, brands can tap into the magic of March basketball fever all year long. Meeting fans on multiple screens Effective programmatic advertising for sports works best when brands make a splash on multiple channels. That’s because 83% of internet users in the US engage with the internet on a separate device while simultaneously watching TV. Even if they’re chilling at home watching the game on TV at home on the couch, sports fans still often engage on their phones. There’s so much interesting content to supplement their watching experience: refreshing in-app news, stats, and scores; posting reactions on social media; or killing time with a mobile game during a lull in the action. Sports teams get in on the action on social media to encourage fan engagement, too. For instance, social media accounts of the Sweet 16 women’s tournament teams posted about 130 times each during just the first two rounds. This added up to more than 2,000 social posts in a few short days, garnering 140M+ impressions (overwhelmingly on mobile devices), as well as 3.4M engagements. By some estimates, the “social value” of this activity topped $3M. Another indicator that brands need to hit multiple screens? The NCAA offers dedicated March Madness apps for iOS, Android, Apple laptops and desktops, multiple CTV platforms, and even Xbox. Image source: NCAA This multi-channel behavior presents a unique opportunity for brands to reach diverse audiences across devices and at different touchpoints in the customer journey. By the numbers: 2024 college basketball tournaments Just how big were the 2024 college basketball tournaments? Sources: NCAA, Statista Expanding interest, growing audiences But who exactly are brands reaching across all these screens? Gone are the days of assuming a monolithic, stereotypical college sports fanbase. In 2024, the NCAA women’s tournament continued shattering records, beating even 2023’s unprecedented viewership. Final game between Iowa vs. South Carolina was the most-watched women’s college basketball of all time — and the most-watched college basketball game since 2019, averaging 18.7M viewers. For the Final Four games, the women’s tournament saw a year-over-year growth of 142% in viewership, according to ESPN. Brands score big with contextual advertising How can advertisers make the most of engaged audiences during riveting sports events like these college basketball tournaments? Especially now, as shifting privacy regulations are making targeting and measurement harder? Contextual advertising is a privacy-safe win for sports marketing. With contextual, brands target content, not consumers. For example, an athletic gear ad makes perfect sense in the middle of an article about college sports. The brand doesn’t need any user data to get their product in front of an interested, engaged audience. Why contextual is a slam dunk for brands and advertisers: Verve’s contextual solution, Moments.AI, is a top choice for effective sports marketing. In fact, Moments.AI recently earned the prestigious Digiday Awards Europe for Best Contextual Targeting. Our platform also powers Visual Intent, an industry-first partnership between Getty Images and Verve that places brands’ messages alongside Getty’s premium visual content. This empowers brands to connect with audiences during pivotal sports and cultural events, enhancing brand recall and driving intent to purchase. Whether it’s college basketball, glamorous galas, or anything in between, contextual advertising during high-visibility events is a winning game plan for brands. Teaming up for purposeful advertising Each spring at Verve, we run a college basketball bracket challenge with an ad-tech twist: “March ‘Ad’ness.” This bracket challenge lets our clients and partners across ad tech get in on the tournament fun with prizes. In the spirit of celebration, Verve matched the winning amount by donating to Eden Reforestation Projects, an organization dedicated to tackling climate change by planting trees and restoring forests. This year’s March ‘Ad’ness led to planting 1,344 trees. That’s a wrap on the 2024 college basketball tournaments! March 2025 may be far away, but there’s plenty of meaningful sports moments for advertisers year -round. Want to get in the game? Let us know anytime.
No ID, no problem: 5 ways advertisers can own targeting outcomes on mobile
Will mobile targeting without cookies ever work as well as the good old days? Marketers are facing formidable challenges when advertising to mobile users. On iOS, they’re contending with Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) — this prevents tracking, drastically limiting ad attribution when consumers opt out of mobile identifiers (IDFA). Then they face third-party cookie deprecation on Chrome and Safari.
5 strategies to enhance user ad experience: A guide for gaming publishers
Reality check: gamers prefer minimal interruptions from ads while playing. There’s good news for gaming publishers: advancements in ad tech can address monetization challenges and enhance the overall user experience for players — all while running ads. Understanding user demographics, preferences, and behavior means that we can better tailor ad strategies to enhance engagement while ensuring ads remain effective. Let’s review key strategies to improve the ad experience for users while maintaining performance for publishers. Know your user: understanding demographics and preferences To craft effective ad experiences, it’s crucial to know your audience and understand what influences their behavior. Factors such as age, gender, location, and economic climate play significant roles in shaping user attitudes towards ads. The latest data from eMarketer shows that the age and gender composition of gamers is shifting significantly. More diverse age of users as well as parsed residence is pushing developers to be more sophisticated in the choice of ad creatives, ad placement, and ad frequency to match their preferences. 74% of non-paying users from younger generations and Tier 2/Tier 3 countries mainly enjoy ads with reasonable frequency capping — and even tend to make more purchases from the brands advertised. However, engagement and retention of older generations in the same scenario could decrease dramatically; this demographic group tends not to tolerate too many ads. Another notable demographic shift is geography, with Tier 2 and Tier 3 countries emerging as significant players. Mobile gamers are booming across MENA (Turkey, Saudi Arabia), APAC (India, Thailand, China), and EMEA (Nigeria, South Africa), with 92% of them gaming every day. Tailor your ad formats and placements Different game types demand tailored ad approaches. Hyper-casual and casual mobile games thrive on a mix of ad formats, including banners, interstitials, and rewarded videos. Mid-core and hard-core PC/console and mobile games tend to focus more on less intrusive ad options like rewarded or in-game ads that appear less frequently. Gaming publishers can consider testing banners, but they should be less represented than other formats. Issues with clickability of in-game ads can be balanced there by ad revenues coming from rewarded and banner ads. According to an IAS report, today more than 60% of users are open to non-disruptive ads that are related to the content of the game. Enhance engagement across channels: the omnichannel approach Big opportunities lay ahead for ad monetization activities, including: Preferred deals can bring higher eCPMs and better fill as well as secure ad quality. As games begin to reach bigger screen sizes such as smart TVs, preferred deals could have a significant impact on facilitating this transition. With users engaging across multiple devices, adopting an omnichannel approach can significantly boost engagement and ad performance. 72% of console or PC gamers play on more than one platform. Diversifying ad formats based on device usage can further enhance user engagement. Use what you have: first-party data for behavioral and contextual targeting Publishers can deliver more relevant ads to their audiences by using first-party data for behavioral and contextual targeting. For addressing the ID-less and cookieless world, leveraging first-party data is one of the essential strategies for marketers and publishers alike. In-gaming publishers can use behavioral information — such as in-app actions, time of day, purchase history — to tailor ad experiences within the app. According to eMarketer, 61% of gamers in the US mentioned that they prefer to see ads that are related to the content of the game the are playing. Advanced targeting options such as geo-fencing and contextual ad technology can also enhance ad relevance and effectiveness. Apple’s ATT and the end of device fingerprinting challenge user identification and advertising/monetization in general. Users have become more sensitive and demanding when it comes to ad content. For the foreseeable future, exploring contextual solutions and UIs, as well as education about more effective use of first-party data, will likely be inevitable. Embrace flexibility and testing Maintaining open communication and transparency among publishers, ad networks, and demand partners is essential for optimizing ad strategies. From the SSP perspective, we’re really honing in on empowering our publishers and demand partners with greater control, all the while prioritizing user experience. Here’s the breakdown: developers and publishers get to manage the general settings, while demand partners and advertisers focus on bidding for inventory that aligns best with their campaign objectives. And you know what? It never hurts to explore new ad units, integrations, and buying models for publishers and developers. We’re all about sharing insights and best practices, paving the way for improved revenues without sacrificing user retention and engagement. Embracing a culture of testing allows for continuous refinement of ad formats, placements, and buying models to adapt to evolving user behaviors. 85% of gamers confirm that the most user-engaging formats remain interstitial and rewarded video. Putting it all together If you’re a gaming publisher, you’re probably already using one of the strategies (at least) we’ve just discussed. But more is more, and it’s worth exploring how to implement all five of these strategies holistically. With all five working together, publishers can create ad experiences that are not only engaging but also respectful of user preferences. It’s a win-win that ultimately leads to improved performance and user satisfaction.
Verve wins 2023 Digiday Awards Europe for Best Contextual Targeting
In the news: Digiday announced the winners of the 2023 Digiday Awards Europe. Verve’s contextual targeting solution, Moments.AI, took home the award for Best Contextual Targeting.
Choose wisely: The 36X difference between contextual solutions
Discover the groundbreaking research showing how three different contextual solutions, including Verve’s Moments.AI, succeeded (or failed) at targeting new and relevant content. You’ll also find out why Moments.AI is a finalist for Digiday Awards Europe’s “Best Contextual Targeting” this year!
What’s next for the mobile in-app marketplace: Verve’s 2024 outlook
As we step into 2024, we’re reflecting on our key product achievements from 2023. Last year was a period of significant growth for our in-app marketplace, PubNative. This has set the stage for a stronger path to value for our demand and supply partners in 2024 and beyond. Highlights from 2023 Topping the charts for mobile scale and quality The Pixalate SSP Market Share Report ranked Verve as North America’s top mobile SSP for both Apple App Store and Google Play. Verve maintains this lead for the third and second consecutive quarters for Google and Apple, respectively. Notably, Verve’s market share in Apple’s platform rose from 17% to 28% between the second and third quarters. Globally, Verve now ranks first in APAC on Google Play, second in LATAM, third in APAC on the Apple App Store, and fifth in EMEA. In 2023, Jounce Media released a benchmarking report that ranked Verve as the leader in providing premium mobile app supply, ensuring quality ad experiences at a lower cost. Verve delivers 79% of premium mobile app supply — more than any other SSP. Jounce Media is one of ad tech’s most authoritative voices in programmatic supply chain management. Performance powered by interstitial units The interstitial ad inventory on PubNative (our in-app marketplace) increased by 115% in ad request volume. This growth is thanks to our expanding footprint of SDK publishers from a wide range of mediation and bidding platforms. This surge is also due to an increasing demand for high-impact performance ad units (especially interstitial video) on the marketplace. Advertisers prefer these ad formats because they help drive better conversions. Our revamped interstitial suite now supports multiple performance-first features including SKOverlay and Storekit Auto Open. You’ll also find a completely refreshed ad template that balances user retention and conversion goals. Verve’s in-app marketplace, now on Ironsource Verve is a key demand partner for top monetization platforms, including Applovin Max, Google Ad Manager, Google AdMob, DT Fairbid, Amazon Transparent Ad Marketplace, Prebid, and Nimbus, to name a few. This year, we broadened our publisher footprint by partnering with Ironsource, a significant expansion that lets publishers (especially in the gaming vertical) access diverse demand sources from PubNative’s exchange. Thanks to the integration, publishers connected to Ironsource can now efficiently monetize their interstitial inventories through both waterfall and bidding demand. More transparency and easier optimization with bid stream enhancements As an ad marketplace, we strive to improve our bid streams continuously to help buyers optimize towards their goals efficiently. In 2023, we introduced a few significant updates, including “minimum bid to win” and “bid loss notifications” to drive better transparency for your bid decisions. These additions also give DSPs crucial insights into the competitive landscape of ad auctions and detailed reasons for lost bids. What’s ahead in 2024 The year ahead will pack some significant updates relevant to our publishers and demand partners, beginning from Q1 2024. Below are some of the highlights to keep an eye on in our in-app marketplace. Powerful SDK Updates: In the upcoming SDK updates in Q1, we will continue to make improvements that are performance-focused, while introducing new SDK modules that are critical for privacy-first monetization. More ID-less scale with ATOM: We are making significant upgrades to ATOM to help publishers and demand partners make use of the on-device cohorts at scale to recapture unaddressable users. A new powerful version of ATOM (or Anonymized Targeting on Mobile), with updated cohorts, will be available to our publisher partners to integrate, very soon. Privacy Manifests: Privacy manifests are essentially files (created in Xcode) that every SDK and app developer will need to fill and add to their app. These files describe which user data the app is accessing and how the app developer is intending to use it. Moving forward, whenever an app developer prepares to upload an app to the App Store, Xcode will combine Privacy Manifests from all third-party SDKs used by the app into one comprehensive privacy report. PubNative, an in-app marketplace, is addressing this change by preparing our SDK to support Privacy Manifests. Our upcoming iOS SDK will be completely compliant to the Privacy Manifest requirements, well ahead of Apple’s enforcement. More tests with Google Privacy Sandbox: Google is finally phasing out third-party cookies for 1% of the world’s Chrome users. Verve will build on our 2023 momentum and continue to work closely with Google and other ad tech partners to test the Sandbox APIs and share results as we make progress towards a more privacy-conscious approach to targeting users on mobile. Advertising is on the brink of a privacy-first era filled with potential and promising opportunities. 2024 could not be more exciting, and we are confident that the foundation we built in 2023 has positioned us to support and drive our client objectives and growth.
Ad tech privacy: How DSPs are navigating the evolving landscape
As we approach 2024, data privacy takes center stage as a primary concern in digital marketing. For SSPs like Smaato (part of Verve), it’s about leveraging the power of technology to redefine industry standards, driving campaigns to new heights of success.
Contextual isn’t new, but advancements will solve marketers’ headaches
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared in AdvertisingWeek. It was the rise of behavioral targeting, which tracks users’ online activities and personal data, that saw contextual advertising dethroned as the industry’s default targeting method. Fast forward to today and behavioral targeting is facing serious limitations, while significant developments in contextual are bringing this approach back to the fore. Here’s why . . . In the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape, marketers will face periodic challenges in effectively reaching and engaging their target audiences. Privacy is the latest challenge – and it’s a big one. The focus on privacy began in 2018 with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. This was followed by similar initiatives worldwide, such as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, Android’s Privacy Sandbox and Google’s upcoming phasing out of third-party tracking cookies on Chrome by the second half of 2024; beginning for 1% of users as early as the first quarter of 2024. Having to navigate restrictions that govern the collection and use of consumer data has left marketers frantically searching for alternative approaches. The advertising industry must go back to the drawing board, and the easiest way to start is by revisiting existing approaches that offer compliant targeting at scale. Contextual is emerging again as the dominant solution for marketers. The drawbacks of conventional approaches Contextual marketing revolves around understanding the environment where an ad appears and tailoring the content based on the relevant factors surrounding the user’s browsing experience. This approach leverages factors such as website content, keywords, location, and device type to deliver relevant and timely ads to users. However, recent research by TPA Digital has found some contextual solutions fall short of meeting their basic campaign goals. Advertisers often find themselves wasting significant spend on ads that fail to reach their target audiences. Inaccurate keyword analysis, limited contextual understanding, and insufficient real-time optimization are contributing to suboptimal campaign performance. The other issue is the growing problem of next-generation “content farms” created to hijack programmatic advertising revenue. An internet trust tool, NewsGuard, is tracking an increasing number of spammy, AI-generated news sites. They expect that generative AI will cause more of the estimated $2.6 billion of advertising revenue per year unintentionally funneled toward misinformation news sites. With this boom in the number of irrelevant, misleading and valueless articles published daily, advertisers now find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to getting quality results from ad spend using conventional contextual targeting. AI-optimized contextual tools offer better targeting The good news is that machine learning, natural language processing, and data analysis are driving innovation in contextual targeting. These new technologies enable advertisers to analyze and interpret vast amounts of data to deliver highly targeted ads to the right audience. By considering the context of where an ad appears, marketers can target the user’s immediate needs and interests with specific messaging, leading to improved engagement and conversion rates. Through these advancements advertisers are able to reach consumers with accuracy and speed, maximizing the chances of engaging them in meaningful ways. Advertisers can also ensure they are able to deliver the personalized and engaging experiences consumers expect. For example, natural language processing technology is enabling hyper-accurate cohort targeting capabilities. There is also the potential for contextual solutions to “understand” and mine content beyond text content, such as brand audio, videos, and apps. Models are also being built on contextual capabilities that understand affinity and match content with the open web. Contextual empowers marketers to leverage their most valuable currency — attention. By moving away from clicks towards attention and reaching consumers in the moments that matter to them, they can fine-tune campaigns at any time towards their desired metrics – and ultimately improve outcomes. This real-time contextual analysis and AI-driven optimization means brands can advertise alongside highly relevant, fresh content, at the precise moment that it is attracting large audiences. As with many evolutionary matters, change can be painful, but also necessary. As the industry is pushed relentlessly towards the edge of the third-party cookie tracking precipice, innovations in contextual are ensuring that marketers can meet and engage with their audiences in the new privacy-first world.
