Contextual targeting is too often pigeonholed as an awareness play. But with the right measurement behind it, it can drive real down-funnel impact and show advertisers what's actually motivating viewers to act.
That’s what EDO's SVP and Head of Client Solutions Laura Grover had to say in a recent conversation with Wurl for the latest episode of the company’s In Context series on contextual targeting in CTV.
Check out the video and key takeaways from Laura's conversation below, and explore more of EDO's latest research on TV outcomes measurement.
TV has historically been measured as a top-of-funnel awareness channel, while digital lives at the point of purchase. EDO sits in the middle, capturing engagement signals like branded searches and website visits, to show advertisers not just who saw an ad, but who was actually motivated by it. "It all comes together to understand across your TV buy what is driving an impact with your consumers," Laura explains.
That middle-of-the-funnel view is what unlocks contextual targeting as a performance lever. In a recent collaboration with Wurl using scene-level emotion targeting, the contextually-targeted portion of the buy generated a 200% engagement lift versus the rest of the campaign. The result, as Laura put it, is "a really powerful story around the effectiveness of contextual advertising and how that right moment can really impact how a viewer is going to respond to an ad."
And the effect isn't limited to streaming. State Farm's Caitlin Clark spots already outperform the brand's other creative, but they perform even better when they air during games she's actually playing in. Contextual works on linear TV too, ads just land better when the moment fits.
For brands ready to test contextual targeting, Laura's advice is straightforward: "Getting started is understanding what you want to achieve, being willing to try and experiment, and having that plan in place to measure, and to continue on the course if it's doing well, but also change when needed."
Watch Laura's full conversation on Wurl's In Context series, and explore EDO's latest insights on streaming and linear TV measurement.