How do you reach the right people in the right place at the right time? Get in front of an audience that’s already thinking about a topic related to your product or service.
The effectiveness of digital advertising hinges on the four Rs: right audience, right message, right place and right time. Brands that nail this are seeing greater return on their ad spend – maximising budgets by reaching people already interested in their message, product or service.
But how do you reach your audience in the right place at the right time? Enter (or rather, re-enter) contextual advertising.
What is contextual advertising?
Contextual advertising is nothing new – it’s been around for years – but it’s gaining traction again as programmatic advertising faces new challenges.
Put simply, contextual advertising is the placement of ads on websites or pages where the content is directly relevant to the ad. Think: promoting in-season fruit on a recipe site, or a smart TV on a décor site. When users are already thinking about a topic aligned to your offering, they’re more likely to click, convert – and remember your brand.
The benefits of contextual advertising
Contextual ads drive performance by making your message feel natural and relevant. Studies back this up:
- A 2020 GumGum neuroscience study found that highly contextually relevant ads are 1.6x more memorable and 10% more engaging than surrounding content.
- Contextual ads drive higher purchase intent and are processed more like content than interruptions.
- A 2016 IPG Media Lab study showed that contextual targeting increased purchase intent by 63% compared to audience or channel-level targeting. Consumers also said they were willing to pay more for a brand they saw via a contextual ad.
- More recently, Silverpush reported that contextual ads are 50% more likely to be clicked on and have a 30% higher conversion rate than non-contextual ads.
Contextual targeting also ensures brand safety – your ad won’t appear next to disinformation, inappropriate content or low-quality user experiences. And unlike behavioural targeting, it doesn’t rely on personal data or create that creepy feeling of being stalked across the internet.
Why now? Match24 makes it easy
With third-party cookie deprecation and increased privacy regulations, advertisers can no longer rely solely on tracking behaviour. That’s where Match24 – Media24’s AI-powered contextual targeting tool – comes in.
Match24 is our privacy-friendly solution that places display and video ads across News24 and Netwerk24 in content environments that make perfect sense for your brand.
Our advanced AI analyses web pages for keywords, tone, and sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative), matching ads to content based on meaning – not user history. With hundreds of keywords to choose from and alignment to IAB Tech Lab’s best-practice framework, we help advertisers get in front of the right audience at the right moment, without compromising trust.
Trusted platforms
Media24 offers highly relevant environments for brands. All our platforms are trusted, premium, and deeply embedded in South Africans’ lives.
We connect advertisers with millions through South Africa’s leading news and lifestyle brands – including News24, City Press, Daily Sun, and lifestyle favourites like You, Drum, Fairlady, TrueLove, and Go! Under Afrikaans Media, Netwerk24’s news offering is enriched by Rapport, Die Burger, Huisgenoot, Sarie, Tuis and Weg!
Your message, our trusted platforms – smarter targeting starts here. Get in touch today!
