Technology companies including Apple and Google are giving people more ways to protect their online privacy, limiting the availability of consumer data that help advertisers reach target audiences. Contextual ad placements within quality content are making a comeback.

“Contextual advertising feels a lot like ‘back to the future’ in the sense that we have been talking about it forever,” Joshua Lowcock, executive vice president and chief digital officer of UM Worldwide, said in this interview Beet.TV. “We pivoted to data-driven advertising and somewhat forgot about contextual until brand safety emerged as a challenge.”

He is optimistic that artificial intelligence (AI) technology will improve contextual targeting while also respecting consumer privacy.

“My biggest hope for contextual is that it opens the door to people thinking more intelligently about the mindset certain people are in when they’re consuming certain kinds of content,” Lowcock said.

Read Full Article on Beet.TV.