Nativo Participates In IAB UK Whitepaper On Contextual Targeting: Key Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What is contextual targeting?
Contextual targeting is when an ad is targeted based purely on the subject and environment of the content (text, audio, video, or images). It does not rely on any characteristics of the user and doesn’t use personally identifiable information (PII).
How does contextual targeting differ from behavioral targeting?
Behavioral targeting uses attributes and signals about the user (their behavior, history, or profile) to serve ads. Contextual targeting uses attributes of the content itself — keywords, metadata, or the environment — rather than user characteristics.
What does cookie-less mean?
Cookie-less means the technology or service does not rely on a web browser’s cookie functionality to operate. Contextual targeting is a cookie-less approach because it targets based on content, not third-party cookies.
What is the difference between channel and environment in advertising?
Channel refers to the medium or device where an ad is served (e.g., mobile, desktop, TV) or the ad format (e.g., video, audio, display). Environment describes the format of the content the ad appears against (e.g., video content, text article, podcast, in-app).
Every day we get closer to a world without third-party cookies, and it’s time for marketers to embrace alternative targeting methodologies like contextual targeting. Contextual advertising and targeting selects ads based on the environment in which they appear. Using keywords, content, domains and metadata, contextual ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. The format enables consumers to engage with brand content in environments where they’re already looking for similar content without reliance on third-party cookies. Instead, contextual targeting relies on context clues and keywords from the full body of text on a page to understand user intent.
As contextual advertising experiences its renaissance, understanding the key contextual terms is more crucial than ever.
Nativo partnered with IAB UK to create a set of standardized definitions to be used across the industry:
Contextual targeting: Contextual targeting is when an ad is targeted based purely on the subject and environment of the content (including but not limited to text, audio, video or images). It is not based on any characteristics of the user and therefore does not rely on any personally identifiable information (PII).
Behavioral targeting: Behavioral targeting is when an ad is targeted based on attributes of the user, as opposed to the targeting being based on attributes of the content.
Cookie-less: When the technology or service does not have any reliance on a web browser’s cookie functionality.
Channel: In broader advertising terms, a channel is the medium or device that an ad is being served on, e.g. mobile, desktop, OOH, TV, CTV, print, radio, podcast.
In digital advertising, channel refers to the format in which the ad message is being communicated, e.g. video ad, audio ad, display banner.
Environment: Environment describes the format of the content that the ad is appearing against, e.g. video, text, podcast, in-app.
You can check out all of the definitions here.
To help advertisers better understand its benefits, Nativo also partnered with the IAB UK to create a guide on contextual targeting called “How to Harness the Power of Contextual Targeting.” You can check out the full guide here.
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