AMENIA, N.Y. – Digital advertising has financed the broad availability of free stuff for consumers, whether it’s educational videos on YouTube or Web-based software for creators or encrypted messaging. Unfortunately, the vibrancy of this digital environment is threatened because of outdated methods to determine whether content is brand-safe.
“The problem is the technology that was built back then is still being used today,” Jonah Goodhart, co-founder of Mobian, said in this interview at the Beet Retreat Berkshires with Beet.TV contributor Rob Williams. “That technology, by and large, is de-funding news, and broader than news, credible content.”
A lack of transparency has given rise to what are known as made-for-advertising websites that focus on generating traffic from social media and search engines with a mix of clickbait headlines and content of varying quality.
“When you don’t have proper contextual controls in place, what happens is, you’re told, ‘just buy generic content, buy entertainment, buy puppies, buy stuff that’s not going to get you in trouble,’” Goodhart said. “MFA, made for advertising, is one of those unintended consequences of our industry.”
Unlocking Emotional Insights
Newer technologies such as artificial intelligence can help marketers to better understand where their advertising dollars are going, Goodhart said. AI is capable of unlocking deeper insights into how content affects the emotional state of the viewer.
“Emotion is a very powerful idea. It’s something that’s very human, but at the same time, AI has enabled technology to allow us to measure concepts like emotion in content,” Goodhart said.
While many advertisers want their messaging to be associated with positive emotions such as joy, others may want to appear in content that makes people anxious, Goodhart said. He pointed to insurance companies that want to show how they can provide peace of mind to worried customers, or a chocolate brand that wants to reach people who enjoy sweets when they want to relax.
“It’s a really exciting time where AI and the latest and greatest technology can be used to empower marketers to be more nuanced with how they do contextual, with how they understand brand safety and suitability, but also find inventory that is, in fact, safe,” Goodhart said.
You’re watching “Beet Retreat Berkshires 2024”. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
