5 Lies to Spot a Contextual Charlatan

Your Guide to Identifying Contextual Con Artists Coming For You

Con #1? - They Say They Scan The Full Content of a Page - They Don’t?

Contextual providers love to talk a big game, claiming they go beyond basic keyword targeting to reach consumers based on their interests. But, contextual charlatans fail to scan the full content on the page, including visual content such as images and videos - losing out on troves of suitable, targetable inventory every single day.

Con #2?- They Claim They Provide Research-Backed Solutions- They Don’t

Contextual con artists will tell you their capabilities are backed by research and proven to be effective and successful. But, let us ask you - where is the evidence? Are these contextual providers accredited? If so, by whom??

Most providers rely on third-party technologies for their contextual solutions, and therefore, are not full-proof, and do not have the research or accreditation to back up their claims. On the other hand, GumGum’s contextual intelligence technology is in-house, and is fully accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC) for content and brand safety.?

Con #3 - They Say they are Blocking Harmful Content- They’re Not

It’s smoke and mirrors when it comes to brand safety. Contextual charlatans pride their capabilities on keeping brand messaging safe from harmful, unsafe and damaging content. But, triggered by keywords, most brand safety vendors end up over-blocking content, even content that is safe and usable. This limits their access to targetable inventory and stunts brand reach.

Con #4 - They Say They Do Natural Language Processing - They Can’t

Contextual cheaters have no problem bending the truth when it comes to their technological prowess, claiming their technology can identify not only the content, but the context of pages online. But, these same crooks don’t have the first clue about Natural Language Processing (NLP) or Semantic Analysis that are crucial in deriving meaning from bodies of text.

Con #5 - They Say They are Equipped for a Cookie-less Future - They’re Not

With cookies on their way out, contextual liars will assure you that their targeting capabilities are future-proof. No cookies, no problem. But, these same frauds are heavily reliant on third-party data tracking to run their ad campaigns. So, how can they promise anything else?

To learn more about Contextual Advertising, reach out to [email protected].