The Right Context and Tone in CTV Ads Can Boost Brand Impact by 82%

by Frankie Karrer

• A study from IAS and Neuro-Insights found that aligning ads with the tone of the streaming content that’s being watched improves brand recall by 14%.
• That’s not all — matching context increases brand recall by 39%, and both context and tone together raises it by 49%.
• The perfect recipe for recall is aligned tone and context, along with repetition. This combination can improve performance by as much as 82%.
• However, brands should be careful not to serve an ad too frequently — by the third viewing, brand impact starts to drop off, with the fourth viewing showing a 26% decline.

In the growing landscape of Connected TV, it’s become even more important for advertisers to get their messaging right. A study by IAS and Neuro-Insight highlights how ads that match both the tone and context of the content being watched significantly boost brand impact. Specifically, aligning tone improves brand recall by 14%, matching context increases it by 39%, and when both are in sync, it jumps by 49%. These insights indicate that for an ad to be memorable, it needs to connect with the content that viewers are already engaged with.

Frequency plays a role too: showing an ad multiple times can lead to diminishing returns. After the third viewing, brand impact starts to drop off, with the fourth viewing leading to a 26% decline. However, matching both tone and context can help mitigate that, improving ad performance by as much as 82%, even with repeated exposure. The takeaway is clear: relevance matters, and contextually aligned ads can create stronger connections with viewers, making them more likely to resonate.

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