IAS announces enhancements to Context Control

Integral Ad Science (IAS) has announced enhancements to its Context Control solution for publishers and advertisers. Context Control helps advertisers to circumvent inappropriate environments for digital advertising as well as to reach audiences consuming specific types of content. Advertisers can now select from more than 300 contextual segments, whether to protect brand reputation or target relevant audiences. Publishers can boost inventory value by matching contexts to advertisers’ needs.

One recent activation saw a 20% lift in CPMs and a 120% lift in clickthrough rates. The tool is available through a number of leading DSPs including Adform, Amobee and MediaMath.

Why we care. They’re taking the cookies away! Nobody really knows yet, but perhaps post-cookie digital advertising will be a successful, rewarding mix of first-party identity-based targeting, FLoC and the established walled gardens. On the other hand, reach might be decimated. If anything like the latter happens, contextual targeting, which doesn’t rely on identities at all, is going to be back in fashion with a vengeance.