MarTech Podcast ™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth

AI is revolutionizing contextual advertising, allowing effective campaigns without personal data. Kerel Cooper discusses how AI tools identify suitable content for brands while ensuring privacy. The conversation also covers the shifting dynamics between brands and agencies, with brands steering strategy and agencies executing it. Additionally, the rise of contextual advertising highlights GumGum's influential role in this evolving landscape, blending technology with marketing for smarter ad solutions.

AI's role in contextual advertising is under scrutiny. Kerel Cooper, CMO at GumGum, challenges conventional thinking about digital advertising channels and data usage. He explains how contextual targeting works across display, video, and podcast formats without relying on personal data, while sharing insights on why video has become his top channel choice for reaching today's consumers. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn //  TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI-powered contextual targeting is transforming advertising strategies. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, explains how contextual advertising tools can deliver effective campaigns without relying on personal data. He discusses how AI's ability to understand content context creates more relevant ad placements, addresses skepticism about AI's comprehension of human nuance, and highlights how these technologies continue to improve efficiency while respecting user privacy. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn //  TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cookie deprecation is reshaping digital advertising strategies. Kerel Cooper, CMO at GumGum, explains how contextual targeting delivers effective advertising without relying on personal data. He discusses AI-powered contextual intelligence tools that analyze content for brand safety and suitability, while sharing how marketers can leverage these technologies to maintain campaign performance in a privacy-first digital landscape. Show Notes Connect With:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn //  TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Contextual advertising is making a comeback in digital marketing. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, explains how AI-powered contextual targeting has evolved beyond basic URL matching to analyze entire page content, audio files, and video frames. Modern contextual tools now identify consumer mindset and emotional states to deliver more relevant messaging, while helping brands expand their reach beyond obvious content categories through sophisticated propensity modeling and real-time optimization. Show Notes CHAPTERS:  00:15: History of Contextual Targeting02:18: Contextual vs. Cookie Targeting04:22: Expanding Audience Reach07:12: AI-Powered Content Analysis09:35: Right Person, Right Time11:42: Live Event Targeting Trends14:10: Marketing During UncertaintyCONNECT:Kerel Cooper: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // LinkedIn // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn //  TwitterAI-Powered Contextual Ad Targeting: The Evolution of Smarter AdvertisingIn today's privacy-conscious digital landscape, contextual advertising is experiencing a renaissance. Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at GumGum, joins the podcast to explain how contextual targeting has evolved from basic URL-based approaches to sophisticated AI-powered systems that understand content at a deeper level. With over 20 years of digital media experience, Cooper provides valuable insights into how GumGum's contextual-first digital advertising platform helps brands deliver relevant messages without relying on personal data.The Evolution of Contextual AdvertisingContextual advertising has transformed dramatically since its early days. "Originally, contextual advertising was all about targeting based on the URL, maybe doing some targeting based on keywords," explains Cooper. "If you were at domain.com/autos, we were targeting you in the auto section and you became an auto intender." Today's contextual advertising is far more sophisticated, using AI to analyze entire pages of text, audio files, and videos frame-by-frame to understand content in its proper context and determine consumer mindset.Beyond Basic Domain TargetingModern contextual advertising goes beyond simply matching ads to domain categories. GumGum's technology can analyze the emotional state of users based on the content they're consuming and make intelligent assumptions about their interests. For example, a recent case study with Mars pet care products demonstrated how contextual targeting could expand reach beyond obvious pet-related content. By using GumGum's "Mindset Graph," Mars discovered that their target audiences (heavy dog food buyers, new puppy parents) also consumed content in categories like home and garden, food and drink, and travel – resulting in an 89% higher view-through rate compared to their standard targeting approaches.The AI Advantage in Contextual TargetingAI is at the heart of modern contextual advertising's effectiveness. GumGum's technology uses artificial intelligence to understand the entire content of articles, audio files, and videos, then determines the likely mindset of consumers engaging with that content. This allows for delivering not just the right brand message, but delivering it when consumers are in the optimal mindset to engage with it. As Cooper notes, "You can deliver ads anywhere, you can buy impressions anywhere, but that doesn't mean that they're meaningful."The Right Person, Right Place, Right TimeThe key to effective contextual advertising is understanding when consumers are in the right mindset to receive your message. While no targeting method is perfect, GumGum's technology optimizes throughout campaigns to improve performance. The system can even adapt to real-time events and emotional states – for example, delivering different messages to fans of wi ing versus losing sports teams during a championship game, with perhaps "champagne ads for the wi ers and whiskey ads for the losers."Why Marketers Are Embracing Contextual AdvertisingWith 72% of marketers now using contextual advertising, it's clear this approach is gaining momentum. This growth stems from several factors: increasing privacy regulations limiting cookie-based targeting, marketers seeking to build emotional co ections with consumers, and the improved effectiveness of AI-powered contextual solutions. Cooper advises that regardless of economic uncertainty, "the worst thing that you could do is kill off budgets, pull back from marketing." Instead, marketers should leverage tools like contextual advertising that can reach consumers more efficiently and effectively.ConclusionAs third-party cookies fade away and privacy concerns mount, contextual advertising offers marketers a powerful alternative that doesn't rely on personal data. The evolution from simple domain targeting to sophisticated AI-powered content analysis has transformed contextual advertising into a highly effective approach for reaching consumers in the right mindset. By understanding not just what content people are consuming but the context and emotional state in which they're consuming it, marketers can deliver more meaningful, relevant messages that resonate with their audience and drive better results.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Creator marketing ROI is in crisis. Joseph Perello, CEO of Props, explains how to transform creator content into a performance channel by blending human storytelling with paid media precision. He reveals why scaling individual creators (rather than expanding creator volume) delivers better results, and demonstrates how owned media can drive measurable business outcomes beyond traditional vanity metrics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Demand creation vs. demand capture: which podcast strategy wins? Joe Perello, CEO of Props and former NYC CMO, shares his expertise on turning creator marketing into a performance channel. He explains why brand-owned content is the new frontier for predictable marketing outcomes, demonstrates how to blend creator authenticity with paid media precision, and reveals techniques for converting podcast listeners into qualified leads without relying on traditional metrics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Performance marketing or influencer partnerships? Joe Perello, CEO of Props, reveals how smart marketers are blending creator content with paid media precision. His approach transforms creator marketing into a true performance channel by maintaining full accountability for business results rather than chasing viral hits. Perello demonstrates how owned media content delivers authentic engagement while providing the targeting capabilities and measurable outcomes of traditional performance marketing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Content marketing remains unmeasurable and "mushy" for most CMOs. Joe Perello, CEO of Props and former NYC CMO, shares how to transform creator marketing into a performance channel with measurable outcomes. He reveals techniques for achieving 55-65% open rates across client programs and explains why authentically integrated brand content consistently outperforms traditional advertising when paired with precise targeting and clear calls to action.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Creator marketing needs a performance-driven approach. Joseph Perello, CEO of Props, shares how his company transforms owned media into a measurable marketing channel that delivers predictable outcomes. He explains the strategic balance between video and image content for different marketing objectives, why traditional vanity metrics fall short, and how to blend creator authenticity with paid media precision to drive actionable results.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.