Dave Bernath, CEO of WURL, joins Jeremy Bloom and AdTechGod to discuss the evolution of CTV targeting from broad audience and show-level approaches to scene-level contextual targeting. The conversation explores how AI-powered content analysis is improving ad relevance, performance, and viewer engagement while helping advertisers better align with content in real time.

Takeaways

- Scene-level targeting provides more precision than traditional show-level targeting.

- AI enables real-time analysis of content, emotion, and context.

- Emotional alignment between ads and content can improve campaign performance.

- Contextual targeting drives stronger engagement, recall, and purchase intent.

- Brand safety, transparency, and measurement remain critical priorities.

- Industry collaboration is needed to scale scene-level targeting across CTV.

- CTV continues to offer a premium advertising experience for brands.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the From Show to Scene Series

00:29 The Early Days of CTV Targeting

01:54 Where Traditional Targeting Fell Short

02:41 Why Show-Level Targeting Hasn't Worked in CTV

04:37 The Shift from Shows to Scenes

05:04 How AI Unlocks Scene-Level Contextual Targeting

06:34 The Signals That Matter Most in Contextual Advertising

08:30 Performance Results from Scene-Level Targeting

09:42 What Still Needs to Happen for Scale

11:28 Why CTV Remains a Premium Advertising Opportunity

12:05 Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways