Consider the context in which communication is consumed

Beware of the consequences of a negative context surrounding your marketing communication.

Emotion has no hard stop. How I am left feeling in the moment will affect how I process the next moment. This is true for both residual positive and negative feelings. Therefore, the context in which marketing communicates is both an opportunity and a threat.

An element of optimising advertising effectiveness is controlling the context in which the communication is consumed. Objectively measured, advertising effectiveness is reduced by 25% when an ad immediately follows a negative context. Context effects can arise from preceding programming or advertising or surrounding content such as the online news.

A hidden cost of programmatic buying is the risk of relinquishing control of your brand’s surroundings. That is, the context in which your communications are viewed.

CONCLUSION:
Brand safety concerns arise when brand advertising appears alongside or following unsavoury content. A lift in advertising effectiveness can be achieved by managing context.