Imagine you’re planning your next holiday. As you scroll through dreamy destinations, a wave of excitement builds. You can almost feel the fresh ocean breeze as you relax on a sunbed. Then, something bolder catches your eye: going hot air ballooning through a cinematic desert. The rush of adrenaline kicks in, fuelled by a craving for adventure. Then suddenly, another less daunting getaway pops up. You start exploring family-friendly resorts with all-inclusive comfort. As you picture laughter by the pool and shared memories, a sense of calm and gratitude settles in.
This is how we move through the digital world – from excitement to nostalgia, from thrill to curiosity. Did you know 70 per cent of consumers with high emotional engagement spend twice as much on brands they are loyal to? What if advertising could tap into these emotional moments? Recent advances in AI and large language models are making it possible.
From scanning pages to understanding people
Contextual advertising has long been associated with page-level insights, placing ads next to similar topics and contexts. Think travel ads on travel blogs, or running shoes next to sports articles. But reaching people at peak engagement is far more complex. We don’t just consume content; we respond to it emotionally.
Neuro-contextual advertising understands that consumer motivations are granular, time-sensitive, and emotionally driven. Powered by neuroscience principles and advanced AI embeddings, this approach interprets content in a human-like way, understanding deeper signals of interest, emotion, and intention in real time—all while respecting the privacy of users.
Instead of asking what someone is looking at, neuro-contextual AI asks why. Why is this person engaging with this content right now? What’s driving their attention? Leveraging neuro-contextual AI, brands can deliver messages that align with how people engage, feel, and make decisions, not just what they’re reading or watching.
The three pillars of effective targeting
Emotions are powerful drivers of action. They shape what we remember, how we decide, and which brands we connect with. But emotion doesn’t act alone – it’s the combination of emotions, interests, and intentions that forms the trifecta of consumer engagement.
Interest captures attention by aligning with contextual relevance and familiarity, making messages easier to notice and recall. Intention drives engagement and action, channelling goal-directed focus, matching the user’s stage in the journey, and activating real-time needs. When ads meet people at the intersection of emotional relevance, genuine interest and active intention, they’re far more likely to drive meaningful outcomes across the full marketing funnel – all while staying fully aligned with evolving data privacy standards.
Matching mood to message
When combined with generative AI, neuro-contextual advertising unlocks a new creative frontier. Advertisers can adapt visuals, tone, and messaging to mirror the emotional landscape of the content users are engaging with.
Imagine a car ad: fast-paced, action-fueled clips for thrill-seekers consuming adrenaline-heavy content, or calm, emotive visuals and softer fonts when placed next to nostalgic, family-focused stories. Same product, different emotion, greater impact.
Research shows that consumers value the feelings their purchases evoke as much as the items themselves. Emotionally intelligent advertising doesn’t just sell products; it builds connection, loyalty, and meaning. The future of advertising lies in understanding not just who your audience is, but how they engage, feel, and make decisions, and meeting them there.
When we shift from targeting identities to connecting through emotion, interests, and intention, we create moments that truly matter.
By Sherry Mansour, Managing Director at Seedtag MENA
