Integral Ad Science, a global leader in digital media quality, today (26th April 2022) released a new research study, The Power of Context in India, surveying over 500 Indian consumers. This report from IAS explores how context influences consumers’ perception of ads and brands.

Based on its latest study, IAS uncovered the following:

• Indian consumers are extremely receptive to contextually relevant ads: The report suggests a whopping majority of consumers in India; 9 out of 10, say that contextual relevance is important and that it impacts their perception of the surrounding brands and advertisements. 

• In India contextual relevance is preferred across all verticals: When shown articles representing different verticals, consumers always preferred contextual relevance. Across the board, consumers paired the ads they prefer with articles categorised in the same content vertical. For example, 86% of consumers preferred to see a Telco ad next to a mobile phone article and 83% of consumers preferred watching the food and beverage ad next to the food and beverage article. This trend continued across all verticals. 

• Contextually relevant ads are more favourable and memorable to Indian consumers: Contextually relevant ads impacted consumers beyond preference. Relevant ads were not only more memorable but also more likely to foster a favourable consumer opinion toward the brand. Ninty-one percent of consumers have a more favourable opinion of brands with contextually relevant ads and 95% of consumers are likely to remember a contextually relevant ad.

“The Power of Context research shows that the quality of an advertising environment can influence how consumers perceive ads and associated brands. The study shows that 89% of consumers agree that the sentiment of content impacts feelings toward brands advertising on the page,” said Saurabh Khattar, commercial lead, India at IAS. “Contextual targeting represents a major opportunity for brands in 2022 and understanding how context influences consumers’ perception of ads is critical to capturing long-term interest. For marketers, this is essential to stand out within increasingly crowded marketplaces and drive action as a result of ads.”