Neuro-Contextual Advertising: From Industry Innovation to eMarketer’s Number One Trend

Earlier this year, we introduced Neuro-Contextual Advertising, Seedtag’s new evolution in marketing innovation that combines neuroscience principles with Agentic AI to interpret interest, emotion, and intent in real time. This represents a decisive evolution from traditional contextual targeting, moving beyond reading pages to truly understanding people and what drives them.

At the heart of this transformation is Liz, our proprietary, fully in-house Neuro-Contextual AI. Liz mirrors the sophistication of human thought by interpreting cognitive signals in real time and delivering high-quality, privacy-first, full-funnel advertising across premium CTV, video, and the open web. Building on this neuro-contextual understanding, Seedtag utilizes the Liz Agent, powered by the latest advancements in Agentic AI, to autonomously activate Liz’s intelligence through an intuitive, conversational interface. Because Liz is developed entirely in-house, we have full control over its evolution, ensuring our technology stays ahead in the privacy-first era without relying on third-party tracking or personal data.

Now, this vision is being recognized on a global stage. eMarketer’s “Tech Trends H1 2025” report has named Neuro-Contextual Advertising as the number one trend at the intersection of AI and neuroscience, and placed Seedtag at the forefront of this transformation. For us, this is more than industry recognition, it is validation of a shift we have been driving for years, and a signpost for where digital advertising is headed next.

1. Why This Recognition Matters.
2. From Innovation to Impact.
3. A Turning Point for the Industry.
4. Looking Ahead Marketing Innovation.

Why This Recognition Matters

As eMarketer states in its Tech Trends H1 2025 report, “AI-powered neuro-contextual advertising is revolutionizing how brands target consumers. Companies like Seedtag are combining neuroscience research with real-time emotional state detection.”

eMarketer’s recognition of neuro-contextual advertising as the top trend highlights its growing importance for brands, agencies, and publishers navigating the evolving advertising landscape. The future of advertising lies not in static keywords or third-party data, but in understanding the human psyche in a privacy-first way.

The report emphasizes several key differentiators of Seedtag’s approach:

• Real-time emotional intelligence: analyzing context and viewing patterns to detect emotional states as they happen.
• Dynamic creative alignment: adjusting ad tone from upbeat creative during high-energy moments to more subdued messaging in reflective contexts.
• Privacy-first delivery: achieving precision targeting without cookies or user tracking, aligning with the expectations of a privacy-first era.

From Marketing Innovation to Impact

When we launched Neuro-Contextual advertising, we set out to answer a critical need. We wanted to deliver advertising that feels timely, resonates emotionally, and drives measurable outcomes while respecting privacy.

Our approach is built on three cognitive pillars:

• Interest: Liz connects real-time content signals to broader user interests, helping brands reach people based on what truly matters to them.
• Emotion: Liz detects the emotional tone of content to deliver ads that align with how users feel, creating deeper and more human connections.
• Intent: By analyzing context, Liz anticipates the goal a person has in mind when engaging with content, whether they are browsing, researching, or ready to convert.

Liz is both the intelligence that extracts audience insights on interest, intent, and emotion, and the AI Agent that activates those insights to create, customize, and optimize campaigns in real time. This integration ensures campaigns are continuously optimized, and remain relevant at every stage of the funnel.

A Turning Point for the Industry

In a crowded adtech landscape, external validation from a respected source like eMarketer matters. It signals that neuro-contextual is not a niche experiment; it is a defining trend shaping the future of advertising.

As the report notes, “Companies like Seedtag are pioneering technology that understands viewer mindset… Using neuroscience-trained AI, Seedtag’s platform intuits interests, emotions, and purchase intent by analyzing context and viewing patterns.”

Advertising has always aimed to connect brands with their audiences in the right place and at the right time. Historically, digital advertising intelligence relied heavily on methods like keyword matching, URL targeting, and basic content categorization. While these tools had their place, they offered only a surface-level understanding of audience context.

Traditional contextual targeting could tell you that a user was reading an article about electric cars, but not whether the article was a glowing review or a critical takedown — or whether the reader was simply curious, seriously considering a purchase, or already decided against it. As privacy regulations tightened and consumer expectations grew, this gap became a critical weakness.

Neuro-contextual advertising closes that gap. By combining neuroscience principles with advanced AI, it moves from simply identifying “what” content is about to understanding “why” a person is engaging with it, and “how” they are likely to feel and act next.

For brands and agencies, this means

• Access to full-funnel outcomes across premium CTV, video, and open web.
• Audience intelligence that is dynamic, scalable, and privacy-first.
• A competitive advantage in engaging consumers in moments that matter most.

Looking Ahead Marketing Innovation

Recognition from eMarketer is just the beginning. We are continuing to refine Liz’s capabilities, expand the functionality of the Liz Agent, and explore partnerships in neuroscience to advance the scientific expertise at the core of our approach.

Our mission remains the same: to help brands win their audiences by tapping into their interests, emotions, and intentions, and to do so in a way that is respectful, relevant, and results-driven.

The future of advertising is not just about being seen; it is about being understood. And with neuro-contextual advertising at the forefront, that future is already here.

Source: eMarketer, Tech Trends H1 2025.

Discover how Seedtag’s Neuro-Contextual Advertising can help your brand win audiences through their interests, emotions, and intentions. Learn more about this marketing innovation trend here.