In the digital advertising world, a few months can feel like a decade.

If you haven’t audited your campaign strategy recently, you might be operating using an outdated playbook.

The era of “spray and pray” targeting, relying solely on third-party cookies, is effectively over. Today, the winners in the ad space are those who have embraced the industry’s biggest shift: The move from manual guesswork to AI-driven precision.

At Reach, we’ve spent the last year overhauling our solutions to align with this new reality. Here is how the landscape has shifted, and how our new AI capabilities, powered by tools like Mantis, ensure your strategy isn’t just “keeping up,” but leading the pack.

1. From Keywords to Context (The “Cookie” Fix)

The Old Way: Relying on basic keywords or cookies to track users across the web. The New Reality: Privacy laws and browser changes have made cookies unreliable. How Reach Adapted: We’ve integrated Mantis, our proprietary AI tool powered by IBM Watson.

• What it does: Instead of chasing cookies, Mantis reads content “like a human.” It understands the sentiment and emotion of a page, not just the keywords.

• The Benefit: You can place your ads in safe, relevant, and positive environments without needing invasive tracking data.

2. From “Brand Safety” to “Brand Suitability”

The Old Way: Blocking entire categories of content to avoid risk (e.g., blocking the word “shoot” even if it’s about a football shoot-out). The New Reality: Over-blocking kills your reach and limits your inventory. How Reach Adapted: Our AI doesn’t just block; it understands nuance.

• What it does: Mantis distinguishes between a “crisis” news story and a “safe” sports article using the same words.

• The Benefit: You unlock premium inventory that your competitors are blocking, lowering your costs while keeping your brand safe.

3. From “Did They See It?” to “Did They Care?”

The Old Way: Paying for “impressions” even if the user scrolled past your ad in milliseconds (Vanity Metrics). The New Reality: In a distracted world, Attention is the only currency that matters. How Reach Adapted: We prioritise placement based on engagement, not just visibility.

• What it does: Because our AI places ads in emotionally relevant articles, where user focus is naturally highest, we drive results that standard open-market programmatic can’t touch.

• The Benefit: You reach the right person at the exact moment they are receptive, ensuring your ads resonate with their current reality rather than their past behaviour.

• The Proof: Our AI-driven targeting is 73% more accurate than key competitor tools, delivering an average 42% increase in Click-Through Rate (CTR). You aren’t just buying space; you’re buying engagement.

Don’t Get Left Behind

The tools to navigate this new era are already waiting for you in your Reach account. The industry has evolved; it’s time your campaigns did, too. To find out more about Mantis and our AI-led advertising solutions, please complete the form below.