Breaking Through Seasonal Clutter with IRIS-enabled™ Contextual Targeting

The holiday season is a critical time for brands, with November and December driving nearly 20% of annual revenue for retailers. Yet standing out has become increasingly challenging as audiences split their attention across multiple devices and platforms while also seeking out more cost-effective purchase options.

Magnite’s partnership with IRIS.TV offers a solution. By leveraging Magnite’s ClearLine platform and IRIS-enabled™ Contextual Segments, brands can seamlessly align their ads with the themes and moods viewers are already engaged with. In a high-stakes season, combining content with context is a powerful way to capture attention, drive relevance, and create lasting brand impact.

How IRIS-enabled™ Contextual Targeting Shines 

IRIS.TV’s expansive data marketplace scans over 50 million videos, leveraging top contextual intelligence providers to create high-quality segments. These IRIS-enabled™ segments deliver real-time targeting, aligning ads with the themes, topics, and sentiments of video content to ensure placements in highly relevant environments.

With IRIS-enabled™ contextual segments, brands can:

• Place ads in highly relevant video environments by targeting viewers based on the themes and emotions of the content they’re watching in real-time.
• Maintain control over brand safety and suitability with precise targeting.
• Scale across premium video inventory with standardized, privacy-compliant data.

Beyond engagement, IRIS-enabled™ targeting offers robust controls to ensure ads appear alongside appropriate content. With privacy top of mind, these segments provide a scalable, privacy-first solution that delivers impact while respecting consumer data.

Carl’s Jr. Cuts Through the Clutter

When Carl’s Jr. set out to stand apart in a high-stakes market, the goal was clear: boost awareness and drive in-store traffic. Partnering with PMG, the brand turned to IRIS-enabled™ targeting to reach connected TV viewers with precision.

The results were striking: a 35% lift in visits, a 152% increase in sales, and a 2.2X return on ad spend (ROAS). Additionally, the campaign drove a 6X increase in brand awareness and a 4X improvement in favorability—proving the value of contextual targeting in delivering measurable outcomes.

For brands looking to break through the seasonal noise, Carl’s Jr. provides a roadmap: relevance and timing are key to winning the holiday season.

As Michael Treon, Head of CTV and Video Strategy at PMG, attested, “IRIS.TV enables us to scale beyond human-centric curation and audience-based targeting alone. The scale and segmentation across FAST inventory not only offer us incremental delivery against our audience and strategy but afford us the ability to message within key environments and alongside relevant content. In addition, it’s delivering results that drive direct business outcomes for our clients.”

Simplifying Holiday Campaigns with More Relevant and Effortless Strategies

Activating IRIS-enabled™ segments through Magnite’s ClearLine platform is as easy as flipping a switch. With pre-defined segments ready to go from data partners, including 4D, Captify, GumGum, Illuma, KERV.ai, Mobian, Pixability, Reticle, Samba TV, Sightly, Silverpush, SpotRunner and more, advertisers can effortlessly match their ads with seasonal interests. This seamless setup allows brands to scale their reach and deliver contextually relevant content, helping their message resonate amidst the holiday bustle. Magnite’s ClearLine platform also offers reporting tools to help you track and refine campaigns, ensuring that each message reaches its full potential.

Why Video-Level Contextual Targeting Is Here to Stay

While holiday campaigns are a prime time for IRIS-enabled™ segments, the benefits go beyond the season. As privacy standards continue to evolve, brands need long-term solutions that are scalable and privacy-safe. By placing ads in relevant real-time environments, Magnite and IRIS.TV offer a strategy that respects consumer data and drives results year-round.

Ultimately, Magnite and IRIS.TV’s collaboration is here to help brands cut through streaming content noise, delivering ad experiences that truly connect. 

Reach out to your Magnite representative today to see how IRIS-enabled™ segments can help you make this season your best yet.