Seekr, known for its AI-driven audio content assessment, has unveiled Align, a programmatic tool dedicated to brand safety and suitability for podcast ad buys. Align uses Seekr’s unique content scoring system with its language model for brands and agencies.
The technology is designed to discern the intent behind content, distinguishing between constructive and inflammatory discussions. Align offers a “Civility Score,” which goes beyond standard metrics to measure the tone and nature of conversations, providing brands the confidence to engage with a wider array of audio content responsibly.
As brands navigate the risks of ad placements during a politically charged year, Align studies the brand suitability of podcasts beyond the Top 100 for brands that wish to keep their mentions away from divisive content as the IAB predicts podcast advertising revenue will surge to $4 billion by 2025.
Seekr President and CTO Rob Clark stated, “In a short period, Align has already evaluated over 8 million minutes of podcasts and applied Seekr’s proprietary scoring, enabling the desired alignment between a brand and content. The volume of content scored by the platform will increase five-fold by the end of the year, far outpacing competitive offerings.”
Independent audio advertising agency Oxford Road’s CEO Dan Granger illustrated, “There is a very different way that Oprah and Alex Jones might treat the same subject in a piece of content. Align supplements [the Global Alliance for Responsible Media brand safety and suitability floor] with more nuanced capabilities…which puts the emphasis on the spirit of the conversation, instead of punishing creators who take a responsible approach to discussing important issues that are potentially controversial.”
