Media Tech Talk #005 - Ben Pheloung (Mantis)
Ben Pheloung - General Manager at Mantis, the AI brand safety and contextual advertising platform used by Nine Entertainment, LADbible Group and Reach PLC - joins Daevid Richards and Paul Luckett to discuss the future of contextual targeting, and how AI is helping publishers reclaim blocked inventory, improve transparency, and build trust with advertisers in a post-cookie world.
In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro and Mantis overview
(02:20) - How AI reads pages for brand safety & context
(05:05) - Real-world examples: The Independent & “safe hard news”
(07:10) - Fixing keyword misfires like “chicken breast” and “shoot out”
(09:25) - The evolution of contextual vs verification vendors
(13:50) - Can AI make contextual tools obsolete or democratise them?
(16:30) - Video and broadcast AI challenges + Nine partnership
(24:29) - Data feeds and how publishers use Mantis signals
(31:32) - Transparency & custom brand safety profiles
(44:30) - AI roadmap and next-gen publisher tools
Guest: Ben Pheloung - General Manager, Mantis | https://www.mantissolutions.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-pheloung-2a0b302b/
Hosts: Daevid Richards & Paul Luckett
🎧 Media Tech Talk explores the intersection of media, technology, and innovation through candid conversations with the people shaping the future of digital advertising.
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