Seedtag, the global leader in neuro-contextual advertising, is charting a new course under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Brian Gleason, who took the helm in August 2025. In a recent Q&A, Gleason outlined the company's vision for redefining digital advertising through its proprietary AI platform, Liz, and emphasized the importance of bringing emotion, intelligence, and integrity back to advertising.
Gleason, a seasoned ad tech executive with stints at Criteo, GroupM, and Xaxis, highlighted Seedtag's consistent growth as a key differentiator. "We have all seen companies have a good quarter or a good year. What’s impressive about Seedtag is its ability to scale steadily at such a high level," he said. Under his leadership, Seedtag oversees a global team of 700+ across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.
The core of Seedtag's offering is neuro-contextual advertising, powered by its AI, Liz. Unlike traditional contextual methods that rely on keywords or categories, Liz analyzes text, images, video, and emotional cues to understand content in a human-like way. "She has a native comprehension of ten languages and processes millions of articles daily to determine not just what content is about, but why it sparks certain interests, intentions, and emotions in users," Gleason explained. The system also powers AURA by Liz, a creative suite that provides insights and optimization for ads.
A recent innovation is the Liz Agent, a conversational interface that allows brands to query Liz directly for competitive positioning or contextual alignment. This Agentic AI capability makes the platform more accessible and actionable for advertisers.
Seedtag's momentum is evident in its 120% year-over-year growth in North America and expansion into Australia and Canada. Gleason attributed this to the strength of the technology and trust built with brands and agencies. Looking ahead, he sees CTV as a major opportunity. "Contextual in CTV is still an evolving space, and we see huge potential to bring our unique capabilities there," he said. Seedtag's CTV offering, enhanced by the integration with Beachfront, leverages Liz's ability to analyze video content using natural language processing, computer vision, and sentiment analysis, breaking it down into over 11,000 categories and recognizing 600+ objects and 300 situational contexts.
Privacy is central to Seedtag's approach. By focusing on interests, intentions, and emotions rather than personal data, the company addresses industry concerns around the decline of third-party cookies. Gleason noted the strengthened global partnership with Human Security to ensure authenticated, fraud-free inventory.
Seedtag's AI Intention Models distinguish between casual browsing and transactional readiness, improving campaign performance. For instance, a leading automotive client in Spain achieved a Cost per Quality Visit 68% below target and a Cost per Lead 35% below the goal. Gleason advised marketers shifting from demographic to intent-based strategies to embrace contextual advertising, which offers scale and value without intrusive targeting.
As Seedtag expands globally, maintaining culture is key. "Seedtag was born in Madrid, and that will always be the heartbeat of the company," Gleason said. He emphasized the importance of consistency across markets while adapting to local needs, and fostering a team that understands the company's values.
Over the next 12-18 months, Gleason's top priorities include scaling privacy-first advertising, refining AI models, expanding in CTV, and deepening agency partnerships. "Our mission remains clear: putting our clients at the center while bringing emotion, intelligence, and integrity back to advertising," he concluded.
