Building Trust with Contextual AI: Inside December19's Media Strategy
Sam Griffith, Head of Digital at December19, discusses how the agency's partnership with Illuma is helping clients navigate B2B's toughest challenges – from fragmented audiences to the pressure for demonstrable ROI.
The B2B landscape is becoming increasingly complex.
Longer sales cycles, harder-to-reach audiences, and mounting pressure to prove value create a perfect storm for marketers trying to break through. Add to this the reality that only 5% of business audiences are in-market at any given time, and it's clear why so many brands struggle to gain traction.
This is where original thinking matters.
In a recent conversation with illuma, our Head of Digital Sam Griffith explored how December19 is using contextual AI to solve these challenges – without compromising the transparency that defines everything we do.
Transparency as a Starting Point
"Our approach starts with original thinking rather than inherited wisdom," Sam explains. "Where some agencies might present black-box solutions, we open everything up. Every decision, every cost, every performance metric is completely visible to our clients."
This philosophy extends to how we evaluate and work with technology partners. When assessing illuma's contextual AI platform, the question wasn't just about performance – it was about explainability.
"illuma's contextual AI aligns perfectly with our philosophy because it provides clear, explainable insights about where and why we should place media," says Sam. "We can show clients exactly how contextual signals are informing our strategy, rather than asking them to trust a black box algorithm."
AI That Enhances, Not Obscures
At December19, we focus on AI that enhances human decision-making rather than replacing it.
Illuma's technology fits this approach by helping us move beyond basic demographic targeting to understand the actual context where messages will be seen.
"This means we can be more strategic about moment-to-moment placement decisions while maintaining full visibility into the reasoning behind each choice," Sam notes. "It's a privacy-first approach to scale reach and performance without cookies, complementing cookie-based look-alikes for net new reach. Placing ads adjacent to relevant content in moments that correlate with attention and engagement can really help drive performance."
Solving Real B2B Challenges
The partnership has proven particularly valuable for B2B clients dealing with the sector's unique pressures.
As Sam identifies: "B2B clients are dealing with longer sales cycles, more complex decision-making, and increasing pressure to demonstrate clear ROI. Many come to us frustrated by a lack of clarity about where their budget is going or why certain channels are being prioritised."
Market dynamics make this worse. The persistent focus on immediate activation rather than long-term brand building creates a strategic blind spot.
That's why December19 invests in econometric modelling – it gives B2B clients confidence that brand investment is as trackable as performance marketing.
There's another challenge that often goes unaddressed: the false economy of playing it safe. "Being dull isn't safe, it costs," Sam emphasises. "When everyone in your category sounds the same, you're making your brand invisible."
Real Results: The MHR Case
Since beginning the partnership with illuma in early 2024, they've grown to become a key partner across multiple client accounts.
The work with MHR – an HR, Finance and Payroll software business – demonstrates the value of adaptive contextual targeting.
"As audiences become harder to engage and media becomes more fragmented, finding new contextual segments beyond our typical predefined audiences has really helped us in driving performance," Sam explains. "CTRs are consistently higher than average and illuma Reacts' ability to optimise live has allowed us to find those changing segments which can differ from day to day.
When the Data Says Something Unexpected
Real-time optimisation sometimes reveals insights that challenge initial assumptions. This creates a tension: how do you navigate the gap between what the data suggests and what clients expect?
For Sam, this is where transparency becomes crucial: "We present the evidence clearly: here's what the context is telling us, here's why the original approach isn't optimal, and here's exactly how this adjustment will improve results. Because our clients can see our complete reasoning process, they're more willing to trust recommendations that might feel counterintuitive."
The key principle? Never surprise clients. "If we're seeing signals that suggest a strategic shift, we flag it early and explain our thinking before taking action."
Looking Ahead
The partnership with Illuma reflects December19's broader commitment to doing things differently – not for the sake of disruption, but because media, as it's traditionally done, doesn't always serve the client well.
As the agency continues to invest in its AI taskforce and embed creativity deeper into media thinking, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology and transparency can work together. The goal isn't to replace human expertise with algorithms, but to give strategists clearer insights and clients greater confidence in where their investment is going.
That's what redefining industry norms looks like in practice: not just challenging outdated thinking, but proving there's a better way forward.
🔗 Read the full interview on the illuma blog: https://weareilluma.com/building-trust-with-contextual-ai-inside-december19s-media-strategy/