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The value of addressable advertising in the era of AI and privacy-safe identity

Published: January 13, 2026 by Experian Marketing Services

At A Glance

Addressable advertising helps you reach addressable audiences with relevant messages across digital, TV, and streaming. As signals fragment across browsers, apps, and platforms, AI customer segmentation and privacy-first identity separate guesswork from accuracy. Experian brings trusted data, identity resolution, and activation partnerships together so you can connect with people in ways that feel relevant, respectful, and measurable.

A decade ago, you could buy media by broad categories and call it a day. But today, your audience lives in a curated world. They watch what they want, skip what they don’t, and expect what they see to match their interests. Research shows that when ads are tailored to households, people pay more attention, stay engaged longer, and are more likely to remember your ads.

That shift in expectations is why addressable advertising continues to grow. It’s a practical response to how media works today, with audiences moving fluidly across platforms, streaming spread across services, and measurement spanning screens and environments. Under these conditions, reaching the right people depends on clarity, not approximation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) strengthens that clarity. When applied responsibly, AI helps connect signals, deepen audience understanding, and deliver relevant messages while protecting consumer data. The result is advertising that feels more human, not less.

What is addressable advertising?

Addressable advertising is the ability to deliver personalized ads to specific individuals or households and measure results using privacy-safe data and identity. It works across digital, connected TV (CTV), linear TV, and over-the-top (OTT) streaming and relies on strong identity resolution and accurate data inputs to ensure your audience definitions remain consistent across channels and over time.

Benefits of addressable advertising

Addressable advertising changes how advertising performs by delivering messages to defined audiences, reducing wasted impressions, and making results simpler to measure.

BenefitWhat it means for you
ClarityReach the right audience with the personalized messages they want, instead of hoping the right people are watching
EfficiencyAvoid wasted impressions by focusing spend where interest already exists
Higher ROIImprove conversion by delivering messages that feel relevant
Omnichannel consistencyCarry the same message across digital and TV without starting over
Measurable impactConnect exposure to actions so performance is clear
Privacy and complianceActivate audiences responsibly using privacy-safe data, clear governance, and compliant practices

These are some of the reasons that addressable advertising has moved from a niche tactic to a core strategy. When audiences are clear, identity is connected, and measurement is built in, advertising becomes relevant, accountable, and easy to improve over time.

Addressable advertising vs. traditional advertising

Unlike traditional advertising, addressable advertising doesn’t depend on broad exposure or assumptions. It’s personalized by design and measurable by default, making it possible to connect ad exposure to outcomes. Another distinction is in how addressable delivers advertising to audiences and how performance is measured.

Traditional media buysAddressable advertising buys
You pay for broad reachYou pay for relevant reach to defined audiences
Ads run by placement or programAds are delivered to known households or individuals
Personalization is limitedPersonalization is built into delivery
Measurement indicates trends, not who actually actedMeasurement connects exposure to actions by linking ads to defined audiences across channels

But before you can activate addressable advertising, you need to understand who you’re actually trying to reach.

What is an addressable audience?

An addressable audience is a group of people you can identify and reach using data-based targeting. In other words, they’re not anonymous “maybe” viewers. They’re a defined audience you can activate across channels.

Here’s what typically builds addressable audiences:

FactorWhat it isWhy it matters
First-party dataData from your own relationships (site activity, app activity, CRM, emails, purchases)It’s your most direct view of existing customers and prospects
Third-party household and individual dataDemographic, behavioral, lifestyle, interest, and intent attributes from trusted providersIt fills gaps so your audience definitions don’t collapse when your own data is limited
Identity resolutionA privacy-first way to match people across devices, households, and channelsIt improves accuracy so you don’t over-message the same people or miss them entirely
Contextual signalsPage-level, content, or viewing context where ads appearIt reinforces relevance in the moment and complements addressable targeting when identity signals are limited

How Experian helps with addressable audiences

Experian helps you build and activate addressable audiences at scale without losing accuracy or trust. With more than 3,500 syndicated audiences available, you can activate consistently across 200+ destinations — including social platforms like Meta and Pinterest, TV and programmatic environments, and private marketplaces (PMPs) through Audigent.

That means reaching people based on who they are, where they live, and their household makeup, using data governed with care. Our approach is built on accuracy first, which is why Experian data is ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset for key demographic attributes.

And when standard customer segments aren’t enough, Experian Partner Audiences expand what’s possible. These unique audiences are available through Experian’s data marketplace, within Audigent for PMP activation, and directly on platforms like DIRECTV, Dish, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk.

Addressable Advertising

The evolution of addressability and why it matters more than ever

As the media ecosystem shifts, reaching people across browsers, apps, CTV, and streaming platforms has become more complex. Signals are fragmenting everywhere as expectations for relevant, personalized experiences continue to rise, while reliable identifiers become increasingly challenging to access.

Addressable Advertising

In response, addressability is shifting from a channel-specific tactic to an identity-driven approach to reach and measure defined audiences across screens.

That evolution puts new pressure on performance. Marketing budgets require accuracy and accountability, which means targeting must deliver measurable reach and outcomes you can trust.

At the same time, the growth of CTV and streaming is expanding addressable TV opportunities. As CTV inventory grows, so does the need for cross-channel, identity-based activation that works consistently and supports reach, frequency, and measurement in one connected view. That’s why identity has become the foundation for making addressable advertising work today.

When to apply addressable advertising

You don’t need addressable for everything, but it shines when you need your spend to go farther with accurate targeting and resonant messaging.

ScenarioWhy addressable helps
Product launches and seasonal pushesReach people who are more likely to care without flooding everyone else
High-consideration purchases (auto, travel, financial services)Focus on likely intent and suppress audiences that don’t fit
Cross-channel campaigns (digital, TV, mobile)Keep messaging consistent across screens
When using first-party data with AIUse AI customer segmentation to scale responsibly and improve performance without sacrificing accuracy
Regulated categoriesRely on compliant data practices and clearer controls for regulated industries

Addressable advertising is one way to put relevance and respect into practice — but it shouldn’t be the only time these principles apply. Marketers are expected to be thoughtful about who they reach, how often they show up, and how data is used across every channel. Addressable simply makes it easier to live up to that standard when accuracy, accountability, and scale matter most.

Addressable advertising and third-party data

There’s a common misconception that third-party data is no longer useful, but what’s really changed is the environment around it.

In the early days of digital advertising, third-party data often felt like the Wild West. Today, modern third-party data is more transparent, better governed, and held to far higher standards with:

  • Clear data sourcing
  • Documented consent practices
  • Regular quality audits
  • Strict limits on how data can be used

Used responsibly, third-party data plays a critical role in addressable advertising by complementing your first-party data and keeping audience strategies flexible as signals change.

Benefits of third-party data

When paired with identity resolution, high-quality third-party data helps you:

  • Fill first-party gaps: Add demographic, behavioral, and interest-based insight when your own data is limited.
  • Expand prospecting: Reach new audiences through modeling and lookalike expansion.
  • Enrich segmentation: Combine household, behavioral, and interest signals to tailor creative, offers, and messaging to interests for more accurate and personalized activation.
  • Support cross-channel addressability: Maintain consistent audience reach across devices and channels even as individual signals change.

Why work with Experian for your data needs?

At Experian, we approach third-party data with the belief that trust comes first. Our data is privacy-compliant, ethically sourced, and governed by strict standards so you can use it confidently.

Accuracy matters just as much. Our identity and data-quality framework verifies that the data behind your audiences holds up in the real world — a key reason Experian is ranked #1 by Truthset for key demographic attributes.

And because addressable advertising only delivers value when audiences move seamlessly from planning to activation, our audiences are interoperable by design. You can activate them across digital, social, and CTV platforms without rebuilding or reformatting your strategy for each channel.

How AI is redefining customer segmentation

Addressable advertising depends on audiences that stay accurate as people move across devices, platforms, and moments. Traditional segmentation built on static rules and snapshots in time can’t keep up with that reality.

AI customer segmentation analyzes massive sets of household and individual data (such as intent, household demographics, purchase behavior, and content consumption) to identify patterns, predict intent, and group people into addressable audiences.

As the AI advertising ecosystem continues to mature, reflected in industry frameworks like the LUMA AI Lumascape, segmentation and identity have become foundational layers rather than standalone tools. Those audiences update as conditions change, so they stay relevant instead of aging out.

Here’s how AI-driven segmentation supports addressable advertising.

What AI enablesWhy it matters
Predictive, intent-based audiencesAnalyze behavioral and transactional data to group people based on likely next actions
Broader audience availabilityAs more data signals are incorporated responsibly, AI makes it possible to support a wider range of addressable audience options without sacrificing accuracy
Deeper insights from dataDiscover what people care about, how intent is forming, and which signals are most important with larger, more diverse data sets
Real-time audience updatesKeep segments aligned as behaviors change, not weeks later
Higher accuracy, less guessworkRely on data-driven patterns for decision-making instead of assumptions
Ongoing optimizationRefine audiences throughout the campaign lifecycle as performance signals come in

We’ve used machine learning and analytics for decades to support responsible segmentation — balancing performance with privacy and transparency.

That foundation now supports addressable advertising that adapts in real time while staying grounded in trust.

Addressable TV: Targeting in the streaming era

TV has become an addressable channel powered by data and identity resolution. CTV and OTT streaming are booming, while linear TV continues to decline, reshaping how people watch and how advertising works alongside it. For the first time, CTV spending is expected to outpace traditional TV ad spending in 2028, reaching $46.89 billion and signaling that addressable TV is now central to the media mix.

With CTV and OTT platforms, advertising can now be delivered at the household level. That means two homes watching the same show can see different ads based on who lives there and what they like. This is what makes addressable TV possible.

Benefits of addressable TV

As streaming inventory continues to grow, addressable TV creates new ways to bring relevance and accountability to a channel once defined by broad exposure. Experian links identity data across streaming, linear, and digital platforms to help you manage frequency, attribution, and household-level insights in one connected view.

Addressable Advertising

Addressable TV also raises the bar. To manage reach, frequency, and measurement across streaming and linear environments, addressable TV depends on identity resolution that connects households across screens.

Here’s how addressable TV helps you when identity is in place.

What addressable TV enablesWhy it matters
Household-level targetingDeliver messages that reflect who’s watching, not just what’s on
Frequency control across screensReduce overexposure and improve viewer experience
Cross-channel measurement and attributionConnect TV exposure to digital actions, site visits, and conversions
More efficient use of TV spendBring accuracy, accountability, and outcome-based insight to premium inventory and improve reach of streaming-first, harder-to-reach viewer segments

Ultimately, addressable TV isn’t a replacement for linear TV, but it is an evolution. As streaming becomes the default viewing experience, the ability to engage TV audiences with the same care and clarity as digital is essential.

Use cases for addressable advertising

Addressable advertising works across industries because it adapts to how people make decisions. The examples below are illustrative scenarios that show how addressable audiences, identity resolution, and AI-driven segmentation can come together in practice using Experian solutions.

Retail: Seasonal promotions

A home décor retailer could use identity resolution and AI-driven segmentation to build addressable audiences, such as holiday decorators and recent movers, who are more likely to engage during peak seasonal periods.

Campaigns could then be activated across CTV, display, and social, helping the retailer stay visible across screens while tailoring creative to seasonal intent.

Automotive: In-market car buyers

An auto brand might identify consumers nearing lease expiration using automotive-specific data tied to household and individual attributes.

By suppressing current owners, the brand could avoid wasted impressions and activate addressable audiences across OTT and mobile to reach likely buyers during active consideration.

Financial services: Credit card launch

For a new credit card launch, a national bank could use modeled financial segments to reach credit-qualified prospects.

Addressable digital advertising campaigns could apply frequency controls and personalized messaging, balancing reach with relevance while seamlessly measuring response.

Streaming media: New subscriber growth

A streaming platform looking to grow subscriptions could use an identity graph to exclude current subscribers.

Likely viewers could then be targeted across CTV based on content preferences and viewing behavior, keeping spend focused on net-new growth.

Media and entertainment: Audience expansion for a new release

Ahead of a new release, a film studio could use behavioral and lifestyle data to identify likely moviegoers and fans of similar franchises.

Addressable campaigns across CTV and digital video could help drive awareness and opening weekend attendance.

Travel: High-value traveler acquisition

A travel brand could use travel propensity data and household-level demographics to identify frequent flyers and family vacation planners.

Personalized offers could then be activated across display, social, and programmatic channels to increase bookings while keeping spend focused on higher-value travelers.

How Experian enables more effective addressable campaigns

Addressable advertising is most effective when identity, data, and activation are connected from the start.

Experian brings trusted household and individual data, privacy-first identity resolution, and broad activation partnerships together so you can move from audience insights to activation with minimal friction. Here’s how that comes to life across our core offerings.

Identity resolution with Consumer Sync

Consumer Sync connects devices, emails, digital identifiers, and offline data into a single, privacy-safe identity foundation. This connection helps your audiences stay consistent across streaming, linear TV, mobile, and digital despite changing signals.

Audience insight and segmentation with Consumer View

Consumer View supports clear segmentation, prospecting, and enrichment across industries. It combines demographic, behavioral, and interest-based data to help you build accurate, intent-driven audiences that reflect real people, not assumptions. Data is continuously updated and governed for accuracy.

Omnichannel activation with Audience Engine

Audience Engine enables direct activation of Experian audiences across CTV, digital, social, and programmatic platforms. It supports suppression, frequency management, and cross-channel consistency to keep messaging aligned and exposure controlled.

More efficient media through curation and Curated Deals

Curation combines data, identity, and inventory through Experian Curated Deals. These deal IDs, available off-the-shelf or privately, make it easier to activate high-quality audiences and premium inventory in the platforms you already use without custom setup.

AI-enhanced segmentation and optimization

Our AI-enhanced models analyze large data sets to create and refresh addressable audiences in real time, supporting intent-based targeting and ongoing optimization throughout the campaign lifecycle. These models work seamlessly with demand-side platforms (DSPs), ad platforms, and data clean rooms, so audience insights flow directly into activation and measurement without added complexity.

Seamless integration with your ecosystem

As an advertiser, you want addressable advertising to fit naturally into how you already plan and buy media. That’s why integration matters as much as insight.

Experian integrates with leading DSPs, ad platforms, and data clean rooms, so you can activate addressable audiences in the environments you already use without reworking your strategy or adding complexity. This approach helps you:

  • Build and activate addressable audiences: Reach the people you want with accuracy and respect.
  • Activate across channels: Keep messaging consistent across digital, TV, and streaming.
  • Optimize with data ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset: Improve performance using the industry’s most reliable data.

When identity, data, AI, and activation come together, addressable advertising does what it’s supposed to do: deliver relevance naturally, measure impact clearly, and give you confidence in every decision along the way.

That’s the foundation for campaigns people want to engage with.

Start creating campaigns audiences want to see

Experian can help you apply addressable advertising in ways that respect consumers, perform across channels, and stand up to real-world measurement.

Connect with our experts today to explore how addressable audiences, AI-driven segmentation, and identity-powered activation can work together in support of your goals.

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FAQs about addressable advertising

What is addressable advertising?

Addressable data-driven advertising involves delivering personalized ads to specific individuals or households using privacy-safe data and identity.

What is an addressable audience?

An addressable audience is a defined group of consumers you can identify and reach based on known household or individual attributes.

What makes advertising addressable?

Advertising becomes addressable when it’s possible to identify the audience by linking devices and households to people through identity graphs. This allows you to measure ad performance at the audience level and provide more personalized advertising.

Is addressable advertising just for TV?

Addressable advertising isn’t just for TV; it also works across digital, mobile, streaming, and social channels.

How does AI help addressable advertising?

AI improves addressable advertising by analyzing large data sets to predict intent, build more accurate audiences, boost performance over time, and improve your ability to find and build your audiences.

Can addressable advertising work without cookies?

Yes — identity resolution and first-party data are key to cookieless addressability.

How does Experian support addressable advertising?

Experian supports addressable advertising by providing trusted consumer data, privacy-centric identity resolution, and curated audience segments that activate across CTV, digital, mobile, and streaming platforms.


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A deep dive with an Experian partner, AdRoll

In our Ask the Expert Series, we interview leaders from our partner organizations who are helping lead their brands to new heights in AdTech. Today’s interview is with George Castrissiades, General Manager of Connected TV at AdRoll. Premium reach and fragmentation As viewer attention fragments across platforms, how should marketers redefine “premium reach” in CTV to prioritize engagement and audience quality over scale alone? A few years ago, ad supported streaming over-indexed on younger adults, those without much financial history and much more budget conscious. It would have been fair for B2B brands to assume that maybe they weren’t going to find their C-Suite audiences on those channels, and so connected TV(CTV) was positioned as a top of funnel tactic aimed at retail. But that’s all changed – ad-free prices are going up, and ad supported tiers are the norm across the majority of channels. 66% of adults have at least one ad supported streaming channel, and adults today spend nearly as much time streaming movies and TV as they spend on their mobile phones. Now that ad viewing audiences on CTV really span the full spectrum of demo, techno, and firmographic segments, savvy marketers should partner with platforms that offer breadth and depth of targeting and measurement to find the highest value audiences wherever they’re watching CTV and serve them highly relevant ads that draw their attention towards the screen. I know I’m jumping out of my seat whenever I see an AdTech or MarTech ad. Identity and relevance What does a strong identity framework unlock for delivering household- and person-level relevance across screens, and how does it reshape audience planning? In privacy-safe ecosystems, people want to share less data and log in to websites and browsers less frequently. If you can’t resolve a household ID to a CTV device through Safari and other sources of obfuscated identity, you’re going to end up losing a lot of signal along the way. On top of that, targeting smaller, higher-value audiences means this attrition can have a profound impact on your ability to build meaningful reach and use audience forecasts to predict scale. A strong identity framework is the key to maintaining as much of your planned audience as possible and staying true to initial forecasts. AI and outcome planning How is AI evolving CTV from tactical bidding to strategic outcome planning, and what mechanisms are in place to validate true performance lift? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, especially not in advertising. Audiences change where and when they consume media, and so shifting budget to a placement that did well yesterday is like buying a stock when it’s outperforming – the gains might be gone by then! Predictive AI is bridging the gap to find the highest value and most engaged audiences in real time, versus being purely reactive. This helps drive outcomes which we see in the form of pipeline influence, ROAS, and site traffic lift – without exponentially increasing costs. The same is true for account-based marketing(ABM) outcomes – there’s a blend of signals, account “fit” and intent data that needs to be evaluated in a deeper, more intelligent way. AI is helping to find those highest value accounts, even before they’re in market, which means smart marketers aren’t showing up late to the party. Measurement and incrementality What privacy-safe, closed-loop measurement frameworks should become standard to prove incremental visits and sales from CTV campaigns? Working with a dedicated multichannel, full-funnel ad and marketing platform like AdRoll can easily let you know when a user arrives at your site and makes a purchase, but understanding how that customer arrived there and which tactics deserve the credit requires a deeper, more sophisticated workflow. Our partnership with Experian allows all devices in a household to ladder back up to a household ID, so we can ensure accuracy without pivoting on anything personally identifiable. This works perfectly in CTV, an environment that follows an app workflow of user resettable device IDs rather than IP address or email but always connects seamlessly to web tokens including cookies. Accuracy, scale, and privacy are maintained in a proven way – you see this tech underpinning the infrastructure of streaming across all the biggest players, so marketers can rest easy. Creative and commerce How can creative sequencing and shoppable TV experiences convert living-room attention into commerce without compromising user experience or feeling intrusive? I like to say that CTV trades attention for action. Users lean back and focus on the messaging and visuals of the big screen rather than scrambling for the mouse or tapping to close some intrusive pop-up. This focus means that the messaging is absorbed more quickly, but creatives can wear out their welcome just as fast. Sequential messaging really helps to move the messaging along without subjecting the viewer to longer ads where attention wanes, but also increases brand recall and specific product information because the story evolves with each impression. This is a great tactic to use when you want a viewer to take a specific action later – but shoppable ads can help motivate a user to act now, and new formats can really simplify things. Shoppable can feel out of range for most – the top players in this space own major e-comm storefronts and then tie them back into their own demand-side platforms (DSPs), content, and streaming devices. For the rest of us, dipping our toes in slowly through simple and cheap solutions like QR codes can connect audiences right to a web experience from their TVs, or intermediate solutions like interactive video ads. Users love to play around with fun on-screen experiences, and there’s a whole spectrum of crawl/walk/run options available. Trust and governance Which shared guardrails—brand safety, fraud control, and frequency management- are essential to unlocking sustainable, scaled investment in CTV? I’ve always thought of CTV inventory analogously to high-end watches – if you buy from the source or a well-known, reputable dealer, you’re probably buying the real thing. But that fancy timepiece the guy was selling outside the bar, that you swore looked real? Probably not. Untrusted resellers and too-good-to-be-true pricing might mean you’re running ads on a screen at a lonely gas station at 3 am to an audience of no one, and that's not even the worst case scenario. Good relationships and deep pockets can solve brand safety and fraud issues, but not every advertiser is going to have those resources. Brand safety and fraud prevention can reduce workload and help distinguish the good stuff from the growing pool of gray area, arguably, CTV inventory that isn’t what was promised to a customer. Outsourcing this trust also goes a long way, with buyers knowing you’re not grading your own homework. Frequency management is equally as important. Once you have your audience and your good supply, it’s important not to abuse a single household just because they meet your targeting criteria. Reach is your best friend with CTV. Data and audience strategy How do Experian’s syndicated audiences provide a consistent, scalable foundation for planning, activation, and measurement across CTV and digital, and what outcomes are clients seeing? We love to talk about how Experian’s data is such an integral part of so much of streaming’s architecture, and the fact that it’s built on deterministic datasets means you’re getting scaled audiences built on knowledge rather than best guesses. That means a lot when working across multiple channels, privacy-safe environments, and households with an ever-growing number of connected devices. Our customers are always delighted at how precise targeting can be, especially in the B2B/B2C space – and knowing the size of those audiences helps them to understand how budget transforms into reach in a more predictable way. It’s confidence-inspiring to point to a new audience and tell your client that these are their future customers. The best part is showing them the outcomes reporting – we consistently see a massive spike in site traffic and engagement on days when a new Experian syndicated audience is launched! Contact us FAQs Why is identity resolution important in CTV? Identity resolution ensures marketers can connect devices and maintain audience accuracy. Experian's identity solutions help reduce data loss and improve audience forecasts, making campaigns more effective. How can marketers find the right audiences on CTV? With viewer attention spread across platforms, marketers need tools that offer both broad and detailed targeting. Experian's syndicated audiences provide reliable, scalable data to help identify and reach high-value audiences across channels. How can creative strategies improve CTV campaigns? Techniques like sequential messaging and shoppable ads keep viewers engaged and encourage action. Simple tools like QR codes or interactive video ads can connect audiences to web experiences directly from their TVs. How do DSPs benefit from strong identity frameworks in CTV? Strong identity frameworks help DSPs maintain accurate targeting and audience reach, even in privacy-focused environments. By connecting devices to household IDs, solutions like Experian’s Digital Graph ensure DSPs can deliver relevant ads and measure performance effectively across channels. About our expert George Castrissiades General Manager of Connected TV, AdRoll George leads the CTV go-to-market strategy at NextRoll, driving rapid growth and adoption of the channel for both B2B and B2C customers. With a track record of building and scaling CTV solutions, he is focused on developing a strategic playbook that accelerates success in the evolving digital advertising landscape. Before joining NextRoll, George spearheaded CTV product innovation at iSpot.tv and held leadership roles in product and operations at YouTube, VICE Media, Crackle, Roku, and Innovid. His expertise spans product development, monetization, and market expansion. About AdRoll AdRoll is a connected advertising platform built for growth-minded marketers. With powerful AI, flexible campaign tools, and seamless integrations, AdRoll helps mid-sized businesses turn complexity into clarity and clicks into customers. The AdRoll platform delivers full-funnel performance through multi-channel advertising, audience insights, and cross-channel attribution, supporting marketers across industries including ecommerce, technology, financial services, education, and more. For B2B teams, AdRoll ABM extends these capabilities with account-based precision, multi-touch campaigns, and real-time buyer intelligence. Backed by nearly 20 years of data and award-winning support, AdRoll enables marketing teams to advertise smarter, move faster, and achieve more, all from one place. Latest posts

Oct 28,2025 by Experian Marketing Services

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