At A Glance
Yahoo DSP is building toward a “DSP as infrastructure” model that plugs into advertisers’ existing workflows, tools, and agents. In this Q&A, Yahoo DSP shares how Yahoo ConnectID, interoperability, and Yahoo Blueprint Performance support targeting and measurement across CTV, live sports, and the open web. The interview closes with practical activation plays using Experian Audiences in Yahoo DSP.
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 Jessica Rocco, a Business Development Senior Director at Yahoo DSP (demand-side platform), about the shift toward agentic workflows and identity-led performance.
How is Yahoo DSP shifting from a platform to infrastructure?
Yahoo DSP has been positioning itself as more of a data backbone than a destination UI. What are the most important integrations you’re building for, and what does ‘plug-in ready’ look like in practice for an advertiser?
We’re moving from DSPs as destinations to DSPs as infrastructure, as the industry shifts toward agentic workflows. This transformation is driven by data-led decisioning, greater standardization, with the ecosystem ready for it.
The last decade DSP competition has been primarily about UI features. That era is behind us. Today, differentiation comes from exclusivity, integrations, and interoperability. This means at Yahoo DSP we are thinking about where our partners and advertisers are and where they want to be. In practice, that may mean they never log into our UI at all.
Instead, Yahoo DSP becomes a flexible, plug-in-ready infrastructure that integrates directly into their workflows, tools, and agents. That’s why we’re building around two themes:
- Data: Yahoo DSP’s data can be made accessible through performance tools, transforming it into actionable insights that drive better outcomes for advertisers.
- Agentic AI: We see the opportunity to make a range of human and non-human activities more efficient, and we offer different paths based on the advertisers’ needs:
- Use our native agents in Yahoo DSP for better performance and faster execution.
- Combine our tools with external agents to unlock better decisioning and increased automation.
- Fully decouple the concept of UI and enable end-to-end workflows powered by your or your partners’ agents.
In summary, we’re building a flexible and interoperable environment where advertisers can bring their planning, buying, and measurement technologies and leverage the Yahoo data and tools to enable more efficient and higher-performing media buying.
Why does identity sit below the interface at Yahoo DSP?
When you say the advantage sits below the interface, what are the core identity building blocks today, and how are you measuring progress, authenticated reach, match rates, deduplication, or something else?
Yahoo DSP treats identity as the performance layer that runs through the full campaign lifecycle. At Yahoo DSP, the core building block of that advantage is Yahoo ConnectID. It’s always activated in Yahoo DSP and powers every step of the campaign lifecycle. Built on top of our Identity Graph and today reaches 213 million logged-in users in the U.S. and 345 million globally (Yahoo data Q1 2026).
The building blocks of our Identity Graph include:
The proof is in the numbers: 90% of Yahoo DSP spend runs on Yahoo ConnectID-enabled supply, reflecting the scale, trust, and performance that identity-driven activation delivers.
Why do CTV and live sports validate Yahoo DSP’s approach to identity?
Live sports are one of the toughest environments to get right on connected TV (CTV). Why is it a strong showcase for the Yahoo DSP identity approach, and can you share an example of impact you’ve seen on deduplicated reach or cost per unique household?
When it comes to live sports, the challenge is the scale of concurrent viewers. When an ad break occurs during a live sports event, our platform receives a spike of bid requests, which can cause buyers to exhaust their budgets too quickly, leaving valuable inventory unfilled later in the event.
We address this challenge with Yahoo Blueprint Performance, our enhanced AI-driven algorithm, which bids and paces more effectively, with 10x faster response times that consider the size of the spike and the advertiser’s remaining budget and flight (Internal Yahoo DSP data, Q4 2025). The result is not only more of the advertiser’s budget being spent during the event, but also a smoother distribution of impressions throughout the entire event.
Yahoo ConnectID is a key input into Yahoo Blueprint Performance. It enhances effectiveness by enforcing reliable frequency capping at the Household and/or user level, eliminating wasted impressions, improving media budget allocation, and ultimately driving better, more cohesive consumer experiences.
How should marketers activate commerce signals for intent with Yahoo DSP?
As shopper intent and transaction signals come in from commerce partners, what’s the recommended activation workflow, and where do those signals deliver the biggest lift alongside CTV and the open web?
Commerce signals have indeed brought new opportunities for advertisers. Commerce media networks are goldmines of deep audience insights such as consumer behavior, purchasing patterns, product preferences, and more. These addressable audiences offer a perfect opportunity for advertisers to activate effective campaigns. At Yahoo DSP we enable advertisers to activate data from all leading commerce data companies, from retail media networks to travel media networks and a wide range of complementary data partners.
The recommended activation for advertisers is to maximize the effect of these data signals by tying them to a strong identity. This ensures that they maximize their scale and reach consumers across devices and channels. That’s why in Yahoo DSP, Yahoo ConnectID is always on to ensure precision and scale.
Additionally, it’s important that data is being activated across channels, especially CTV. Combining commerce data with CTV enables advertisers to reach engaged audiences while delivering premium, relevant ad experiences. Today, CTV is increasingly influencing mid- and lower-funnel performance. At Yahoo DSP, we provide access to 100% non-walled garden CTV inventory, giving advertisers scaled reach beyond closed ecosystems and enabling consistent identity-based activation across the open web.
Finally, commerce media networks can maximize impact by leveraging solutions that enable them to use their data for measurement and optimization. For example, Yahoo In-Flight Outcomes (IFO) allows advertisers to tie programmatic media investments to sales – even on a SKU level – and in-store visits in near real time. Yahoo Blueprint Performance, our advanced AI model, uses this data for in-flight optimizations that drive results. For example, a leading retail network saw a 22% lift in ROAS when activating Yahoo IFO (Yahoo DSP Q1-Q2 2025).
What drives DSP selection/decision in buyer evaluations in 2026?
In competitive bake-offs, what’s pushing brands and agencies towards their choice of DSP right now: Identity, supply quality, measurement, service model, or economics? And what objections are you hearing most that you’ve had to address head-on?
Identity remains top of mind, as advertisers seek scaled, deterministic reach in a privacy-centric manner. Yahoo ConnectID provides that through the scale and quality of Yahoo data, built on hundreds of millions of authenticated users, enriched by interoperability with all leading data companies, such as Experian. Our foundation enables accurate targeting, holistic frequency management, and true omnichannel measurement, while delivering more cohesive ad experiences for consumers.
Second, supply quality and transparency are common concerns. Advertisers want assurance that they are accessing premium, brand-safe inventory and that their investments are working as intended. We address this through direct publisher relationships, curated supply paths, and transparent buying models that allow advertisers to make efficient, informed decisions.
Measurement is another challenge. Brands increasingly expect programmatic investments to prove impact against real business outcomes, not just media metrics. We meet this head-on with proprietary measurement solutions powered by Yahoo data, such as proprietary studies and Yahoo In-Flight Outcomes, complemented by partnerships with leading third-party vendors.
Our teams act as an extension of internal marketing teams, helping unlock smarter budget allocation and performance optimization. Ultimately, the connective tissue across identity, supply, measurement, and optimization is data. That’s why we continue to see programmatic investment consolidate around platforms that have scaled, high-quality first-party data. Strong 1P data is the backbone of effective programmatic, and we continue to see investment shift toward platforms that can offer it at scale and with quality, and Yahoo DSP remains top of mind for advertisers.
Finally, through our Agentic AI solutions, we increase team efficiency and minimize time spent on manual tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value strategic decisions.
What are practical use cases for Experian Audiences in Yahoo DSP?
With Experian audiences available in Yahoo DSP, what are 2–3 ‘go-to’ plays advertisers should run (e.g., prospecting, mid-funnel qualification, suppression, measurement improvement), and what success metrics should they watch to prove incrementality?
I’ll start with a prospecting use case. Yahoo DSP advertisers can activate Experian’s demographic, lifestyle, household and credit propensity segments to identify high-value prospects, while suppressing their own first-party audiences such as CRM lists, site visitors or recent purchasers to ensure that they are truly reaching net new customers.
Advertisers can easily leverage the Yahoo Conversion API (CAPI) to send conversion data back to Yahoo DSP and be able to track incremental conversions from these new audiences.
Another example is reaching audiences that are in the market for a purchase. In this case, advertisers can combine Experian’s category-specific audiences, such as auto intenders, with Yahoo search signals to intersect household qualification with real-time intent. For example, an automotive brand can reach consumers who not only fall within priority income bands but are also actively searching for vehicle models or categories.
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About our experts
Jessica Rocco, Senior Director, Business Development at Yahoo DSP
Jessica Rocco is a Senior Director of Business Development for Yahoo Demand-Side Platform (DSP), with over 15 years of experience driving strategic data initiatives and partnerships across the programmatic advertising ecosystem, with a focus on identity, targeting, and measurement.
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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 Georgia Campbell, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Kontext. What types of audiences does Kontext provide, and what are some top use cases for these insights in marketing strategies? Kontext leverages its 1st-party, deterministic shopping data to generate real-time online audiences. What sets Kontext apart is our ability to see the entire consumer journey, from shopping interest to intent and purchases, at a SKU-level. This comprehensive visibility allows us to create purchase-based audiences across various consumer verticals, such as frequent online shoppers, consumers shopping for beauty, segments using Mastercard, or Black Friday enthusiasts. Our data engine, built on a foundation of approximately 100 million consumer profiles and over 10 billion full-funnel, real-time shopping events, enables the creation of precise audience segments. This real-time 1st-party shopper data is invaluable for partners aiming to understand and engage with consumers more effectively. Whether a brand wants to activate past shoppers in a specific category or reach new audiences with a propensity to buy, Kontext provides the insights needed to make informed decisions. Some examples of audience types include these (and hundreds more): In-Market Shoppers: Consumers showing high intent to purchase specific categories, like skincare or electronics, based on recent online behavior. Past Purchasers: Shoppers who have made verified purchases within specific time frames, such as beauty products in the last 18 months. Frequent Shoppers: High-frequency buyers identified through repeated purchasing behaviors. Seasonal Shoppers: Consumers active during key shopping seasons, like Black Friday, Mother’s Day, Valentine's Day, etc Premium Buyers: Shoppers who used a premium CC (eg. Amex) and a higher AOV (average order value) Beauty Buyers: an audience that has indicated intent to purchase beauty products (deterministic past purchasers also avail) By using Kontext data, brands can identify the right audiences across multiple verticals, such as retail, CPG, health & wellness, auto, business, energy & utility, financial, and travel. Additionally, our collaboration with Experian allows further refinement of these audiences through layered data from specialty categories like demographics, lifestyle & interests, mobile location, and TV viewing habits. How is Kontext’s data sourced, and what differentiates it from other data providers? Kontext’s data is unique because it is deterministic, 1st-party, and collected as transactions occur. We capture the entire path-to-purchase, down to the SKU-level product detail, across 100 million consumer profiles and more than 10 billion real-time shopping events. Our proprietary technology, embedded in widgets across our 5 million premium online destinations, tracks the full consumer journey—from reading an article of interest to clicking on our dynamic commerce modules, adding items to cart, and completing purchases. This real-time data collection ensures there is no lag between digital events and their connection to consumer profiles. Unlike other providers, we do not aggregate data from multiple platforms; instead, we focus on building our models and insights based on authentic online consumer behavior. Our data stands out due to its: Deterministic Nature: We capture 1st-party data as transactions occur (all in real time) Full-Funnel Coverage: We capture consumer journeys from awareness to purchase, providing a complete view of consumer behavior. Real-Time Insights: Our data engine processes events in real-time, enabling timely and relevant marketing actions. How does Kontext ensure the accuracy and reliability of its audience data? Kontext ensures accuracy and reliability through our unique technology and direct data sourcing. By not aggregating data from other platforms, we maintain control over the quality and integrity of our insights. Our continuous investment in refining our models around online consumer behavior further enhances the precision of our audience data. What types of brands or verticals might resonate the most with Kontext audiences for activation? Any brand looking to understand and activate online shopping behavior – informed by 1st-party transaction data – will resonate with Kontext audiences. Essentially, any vertical that benefits from understanding real-time shopping behaviors, such as retail, health & wellness, auto, and financial services, will find our data invaluable. We have particularly strong insights in beauty, hair care, health & wellness, and values-based online shopping habits, as well as the food & beverage space. Retail & Consumer Goods: Leveraging shopping behavior data for targeted campaigns. Health & Wellness: Identifying consumers with specific health and wellness interests. Automotive: Targeting potential buyers of electric vehicles or eco-friendly products. Financial Services: Engaging high-value shoppers with premium credit card usage. And many more How does Kontext’s data help advertisers navigate the challenges posed by the deprecation of third-party cookies? As third-party cookies become less reliable, Kontext’s 1st-party data becomes invaluable. Our deterministic data engine, which does not rely on cookies, offers: Direct Consumer Insights: Accurate and consented data directly from consumer interactions. Privacy Compliance: Our data collection methods are fully compliant with privacy regulations, ensuring secure usage. Cross-Device Coverage: We use verified digital identifiers, allowing seamless unification and targeting across multiple devices. What measures does Kontext take to maintain data privacy and compliance, and how does this benefit advertisers? Data privacy and compliance are fundamental to Kontext. We meet or exceed all privacy compliance and security standards, ensuring that our data sourcing and usage are transparent and comply with regulations (CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, etc). Kontext prioritizes data privacy and compliance through: Consented Data Collection: All data is collected with explicit consumer consent. Robust Security Protocols: Data is encrypted and secured with industry-leading practices. Compliance with Regulations: We adhere to global privacy laws, including GDPR and CCPA. User Control: Consumers have the ability to opt-out and manage their data preferences. Can you share success stories / use-cases where advertisers significantly improved their campaigns using Kontext’s data? To give you a sense of how Kontext data can be applied, here are two use-cases: Beauty Brand Campaign: An agency hoping to activate an audience of beauty purchasers for a Major Beauty Brand could utilize Kontext's custom audience of high-value beauty product purchasers. By targeting those consumers who had bought similar products in the last 12 months and had an average cart size of over $50, the campaign would significantly increase performance and ROAS. Electric Vehicle Launch: For a major auto manufacturer’s EV launch, Kontext could be used to identify eco-friendly consumers who had not yet purchased an EV but had shown interest in sustainable products. This precise targeting could lead to higher engagement and conversion rates for the campaign. Thanks for the interview. Any recommendations for our readers if they want to learn more? For those interested in learning more about Kontext, reach out for a personalized consultation. Contact us About our expert Georgia Campbell, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Kontext In her current role as Head of Strategic Partnerships at Kontext, Georgia plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's strategic direction within the data space. With a deep-seated expertise in leveraging data to drive impact for companies, Georgia has been forging key partnerships that enhance the effectiveness and reach of Kontext's offerings. Georgia comes from a background in emerging technology, where she has been focused on cultivating partnerships and employing data-driven approaches to spearhead market expansion efforts. She started her career in finance, managing investments across equity, debt, and alternative assets at Brown Advisory. In this Q&A, Georgia shares her insights on Kontext's Onboarding partnership with Experian, offering perspective on how Kontext's unique insights can unlock new opportunities for advertisers and brands alike. Latest posts
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