All posts by Aimee Irwin, VP of Strategy

What’s changing in pharma audience targeting? Pharmaceutical (pharma) audience targeting is changing as marketers need to reach highly specific patient and healthcare professional (HCP) audiences while operating in a complex environment shaped by privacy requirements, data limitations, and changing media behaviors. Regulations like HIPAA, along with stricter standards around data use and tracking, have changed how identity can support targeting and engagement. Traditional identifiers such as cookies and pixels are becoming less reliable or permissible, limiting how marketers connect audiences across channels. At the same time, both patients and HCPs are taking a more independent, informed approach to healthcare research. They explore conditions, treatments, and providers across a growing mix of digital channels, raising expectations for relevant experiences while increasing competition for attention. In fact, 55% of adults use social media for health information, and 32% use AI tools for health-related questions. Media habits are shifting just as quickly. Patients and HCPs increasingly engage with content across streaming, social, and other digital environments rather than relying on traditional linear TV alone. With digital expected to account for more than 70% of total media time in 2026, marketers have more opportunities to connect with health audiences across channels. At the same time, consistent signals for targeting are becoming harder to maintain. Why audience quality and scale matter more than ever Despite these challenges, pharma marketers still need to reinforce messaging across channels and maintain relevance throughout the patient or provider journey without creating fatigue or overexposure. For many pharma organizations, this is compounded by limited first party data, who instead rely on external data providers to reach their target audiences. This makes scale, fidelity, and consistency across platforms and channels increasingly important. Marketers need audiences broad enough to reach meaningful populations and accurate enough to support relevant, personalized engagement. How compliant healthcare audiences support pharma goals Compliant healthcare audiences can support pharma goals by navigating these shifts in media, data, and privacy requirements. Pharma marketers need an audience strategy built on compliant signals that can support activation across the media ecosystem. Experian Audiences and Partner Audiences offer a range of audience types across healthcare professionals, consumer health, and behavior and lifestyle indicators, designed for compliant activation at scale.  Experian’s connected identity framework allows signals such as National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), hashed emails (HEMs), and tokenized consumer IDs to be translated into identifiers that can be used across media environments while maintaining audience reach and fidelity. As a result, pharma marketers gain more flexibility to reach relevant audiences, tailor activation strategies, and coordinate messaging across channels and platforms without exposing sensitive identity data or limiting scale. Core audience groups for pharma marketers  HCP Partner Audiences are built using deterministic identifiers, including NPIs along with other IDs associated with HCPs like hashed emails. This creates audiences grounded in real provider data, rather than relying only on digital activity signals. These audiences allow pharmaceutical marketers to reach providers based on: Specialty and expertise Care team role Prescribing behavior Conditions diagnosed or treated based on medical claims activity Because HCP audiences are finite and remain a primary source through which patients learn about new medications, they are heavily targeted across the industry. Reaching the right providers with messaging aligned to specialty and prescribing behavior helps reduce wasted impressions and support more meaningful engagement. Examples of HCP Partner Audiences you can activate AnalyticsIQ Case Manager or Care Coordinator Endocrinology Tech Adopters Geriatric Medicine Language > Hispanic Bilingual Diaceutics Diabetes - Type 2 – Endocrinologists Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemia – Cardiologists Non Small Cell Lung Cancer - ROS1 – Oncologists PAH – Cardiologists IQVIA Anti-Migraine   Gastroenterology & Hepatology  Osteoporosis   Pharmacist   How to use these audiences Activate audiences like Full Care Team > Osteoporosis to reach providers involved in long-term bone health management with messaging focused on screening, adherence, or fracture prevention. Diabetes - Type 2 - Endocrinologists audiences can help engage specialists involved in diabetes treatment decisions with therapy-specific messaging tailored to disease management and patient outcomes. Reaching consumer health, or direct-to-consumer (DTC), audiences presents a different challenge. Unlike HCPs, consumer audiences are broader, more fragmented, and subject to stricter privacy constraints. At the same time, consumers are exposed to a high volume of health advertising, making it harder for brands to maintain relevance and connect with consumers. The right DTC audiences help pharma marketers navigate these challenges by enabling them to reach consumers using deidentified, tokenized data designed to preserve both audience quality and consumer privacy. By maintaining audience fidelity as these audiences move across platforms and activation environments, pharma marketers can support more consistent, scalable targeting and relevance across channels while protecting sensitive identity information. These audiences can be defined across a range of dimensions, including conditions, procedures, and medications. This allows marketers to engage audiences at different stages of the health journey, from initial awareness to ongoing condition management. Examples of DTC Partner Audiences you can activate  HealthRankings Ophthalmology (Eyes) > Dry AMD  Nervous System > Fibromyalgia  Health Union Cardiac Care Vaccine Interest  Mars Type 2 Diabetes for 10 or More Years Propensity  Caregiver Who Discuss Treatments With Doctors PurpleLab Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)  Ipratropium Bromide and Albuterol How to use these audiences Activate audiences like Cardiac Care to reach consumers actively engaging with heart health content using messaging focused on disease awareness, treatment education, or ongoing care management. Caregiver Who Discuss Treatments With Doctors audiences can help connect with caregivers involved in healthcare decisions using messaging centered around treatment support, care coordination, or medication discussions. Lifestyle and health context audiences help brands align with the broader factors that influence health decisions, which extend beyond conditions and treatments. Factors such as financial situation, household structure, location, life stage, and attitudes toward health all shape how consumers engage with care and treatment decisions. Experian health-adjacent audiences, or those that cover broader behavioral and lifestyle health indicators, help pharma marketers reach people through these additional signals. They make it possible to connect with consumers based on the context that influences how they approach and manage their health. In addition to expanding reach, these audiences support more flexible activation. Because they are not tied to condition-level data, they can be used alongside signals like streaming behavior, content preferences, and ad receptivity. This makes it easier to align audience targeting with where consumer media behavior is shifting. Example Experian Audiences you can activate for health indicators Ages 65+  Health and Wellness Supplement Buyers  Household Income $750K–$999K  Multigenerational Household  Presence of Children: Ages 0–3  Weight Reformers  CTV and media behavior audiences Cooking TV Viewers  CNN News Viewers Paid Ad-Supported Streaming Subscriber  Solo TV Watching Households  Streaming TV  TV Ad Acceptor Households Example Partner Audiences you can activate for health indicators AnalyticsIQ CBD for Pain Management Has Access to At Least One Caretaker Has the Highest Health Literacy Score Healthcare Cost Barriers Uses Health Monitors or Biosensors How to use these audiences Activate audiences like Weight Reformers to reach consumers researching weight management solutions with educational or treatment-focused messaging. Multigenerational Household audiences can help connect with caregivers managing care across generations, while Streaming TV audiences support engagement in premium connected TV environments aligned to changing media behavior. When are health audiences most receptive to outreach? Health audiences are most receptive to outreach during key seasonal and life-stage moments, which can be mapped directly to audience strategy. Open enrollment Open enrollment periods concentrate on evaluation of coverage, providers, and prescription access. In 2024, more than 21 million Americans enrolled in Marketplace coverage, the highest on record. During this window, consumers are actively comparing plans, providers, and treatment affordability, making it one of the most intent-driven healthcare moments of the year. Experian Audiences you can activate during open enrollment Active Health Insurance Shoppers  Child Age 0–36 Months  Recently Married Couple Households Partner Audiences you can activate during open enrollment MARS Health Insurance Marketplace or Exchange like Obamacare or Affordable Care Act New Year health reset New year's health resets drive a surge in preventive care and wellness behaviors. 31% of Americans say they will make a New Year's resolution or set a goal for 2026, with health consistently ranking as the top priority. Experian Audiences you can activate during New Year's Informed Consumer  New Year's/Resolutions: New Year's Diet, Health and Fitness: High Spenders  Starting New Job Soon Audiences  Weight Reformers Find more New Year's audiences here Flu and RSV season  Flu and RSV season drive predictable spikes in vaccination interest and healthcare engagement. In recent seasons, flu vaccination coverage among adults has ranged around 41%, with demand increasing sharply during peak outbreak periods. Partner Audiences you can activate during Flu and RSV season HealthRankings  Allergy  HealthUnion Vaccine Interest IQVIA  Influenza/Flu  MARS  Vaccine Hesitant and Concerned About Side Effects  What sets Experian Audiences apart? Our syndicated audiences give you an advantage across channels, offering both scale and accuracy: Experian’s 3,500+ syndicated audiences are available at over 200 leading activation platforms, including programmatic, social, TV destinations, and can be curated alongside premium inventory through Curated Deals. Reach consumers based on who they are, where they live, and their household makeup. Experian ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset for key demographic attributes. Explore more of our Partner Audiences that complement Experian Audiences across key health use cases, with flexible activation through Experian’s data marketplace or leading activation platforms. Need a custom audience? Reach out to our audience team and we can help you build and activate an Experian audience on the platform of your choice. Want to activate an Experian Audience on Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok or on a platform not listed above? Contact us today. For a full list, download our syndicated audiences guide. Reach the right audiences for your industry Auto CPG Energy and utilities Financial services Retail Build a stronger pharma audience strategy  As privacy requirements evolve and media fragmentation increase, pharma marketers need a connected approach that helps maintain audience fidelity across channels while supporting responsible activation. With the right foundation and partners in place, marketers can reach relevant patient and provider audiences, preserve audience accuracy through activation, and deliver more relevant experiences that support long-term growth. Connect with our audience experts FAQs What are Experian Audiences? Experian Audiences are pre-built, privacy-compliant consumer segments that help marketers target based on verified demographic, financial, and behavioral data.They’re designed for flexibility across channels and can be activated on 200+ platforms, including major social, CTV, and programmatic partners.Experian ranks #1 in demographic accuracy according to Truthset, and marketers can choose from 3,500+ syndicated audiences that capture signals such as income, spending behavior, household structure, financial attitudes, and ability to pay. These same audiences are also available through partnerships on platforms like DirecTV, Dish, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk.For a deeper look at our audience catalog, explore our syndicated audience guide. Where can Experian Audiences be activated? You can activate Experian Audiences across 200+ digital and connected TV (CTV) platforms, including Meta, Pinterest, The Trade Desk, and Audigent PMPs. Can I combine Experian data with my own first-party data? Yes, you can combine your own first-party data with Experian’s 3,500+ syndicated audiences and additional segments from multiple partner data providers, as a custom audience within a Curated Deal or self-service via Audience Engine. Appendix HCP Partner Audiences AnalyticsIQ > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > HCP Type > Case Manager or Care Coordinator AnalyticsIQ > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Specialty > Endocrinology Tech Adopters AnalyticsIQ > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Prescriber > Geriatric Medicine AnalyticsIQ > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > HCP Type > Other Nursing Services > Language > Hispanic Bilingual Diaceutics > General Medicine > Diabetes - Type 2 – Endocrinologists Diaceutics > Rare Disease > Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemia – Cardiologists Diaceutics > Oncology > Non Small Cell Lung Cancer - ROS1 – Oncologists Diaceutics > General Medicine > PAH – Cardiologists IQVIA > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > OTC > Anti-Migraine   IQVIA > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Physician Specialty Group > Gastroenterology & Hepatology  IQVIA > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Full Care Team > Osteoporosis   IQVIA > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Pharmacist   DTC audiences HealthRankings > Digital > Patient > Nervous System > Fibromyalgia  HealthRankings > Digital > Patient > Ophthalmology (Eyes) > Dry AMD Health Union > DTC > Vaccine Interest  Health Union > DTC > Cardiac Care Mars > Health and Wellness > Conditions and Treatments > Type 2 Diabetes for 10 or More Years Propensity  Mars > Health and Wellness > Caregivers > Caregiver Who Discuss Treatments With Doctors PurpleLab > Conditions > Autoimmune Conditions > Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)  PurpleLab > Medications > Asthma and COPD Medications > Ipratropium Bromide and Albuterol Lifestyle and health context audiences Experian > Geo-Indexed > Demographics > Ages 65+  Experian > Purchase Transactions > Nutraceuticals, Bioceuticals and Supplements > Health and Wellness Supplement Buyers  Experian > Geo-Indexed > Demographics > Household Income $750K–$999K  Experian > Demographics > Household Composition > Multigenerational Household  Experian > Geo-Indexed > Demographics > Presence of Children: Ages 0–3  Experian > Psychographic/Attitudes > Health and Well Being > Weight Reformers CTV and media behavior audiences Experian > Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > TV Segments (US) Genre > Cooking TV Viewers  Experian > Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > TV Segments (US) Network > CNN News Viewers Experian > Television (TV) > Ad Avoiders/Ad Acceptors > Paid Ad-Supported Streaming Subscriber  Experian > Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Solo TV Watching Households  Experian > TrueTouch > Communication Preferences > Engagement Channel Preference > Streaming TV  Experian > Television (TV) > Ad Avoiders/Ad Acceptors > TV Ad Acceptor Households Partner Audiences you can activate for health indicators AnalyticsIQ > Health & Wellness > CBD > Reason for Use > CBD for Pain Management AnalyticsIQ >Health & Wellness > Barriers to Healthcare > Has Access to At Least One Caretaker AnalyticsIQ >Health & Wellness > Barriers to Healthcare > Has the Highest Health Literacy Score AnalyticsIQ >Health & Wellness > Barriers to Healthcare > Healthcare Cost Barriers AnalyticsIQ >Health & Wellness > Medical Utilization > Uses Health Monitors or Biosensors Open enrollment Experian Audiences  Experian > Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Active Health Insurance Shoppers  Experian > Life Events > New Parents > Child Age 0–36 Months  Experian > Publisher Derived > Life Events > Recently Married Couple Households Partner Audiences MARS > Consumer Financial > Health Insurance > Health Insurance Marketplace or Exchange like Obamacare or Affordable Care Act New Year health reset Experian > Psychographic/Attitudes > Shopping Behavior > Informed Consumer  Experian > Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > New Year's/Resolutions: New Year's Diet, Health and Fitness: High Spenders  Experian > Publisher Derived > Life Events > Starting New Job Soon Audiences  Experian > Psychographic/Attitudes > Health and Well Being > Weight Reformers Flu and RSV season  HealthRankings > Digital > Patient > Immune System > Allergy  IQVIA > Healthcare Professionals (HCP) > Full Care Team > Influenza/Flu  MARS > Health and Wellness > Vaccinations > Vaccine Hesitant and Concerned About Side Effects  HealthUnion > DTC > Vaccine Interest Latest posts

For marketers, the goal is simple: dependable data, connected tools, and a more direct path from audience strategy to measurable advertising outcomes. For many advertisers and agencies, audience strategies frequently stall between planning and activation. Teams may identify whom to reach, but require reliable data, scalable identities, and a direct path to media-buying platforms. Experian Audiences are now available in the Adobe Advertising DSP, giving marketers access to more than 3,500 audiences built with reliable data to support faster activation, broader reach, stronger relevance, and better campaign performance. This brings together Experian’s data, audiences, identity, and partner ecosystem with Adobe Advertising’s AI-powered ad-buying capabilities within Adobe Experience Cloud. Adobe Advertising helps brands centralize planning, optimize media, and improve performance through purpose-built AI and integrated tools across Adobe Analytics, Adobe Customer Journey Analytics, and Adobe Real-Time CDP. “Advertisers need audience solutions that are accurate, addressable, and easy to activate. Bringing Experian Audiences into the Adobe Advertising DSP gives marketers a faster path from reliable data to action. Together, Experian and Adobe Advertising help brands reach the right audiences, improve efficiency, and strengthen campaign performance.”Ali Mack, VP AdTech How Experian Audiences support activation in the Adobe Advertising DSP Marketers want to better understand their customers, engage them across channels, and accurately measure campaign impact. That is where Experian and Adobe Advertising can help. Experian’s Digital Graph connects digital identifiers to households and individuals, helping advertisers extend audience reach across channels. For the Adobe Advertising DSP, this supports more addressable activation from first-party and third-party audience sources and gives marketers a stronger path to reach their intended audiences at scale. Adobe Advertising advances this approach by unifying advertising and marketing technology. Their platform manages planning, buying, measurement, and optimization across connected TV (CTV), search, social, display, audio, and commerce channels. Together, Experian and Adobe Advertising make it easier for advertisers to activate high-quality audiences where media decisions happen. With Experian Audiences now available in the Adobe Advertising DSP, advertisers can: Launch campaigns faster with 3,500+ ready-to-activate Experian Audiences Build custom audiences aligned to specific campaign goals, client briefs, or vertical strategies Expand addressable reach through Experian’s Digital Graph Use Experian audience data in the Adobe Advertising DSP, where planning, buying, optimization, and measurement work in one place Support more efficient media activation across CTV, display, audio, commerce, and other channels “Our collaboration with Experian brings premium, identity-based audiences directly into Adobe Advertising, giving advertisers everything they need to perform. Together we're putting powerful, identity-based audiences alongside advertisers' own data to power custom algorithms that actually move the needle."Phil Cowlishaw, Managing Director Audience strategies advertisers can activate in the Adobe Advertising DSP Advertisers and agencies need a faster, more flexible way to move from campaign brief to audience activation. Whether you want to reach in-market shoppers, build a tailored audience, or connect messaging to consumer behavior, Experian Audiences gives advertisers and agencies a flexible way to progress from campaign brief to audience activation in the Adobe Advertising DSP. 1. Match financial offers to the right consumer moments Financial brands, retailers, and auto advertisers can use Experian financial audiences to support campaigns for credit cards, banking, lending, refinancing, insurance, and other financial products.Example: A retailer launching a store credit card could combine loyalty, discretionary spend, and relevant financial audience options to reach consumers more likely to engage with the offer. 2. Build more relevant retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) campaigns Retailers and CPG brands can use purchase-based, predictive, seasonal, and shopper behavior audiences to reach consumers based on what they buy, how they shop, and when they are likely to purchase.Example: A brand launching a new fitness beverage could combine health and fitness purchase behavior, gym visitation, and active lifestyle interests to reach consumers more likely to be receptive. 3. Reach high-intent auto shoppers Auto marketers can use Experian Audiences to reach consumers based on known and predictive auto shopping behaviors, including in-market shoppers, current vehicle owners, electric vehicle (EV) intenders, aftermarket shoppers, and consumers interested in specific body styles, fuel types, or vehicle price ranges. Example: An auto brand promoting a new SUV could reach likely SUV shoppers and refine that audience with household, lifestyle, or dealership visitation signals. 4. Build custom healthcare audiences for pharma campaigns Healthcare and pharmaceutical marketers often require highly targeted audiences for specialized campaigns. Pharma brands can work with Experian to build custom audiences using approved partner data sources.Example: A pharma brand launching a healthcare professional (HCP)-focused campaign could use approved partner data signals, such as provider specialty, treatment activity, or other campaign-specific criteria, to build a custom audience relevant to healthcare professionals. Experian can then help make that audience available for activation in the Adobe Advertising DSP, giving pharma marketers a simpler way to move from audience strategy to media execution. 5. Improve message and channel fit with Mosaic®, TrueTouchSM, and TV audiences Experian’s specialty audiences, including Mosaic, TrueTouch, television, lifestyle, and mobile location audiences, can help advertisers go beyond basic targeting. Marketers can refine audiences based on lifestyle, channel preference, viewing behavior, ad receptivity, purchase style, and location-based signals to support more relevant campaigns across Adobe Advertising.Example: A streaming service can use TV and lifestyle audiences to reach ad-supported streaming viewers, TV enthusiasts, or co-viewing households, then layer TrueTouch signals to align creative messaging with consumer preferences. Why connected audience activation matters for advertisers and agencies Advertising has moved toward connected solutions that bring data, identity, media execution, and measurement together to drive stronger results. For agencies and marketers, this unified approach simplifies audience planning and helps turn strategy into scalable media plans. Together, Experian and Adobe Advertising give teams access to trusted audiences, AI-powered tools, and connected workflows that improve performance across the media lifecycle. Connect with us to learn more FAQs How does the Experian and Adobe integration help marketers activate audiences faster in the Adobe Advertising DSP? Experian Audiences are now available directly in the Adobe Advertising DSP, giving advertisers access to more than 3,500 audiences for campaign activation. Marketers can move from audience planning to media execution with fewer handoffs between strategy, data selection ,and buying workflows. How does Experian help marketers reach the right audiences in the Adobe Advertising DSP? Experian’s data, audiences, and identity foundation help marketers connect audience strategy to activation in the Adobe Advertising DSP. Experian’s Digital Graph connects digital identifiers to households and individuals, supporting addressable reach across first-party and third-party audience sources. What types of campaigns can advertisers activate with Experian Audiences? Advertisers can use Experian Audiences to support financial services, retail, CPG, auto, healthcare, pharma, TV and lifestyle campaigns. These audiences help marketers align campaign goals with consumer behaviors, purchase signals, channel preferences, and vertical-specific audience needs. What does the Experian and Adobe integration mean for agencies? The Experian and Adobe integration helps agencies turn client audience strategies into scalable media plans inside the Adobe Advertising DSP. Agencies can use Experian Audiences to support planning, activation and optimization across channels such as CTV, display, audio, and commerce. Latest posts

AdTech has never had more data, yet it has rarely been harder for brands and agencies to answer a simple question: what actually drove the result? Clicks, conversions, and platform-reported performance have long served as proxies for success, shaping how campaigns are evaluated, budgets are allocated, and results are communicated.  But they were never designed to measure business impact directly. They offer a directional view of activity rather than a definitive answer. Clicks indicate interest, conversions indicate action, and platform-reported metrics reflect performance within a given environment. Each of these signals plays a role, but none of them, on their own, can confirm whether marketing led to a business outcome. That limitation isn't new, but it’s becoming more visible as signals shift and measurement becomes more fragmented. Measurement systems are under increasing strain, shaped by signal fragmentation, privacy constraints, and data environments that make it harder to connect media exposure to outcomes. In fact, 75% of marketers say their current approaches are falling short. Performance can appear strong in one platform and materially different in another, making it harder to reconcile results across partners. Connecting campaign performance to actual business outcomes remains difficult. As identity, data collaboration, and measurement become more strategic to marketing performance, organizations are looking for infrastructure that can connect data across partners while preserving neutrality, flexibility, and interoperability. Why performance doesn’t always reflect impact Even when data is available, it doesn’t always tell a complete or accurate story. A conversion after an ad exposure may suggest a relationship, but it doesn’t establish causation. Attribution models favor what’s easiest to measure, and platform-reported metrics often reflect biases toward their own ecosystems. Over time, this creates a version of performance that can appear accurate while overstating actual impact. Measurement should move from signals to conversions, then to verified outcomes, and ultimately to incrementality. Each step brings measurement closer to understanding true business impact. In practice, most strategies stall in the middle, treating conversions as the endpoint even though they don’t show whether marketing drove the result.  This creates a gap between what’s measured and what matters. Incrementality is gaining focus because it isolates what changed due to marketing, separating true impact from what would have happened anyway. Industry guidance increasingly reflects this shift, recognizing incrementality as a reliable way to measure causal impact in a fragmented, privacy-first ecosystem. As AI and agentic technologies become more involved in planning, optimization, and decision-making, the quality of the underlying identity and data foundation becomes increasingly important. Reliable outcomes require trusted identity and interoperable data. The infrastructure shift: Why CAPI matters now Measurement is evolving at both a conceptual and technical level. As browser-based tracking becomes less reliable, the industry is shifting toward server-side approaches, including conversion APIs (CAPI). These approaches create a more direct, durable connection between advertiser data and platform systems, reducing reliance on signals limited by browsers and privacy controls. Platforms are reinforcing this shift. Meta positions CAPI as a way to improve data quality, measurement accuracy, and optimization by enabling more complete event capture. Google similarly emphasizes server-side tagging to improve data control, resilience, and performance in modern measurement environments. On their own, these approaches don’t solve the measurement challenge. Combined with identity, they create a stronger foundation for connecting marketing activity to real outcomes. Stronger data collection infrastructure is most effective when paired with interoperable identity and privacy-first governance, giving marketers greater confidence in how data is connected, activated, and measured across environments. Identity as the connective layer Identity resolution is a key enabler of that foundation. By connecting identifiers across platforms, devices, and environments, it helps marketers tie exposure to consumers and, ultimately, to real-world outcomes. Without it, measurement stays siloed across platforms and channels. With it, marketers can see how activity across environments contributes to a single outcome. Interoperable identity is becoming more than a marketing capability. It increasingly serves as a foundational layer that helps brands, agencies, publishers, platforms, and partners collaborate across a growing number of data and media environments. Industry efforts around data clean rooms, interoperability, and privacy-safe collaboration all address the same challenge: how to connect data across environments without relying on outdated or fragile signals. Solutions that strengthen identity resolution within these environments improve match rates between partners, making collaboration more effective and measurement more complete. As collaboration expands across clean rooms, platforms, and activation channels, marketers benefit from identity frameworks that support interoperability rather than limiting how data can move across the broader ecosystem. What brands and agencies should expect next For brands and agencies, the focus is shifting from what appears to perform within a platform and toward what drives results. That requires looking beyond platform-reported metrics, asking more of measurement partners, and incorporating incrementality into how success is defined. It also requires investment in identity and measurement that enable outcome-based measurement. Without that foundation, even advanced reporting will struggle to provide a clear view of performance. That foundation should include trusted consumer data, transparent governance practices, and identity capabilities that can adapt as technology, privacy expectations, and AI-driven workflows continue to change. Many organizations are also evaluating how measurement, identity, and activation strategies can maintain long-term flexibility across agencies, platforms, publishers, commerce media networks, and emerging channels. What this shift means for AdTech Reporting within platforms or optimizing intermediary metrics is no longer enough. Success increasingly depends on demonstrating how marketing activity translates into business results across channels and environments. As marketing systems become more automated, brands need visibility into the data and identity layers informing those decisions, along with confidence that those systems are operating on accurate, privacy-safe consumer information. That shift requires interoperable identity, cross-platform measurement, and infrastructure that supports more complete and reliable data collection. It also requires validating whether marketing drove incremental business impact, rather than simply reporting observed conversions. Independent identity and neutral data infrastructure can help support that effort by giving organizations the flexibility to work across partners, platforms, and channels while maintaining consistency in measurement and audience understanding. This means building systems that connect exposure to outcomes, measure incremental impact, and link media investment and business results. Clicks and conversions remain useful, but their limitations are becoming more visible as reliability declines.  Trusted identity, privacy-safe data collaboration, and transparent measurement are becoming central to how marketers build durable strategies that can adapt as the ecosystem continues to change. Measurement will be defined by the ability to connect marketing activity to verifiable outcomes, with incrementality at the center of understanding true impact.  Contact us  About the author  Ali Mack VP, AdTech Sales Ali Mack leads Experian’s AdTech business, overseeing global revenue across the company’s expansive tech and media portfolio. With over a decade of experience in digital and TV advertising, Ali drives strategic growth by aligning sales, customer success, and solutions teams to deliver impactful outcomes for clients and partners. She has successfully guided teams through two major acquisitions, integrating sales organizations and product portfolios into unified go-to-market strategies. Under her leadership, Experian has consistently exceeded revenue targets while fostering collaborative, results-driven teams and mentoring emerging leaders. Working closely with finance, product, and marketing, Ali develops strategies that support a diverse ecosystem of publishers, brands, and technology partners, positioning Experian at the forefront of data-driven advertising and identity resolution. Latest posts

Why consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketing needs a broader view of shopper behavior CPG marketing needs a broader view because shoppers no longer follow a single path to purchase. They move across retailers, channels, and price tiers, often within the same buying cycle. For marketers, that makes behavior harder to track and even harder to act on. The same household may focus on price in one category, spend on quality or convenience in another, and shift between online and in-store environments along the way. These decisions are not tied to a single moment or channel, which makes them difficult to interpret through any one signal. At the same time, many CPG brands don’t have direct relationships with shoppers, limiting access to first-party data. Understanding how decisions connect often depends on combining signals from multiple sources across the market. This fragmentation becomes most visible across the purchase journey. A shopper might discover a product on social, compare prices across retailers, add it to a cart in an app, and complete the purchase later in-store. Retail media networks (RMNs) provide strong, retailer-specific insight and measurement, with a detailed view of what shoppers do within that retailer’s environment. But that view stops there. A retailer can see what a shopper buys in its own stores or app, not how that same shopper compares prices, switches brands, or purchases across other retailers.  The opportunity is to build a more complete view of shopper behavior across the market. Without additional signals, marketers are left with multiple high-quality perspectives of the same shopper, each tied to a specific retailer or platform. That makes it difficult to understand how shoppers compare options, switch retailers, and respond to campaigns beyond a single environment. How Experian Audiences help CPG marketers adapt to changing shopper behavior Experian Audiences help CPG marketers adapt to changing shopper behavior by identifying shoppers likely to trade between premium and value, aligning audiences to price sensitivity and purchase behavior, and connecting signals across retailers and channels so your campaigns reflect how decisions are made from first interaction through purchase.  Three shifts are shaping how CPG brands reach and understand shoppers: Data is distributed across retailers and channels Purchase journeys span more touchpoints  Shoppers are more selective about where they spend You can find the full taxonomy paths in the appendix. 1. How can CPG brands connect shopper behavior across retailers without direct consumer access? CPG brands can connect shopper behavior across retailers without direct consumer access by combining signals from RMNs, retailer partnerships, and data providers to build a broader view of shopper activity, since most brands don’t have direct relationships with their customers or access to extensive first-party data. Instead, they often rely on these partners to understand shopper behavior and campaign performance. Each RMN provides a strong view of what happens within its own environment, but a shopper may purchase across multiple retailers, compare prices across platforms, and shift behavior depending on promotions or availability. Retailer relationships are critical and strategic, but they capture only part of that activity. This is becoming more complex as retail media expands. Amazon and Walmart still account for 84% of investment, but the rest is spread across a growing number of networks, each with its own data, definitions, and measurement approach. That fragmentation makes it harder to maintain consistent, deduplicated audiences, connect performance across platforms, and understand true incrementality. How Experian brings shopper signals together in one place Experian brings shopper signals together in one place as a way to build more effective CPG campaigns. Through Experian’s data marketplace, brands can unify, deduplicate, and activate shopper data across partners and channels. In one marketplace, advertisers can access CPG signals, including loyalty card, receipt scan, and point of sale (CPU/SKU) data from tier one partners like Attain, Catalina, and Circana, along with Experian data. This gives advertisers more flexibility to build audiences from complementary purchase-based signals, rather than relying on a single retailer view or rebuilding audiences separately across platforms. By joining and deduplicating audiences across partners, advertisers can create more comprehensive CPG segments that better reflect how people shop across retailers, brands, and channels. They can also activate those audiences outside closed media network environments, helping maintain more consistency as campaigns move across destinations. How to build cross-retailer audiences Here’s what that can look like in practice. Instead of relying on a single retailer signal or broad snack category, advertisers can combine shopper behaviors from multiple data partners to create a more detailed audience built around specific purchase patterns and brand affinities. In the example below, each provider contributes to a different layer of shopper insight, helping advertisers create a more complete tortilla chip audience across retailers, categories, and purchase behaviors. Additional Experian Audiences you can activate Advertisers can also start with broader category and retailer audiences to establish a strong base of active CPG shoppers, then use them on their own or layer in additional data to refine more specific behaviors, brands, or purchase patterns. Core category buyers Candy, Snack, and Beverage Buyer Households  Food, Snack, and Beverage Shoppers  Grocery Store Frequent Spenders  Grocery Store High Spenders  Cross-retailer shoppers Costco Frequent Spenders  Discount / Dollar Store Frequent Spenders  Supercenter Buyers  Target Frequent Spenders  Warehouse Club Members  Walmart Frequent Spenders 2. New paths to conversion: How purchase journeys now span social, e-commerce, and in-store There are new paths for CPG shoppers to conversion, they are no longer tied to a single channel. Awareness, consideration, and conversion signals now span multiple environments, often within the same buying cycle. A shopper might discover a product on social, compare pricing on Amazon or Walmart, add it through a retailer app, and complete the purchase later in-store, through delivery, or during a stock-up trip. This shift is becoming more pronounced as online and in-store grocery shopping become increasingly connected. Nearly 94% of grocery shoppers now purchase both online and in-store, with e-commerce driving most recent growth even though stores still account for the majority of purchases. As a result, shoppers move across the purchase funnel fluidly, especially younger audiences, making it harder to map decisions to a single touchpoint. For marketers, this means your audience strategy needs to follow behavior across the full journey, not just one channel or moment. Experian Audiences you can activate to align to purchase journeys Channel engagement Digital Display Free and Paid Ad Supported Streaming Subscribers Highly Active Online Users  Online Research-Dependent Consumers  Social Media Heavy Users Purchase and conversion Brick and Mortar High Spenders  Frequent Online Buyer Households Grocery Pick-Up and Delivery Users  In-Store Buyer Households  Online Buyer Households  Online Grocery Delivery High Spenders  Online-Preferred Shoppers  How to use these audiences Activate channel engagement audiences like Social Media Heavy Users, Highly Active Online Users, and Online Research-Dependent Consumers alongside purchase audiences such as Online Buyer Households, Grocery Pick-Up and Delivery Users, and In-Store Buyer Households to reach shoppers who discover products through social and digital channels, compare options online, and complete purchases through delivery services, retailer apps, or in-store. 3. How is price pressure splitting shoppers across value tiers? Price pressure is now splitting shoppers across value tiers. For many households, food prices are now a primary concern, making shoppers more selective about where and how they spend. Some are choosing lower-cost alternatives in everyday categories, while others are still willing to pay more for products tied to health, convenience, or perceived quality. This creates a more fluid market, where the same shopper may cut back in one aisle and spend more in another.  Shopping behavior is also shifting across channels. As more consumers eat at home rather than dining out, CPG brands have more opportunities to capture spend, across grocery and retail environments. Private-label products are gaining traction, often priced 30% lower than branded goods, while smaller independent brands are winning share with shoppers seeking products that better match their preferences and priorities. For marketers, the focus is understanding these different groups and tailoring messaging to match. Experian Audiences you can activate to reach shoppers across value tiers Value-driven shoppers Coupon Users  Deal Seeking Shoppers  Discount / Dollar Store Frequent Spenders  Frugal Living and Savings Focused Households Value Oriented Discount Deal Shoppers  Premium and benefit-led shoppers Healthy Food Meal Kit Service Spenders High Spending Specialty Food Shoppers  High Spending Vitamin and Supplement Buyers  Organic/Natural Grocery High Spenders Premium Spend Index segments  How to use these audiences Activate value-driven audiences like Coupon Users, Deal Seeking Shoppers, and Discount / Dollar Store Frequent Spenders to run campaigns focused on price, promotions, and bulk purchasing behavior, especially during periods of higher price sensitivity. Activate premium and benefit-led audiences like Organic/Natural Grocery High Spenders, Healthy Food Meal Kit Service Spenders, and High Spending Specialty Food Shoppers to highlight product attributes such as ingredients, health benefits, or convenience, where shoppers are motivated by perceived value rather than price. When are CPG audiences most responsive to marketing? CPG audiences are most receptive to marketing during key consumption and promotional moments that drive stock-up behavior and price comparison, making timing as important as targeting. Back-to-school and routine-driven consumption Back-to-school season concentrates demand among households preparing for more structured routines. Grocery, snacks, and household essential purchases often increase as families shift back to packed lunches, after-school meals, and at-home consumption. You can align messaging around convenience, bulk buying, and routine-driven needs to capture this predictable lift in demand. Explore our back-to-school audiences Prime Day, promotional peaks, and deal-driven behavior Major promotional events such as Prime Day and Black Friday drive higher engagement among deal seekers, coupon users, and value-focused shoppers. Early results from Prime Day 2025 showed that four of the top five purchased items were household or grocery products, and 57% of shoppers compared Amazon’s prices with other retailers before buying. During these periods, consumers actively compare prices across retailers and plan purchases around promotions, often stocking up on essentials. Aligning campaigns with value-driven audiences helps you focus offers on shoppers most likely to switch brands or retailers based on price. See the digital behaviors shaping 2026 See Black Friday audience insights Holiday periods and stock-up behavior Holiday periods combine higher consumption with more intentional purchasing. Shoppers prepare for gatherings, travel, and extended time at home, leading to larger basket sizes and more planned trips. Some households prioritize premium or specialty products for specific occasions, while others focus on value and promotions. Seasonal signals help you time campaigns to match these shifts in purchasing behavior and demand. Discover our 2025 Holiday shopping spending trends and insights Explore our holiday audiences What sets Experian Audiences apart? Our syndicated audiences give you an advantage across channels, offering both scale and accuracy: Experian’s 3,500+ syndicated audiences are available at over 200 leading activation platforms, including programmatic, social, TV destinations, and can be curated alongside premium inventory through Curated Deals. Reach consumers based on who they are, where they live, and their household makeup. Experian ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset for key demographic attributes. Explore some of our Partner Audiences that complement Experian Audiences across key CPG use cases, with flexible activation through Experian’s data marketplace or leading activation platforms.Need a custom audience? Reach out to our audience team, and we can help you build and activate an Experian audience on the platform of your choice. Want to activate an Experian Audience on Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok, or on a platform not listed above? Contact us today. For a full list, download our syndicated audiences guide. Reach CPG shoppers based on real-world shopping behavior with Experian Audiences From price pressure and shifting value preferences to fragmented purchase journeys and cross-retailer behavior, CPG demand is shaped by how shoppers make decisions across the market. Experian Audiences help you respond to these challenges by identifying shoppers likely to switch between value tiers, aligning campaigns to how and where people buy, and connecting high-intent audiences with the right products across retailers and channels. Connect with our audience experts FAQs What are Experian Audiences? Experian Audiences are pre-built, privacy-compliant consumer segments that help marketers target based on verified demographic, financial, and behavioral data. They’re designed for flexibility across channels and can be activated on 200+ platforms, including major social, CTV, and programmatic partners. Experian ranks #1 in demographic accuracy according to Truthset, and marketers can choose from 3,500+ syndicated audiences that capture signals such as income, spending behavior, household structure, financial attitudes, and ability to pay. These same audiences are also available through partnerships on platforms like DirecTV, Dish, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk. For a deeper look at our audience catalog, explore our syndicated audience guide. Where can Experian Audiences be activated? You can activate Experian Audiences across 200+ digital and connected TV (CTV) platforms, including Meta, Pinterest, The Trade Desk, and Audigent private marketplaces (PMPs). Can I combine Experian data with my own first-party data? Yes, you can combine your own first-party data with Experian’s 3,500+ syndicated audiences and additional segments from multiple partner data providers, as a custom audience within a Curated Deal, or self-service via Audience Engine. Appendix Value-driven shoppers Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Purchase Behavior > Coupon Users TrueTouch: Communication Preferences > Purchase Behavior > Deal Seeking Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Discount / Dollar Stores: Frequent Spenders Publisher Derived > IAB Budgeting > Frugal Living and Savings Focused Households Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Lifestyle and Interests > Value Oriented Discount Deal Shoppers Premium and benefit-led shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Health and Fitness > Healthy Food Meal Kit Service Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > High Spending Specialty Food Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Health and Fitness > High Spending Vitamin and Supplement Buyers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Organic/Natural Grocery Stores: High Spenders Financial > Discretionary Spend > Premium Spend Index (Elite / Upper Middle) Channel engagement TrueTouch: Communication Preferences > Engagement Channel Preference > Digital Display Television (TV) > Ad Avoiders/Ad Acceptors > Free and Paid Ad Supported Streaming Subscribers Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Technology > Highly Active Online Users Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Technology > Online Research-Dependent Consumers Social Network Behaviors > Social IQ > Social Media Heavy User Purchase and conversion behavior Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Brick and Mortar High Spenders Purchase Transactions > Shopping > Frequent Online Buyer Households Consumer Behaviors > Grocery Pick-Up and Delivery Purchase Transactions > Shopping > In Store Buyer Households Purchase Transactions > Shopping > Online Buyer Households Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Online Grocery Delivery Services: High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Online-Preferred Shoppers Tortilla chip sample audience Circana > ProScores > Retailer > Mass > Walmart Circana > ProScores > Retailer > Food > Wegmans Circana > ProScores > Retailer > Convenience > 7-Eleven Circana > ProScores > Retailer > Food > Albertsons Experian > Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Tortilla Tostada and Chip Shoppers Attain > CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) > Snacks > Product > Chips > Santitas > Medium Propensity Catalina > Category Purchasing > Center Store Snacks > Snacks > Snacks - Tortilla Chip Regular Buyer Core category buyers Purchase Transactions > Food and Beverage > Candy Snack and Beverage Buyer Households Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Food, Snack, and Beverage Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Grocery Stores: Frequent Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Grocery Stores: High Spenders Cross-retailer shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Big Box and Club Stores: Costco Frequent Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Discount / Dollar Stores: Frequent Spenders Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Purchase Behavior > Supercenter Buyers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Target Frequent Spender Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Purchase Behavior > Warehouse Club Members Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Walmart Frequent Spenders Seasonal and demand moments Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Black Friday/Cyber Monday Big Box Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Coupons/Sale Shoppers: In Store Mobile Location Models > Visits > Holiday Deal Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > New Year’s Food/Healthy Food Shoppers Latest posts

Programmatic needs decisions grounded in trusted signals available at the moment a bid is made. As campaigns lean further into automation and agentic media buying, real-time data enrichment (RTDE) gives marketers a way to compute derived, bid-time signals during the ad placement process. That can cut latency, reduce unnecessary data movement, and keep media decisions tied to current conditions rather than delayed inputs. This matters as identity, data collaboration, and measurement become core marketing infrastructure. Marketers need signals they can trust, partners that work across the ecosystem, and enough flexibility to keep control as buying systems become more automated. How does RTDE work in programmatic advertising? In programmatic advertising, RTDE works by computing useful signals inside the auction path before a bid is placed. The goal is to give bidding systems more current inputs without moving raw data through a long chain of vendors.  When a bid request fires, RTDE computes derived signals, such as validated identity attributes, cohort scores, or context flags, inside the auction window and passes those signals to the bidder. Instead of sending raw data through a long chain of vendors and hoping it is still useful by the time it’s used, RTDE runs closer to the supply-side source and sends the output needed for the bid. That gives you a more current view of what’s happening in market, from regional demand shifts, to seasonal patterns, to live inventory changes. It can make first-party activation more responsive and keep programmatic decisions closer to the moment media is bought. For brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms, this creates a more flexible way to use data across partners without sending raw inputs through every step of the workflow. How does RTDE improve programmatic performance? RTDE improves programmatic performance by helping close gaps between available data and the bid-time decision. It gives campaigns signals that are current, consistent, and usable across auctions. These gains can help put budget against impressions with a stronger basis for action, which matters most in categories where timing and relevance shape performance. It can also give teams a clearer way to connect data quality, identity, and measurement decisions across different activation paths. RTDE improves programmatic performance by focusing on: Timeliness Real-time enrichment gives bidding systems a view of current conditions, from shifting audience behavior to changes in demand, including conversion behavior. Accuracy Standardized signals reduce inconsistencies and improve the reliability of insights. Continuity Repeatable, closer-to-source enrichment gives agents signals they can compare across auctions, environments, and time. Flexibility Interoperable signals can support many activation, curation, and measurement partners without tying teams to one path. Why does signal freshness matter in agentic buying? Signal freshness matters in agentic buying since software agents make autonomous decisions in real time. Without fresh, accurate signals, these agents risk acting on outdated or incomplete information. As AI takes on more campaign decisions, the quality of the consumer data, identity layer, and governance behind those decisions becomes even more important. Outdated signals can lead to missed opportunities, such as failing to capitalize on sudden spikes in demand or changes in consumer behavior. Fresh signals ensure that campaigns remain agile and responsive, even in fast-changing market conditions. Signal freshness is critical because it ensures: Speed Agents can quickly adapt to changes in demand or inventory, including conversion behavior. Accuracy High-quality signals reduce errors and improve targeting accuracy.  Stability Consistent signals allow agents to learn and optimize over time. Trust Governed, transparent signals help teams understand what data informed a decision and how it can be used. What makes Experian a trusted partner in RTDE? Experian is a trusted partner in RTDE because we bring together independent identity, audience data, broad media partner integrations, and governance. That combination enables marketers to use bid-time enrichment responsibly and connect programmatic decisions to measurable outcomes. We work across the advertising ecosystem, not inside one closed environment. That independence helps marketers maintain choice across agencies, platforms, publishers, commerce media networks, clean rooms, and measurement partners. Our identity solutions help you build a flexible foundation for programmatic advertising across planning activation, curation, and measurement. With access to over 5,000 behavioral, demographic, and lifestyle attributes, we ensure a richer understanding of audiences. We prioritize data governance and security, handling sensitive information responsibly to maintain privacy-forward solutions. Integrations with over 200 media partners make it easy to activate addressable audiences and improve campaign performance. We’re focused on making enrichment more immediate and usable at bidding time through timely, trustworthy, and governable signals. That combination matters as AI agents and marketing systems rely on consumer data to make faster decisions. The stronger the identity, governance, and data stewardship behind those systems, the more confidence teams can have in how decisions are made. Experian helps marketers build actionable programmatic strategies We can help you build actionable programmatic strategies by connecting identity, audience packaging, curation, and measurement into one cohesive foundation. This foundation makes ad placements easier to execute and measure, while reducing friction between planning and activation. We can help you build audience packages and curated deals that align with your campaign goals. This gives marketers a flexible identity foundation that can adapt as partner needs, channel plans, and data collaboration models change. You can activate addressable audiences across advanced TV, social, and programmatic platforms, then measure how campaigns connect to consumer behavior and real-world outcomes. Our capabilities give teams a clearer path from planning to activation to measurement.   A strong RTDE strategy connects activation with governance, measurement, and transparency, giving teams a clearer view of how audiences are built, where they’re used, and how outcomes are evaluated. Get started with real-time data enrichment Real-time data enrichment signals are only valuable when they can be used at the moment decisions are made. We bring timely, trustworthy signals into the programmatic workflow so your campaigns can respond to current conditions. As the market changes, marketers need identity and data partners that protect control, preserve choice, and make trusted data usable across the full programmatic workflow. Connect with us to discuss how real-time data enrichment can support your programmatic strategy. Contact us About the author Matthew Griffiths SVP of Technology, Audigent, a part of Experian Matthew Griffiths is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and a driving force in advertising technology, data technology, and AI. As the Co-Founder and former CTO (now SVP of Technology) at Audigent, a part of Experian, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s cutting-edge solutions for data activation, curation, and identity management. With years of executive experience across the U.S., Africa, and the U.K., Matthew has a proven track record of leadership in steering the adoption and use of cutting-edge technologies to drive business outcomes. His expertise spans from collaborating with top global corporations and governments to spearheading award-winning technology projects that deliver life-changing impacts in some of the world's most underserved communities. Matthew’s dynamic approach to solving complex business and technology challenges makes him a visionary leader in the AdTech space, consistently driving innovation and performance through technology. FAQs What is real-time data enrichment in programmatic advertising? Real-time data enrichment is the process of computing derived signals during the bid request process, before an ad placement decision is made. In programmatic advertising, it helps bidding systems use current signals, such as identity attributes, cohort scores or context flags, instead of relying only on delayed inputs. How does real-time data enrichment help media buyers? Real-time data enrichment helps media buyers make bid decisions with fresher, more consistent signals. That can improve how campaigns respond to demand shifts, seasonal patterns, inventory changes, and conversion behavior. Why does real-time data enrichment matter for agentic media buying? Real-time data enrichment matters for agentic media buying since autonomous agents need current, reliable signals to make sound decisions. If the signals are stale or incomplete, agents can miss changes in demand, inventory, or audience behavior that affect campaign outcomes. How does Experian help with real-time data enrichment? Experian’s identity foundation helps marketers resolve and validate the signals that support real-time data enrichment. Experian’s data, privacy-forward approach, and integrations with more than 200 media partners help marketers activate addressable audiences and connect programmatic decisions to measurable outcomes. Latest posts

A closer look at media curation Media buying depends on dependable inventory, clear package details, and results that justify spend. In this Ask the Expert session, Erik Zamkoff, Global Packaging Lead at Microsoft Advertising, joins Matt Petiton, Director of Partnership Sales at Experian, to discuss how media curation is expanding from deal packaging into a more complete system for premium buying and how inventory and audience intelligence work together to drive stronger outcomes. How does curation solve discovery and scale challenges? Curation helps media buyers access reliable information faster, compare packages, and reduce manual work. What started as a way to organize deal discovery has become a system for structuring supply, managing updates, and responding to buyer needs at scale. Curation helps teams: Consolidate deal information in one place, so buyers have the detail they need to evaluate a package Act as a decisioning layer, organizing supply in a way that makes comparison easier Automate real-time updates, so buyers are working from current options rather than static documents Respond faster to custom requests, turning repeat asks into repeatable packages Bring speed and structure to a process that has often been manual How does total transparency set winning curators apart?  Total transparency is becoming a baseline expectation in premium media buying. For buyers, that means knowing what inventory is inside a deal, how it’s sourced, and it’s expected to perform. For publishers, transparency means seeing how inventory is packaged, where it appears in market, and how those packages are represented back to buyers. The strongest curation platforms build that visibility into the system itself. A source deal can be traced through its naming, packaging, and downstream use, giving publishers a clear view of where their inventory shows up and gives buyers more confidence in the information they use to make decisions. That clarity strengthens working relationships on both sides. Publishers want partners who can show how supply is being used. Buyers want curators who stand behind the accuracy of their deal data. When that level of visibility is present, curated transactions feel more trustworthy, more organized, and easier to act on. "The value proposition for publishers is straightforward: total transparency. I can sit down with a publisher and clearly identify which packages their specific deals appear in, ensuring clarity and trust."Erik Zamkoff, Global Packaging Lead Why does curation clarity matter to publishers? Publishers need a clear view of how their inventory is distributed, who has access to it, and where it appears across a fast-moving market. Gaps in that visibility make it harder to manage pricing, plan inventory strategy, and protect the value of supply. A transparent curation system gives publishers a clearer view of how each source deal is merchandised across packages and campaigns. With that visibility, they can spot overlap, have more informed conversations with buy-side teams, and take a more active role in how their inventory is presented. For publishers in premium marketplaces, that level of clarity matters. It supports stronger planning, control, and more confidence that supply is being used in a way that aligns with business goals. How does audience intelligence make curation more effective? Audience intelligence makes curated media more useful by connecting premium supply to the audiences marketers need to reach. Most campaign briefs require both quality inventory and relevant audiences to succeed, which is why curation works better when it’s connected to trusted data. The next major shift in media buying is the move from standard inventory curation to a model that combines premium supply with audience intelligence. To bridge this gap, solutions like Experian’s act as a critical intelligence layer. Experian turns standard inventory into highly targeted, data-rich media packages. By pairing powerful data and identity with premium properties, advertisers can reach the exact people they want to connect with. Experian Marketing Data plays an important role in this model. For example, if a marketplace offers an inventory package for professional sports, Experian audience data can augment that package by bringing in verified sports fans. This strategy adds richness and depth to campaigns, making the media buy more relevant to the audience. It allows clients to pick a category and extend it to reach a highly relevant audience. Bringing premium supply and audience intelligence together gives buyers a more complete solution for their advertising needs. How is artificial intelligence changing the media curation interface? Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how buyers search, compare, and package curated media supply. It can turn natural-language campaign requirements into recommended opportunities, helping teams move faster without replacing human strategy. AI is poised to change how buyers interact with curated media supply, serving as both a facilitator and connective tissue across the entire transaction process. Human expertise remains essential for interpreting campaign goals and making strategic decisions. AI supports that work by automating routine, data-heavy tasks, accelerating the planning process. "From an artificial intelligence perspective, it has been an amazing journey. We are now exploring an agentic pivot on the front end, allowing natural language search applications to simplify how buyers find supply."Erik Zamkoff, Global Packaging Lead Tasks that previously required hours of manual effort, such as sorting through multiple audience taxonomies, cross-referencing deal details, and compiling package comparisons, are now automated. Buyers use platform interfaces in a natural language. They quickly describe campaigning requirements. AI instantly proposes new opportunities that correspond to stated objectives. This simplifies planning and drives a more consistent delivery from campaign to campaign or client to client. Reduced manual oversight allows teams to spend less time on repetitive steps. Teams can focus on client relationships, campaign strategy, and overall performance. At Experian, AI integration is powered by our high-quality data, ranked #1 by Truthset, that meets critical standards of accuracy, freshness, consent, and interoperability. Our data is accurate, continuously updated, and human-centered. Our commitment to data quality enables AI to deliver real-time package recommendations, optimize campaigns with predictive insights, and surface opportunities that reflect current consumer behavior. By combining automation with human expertise, AI helps buyers make faster, more confident decisions. Learn what’s possible with curated media solutions For marketers planning premium buys, curated media solutions can help connect quality supply, audience relevance, and clearer decision-making in one workflow. Experian and Microsoft Advertising can help you solve your advertising challenges and find the right media solutions for your goals. About our experts Erik Zamkoff Global Packaging Lead, Microsoft Erik Zamkoff is currently the Global Packaging Lead at Microsoft, where he drives strategy and innovation across the company’s programmatic advertising and media marketplace offerings. He brings over a decade of experience spanning digital marketing, marketplace development, and product management, with prior roles at Microsoft, Xandr, and other technology firms. Matt Petiton Director of Partnership Sales, Experian Matt Petiton is a senior revenue and go-to-market leader with over a decade of experience scaling strategic partnerships and driving revenue growth within CTV, digital and programmatic channels. Currently, Matt operates within the Partnership Sales org where he leads revenue generation and manages the end-to-end go-to-market strategy for some of Experian’s most strategic, enterprise-level platform partners. FAQs What is curation in media buying? Curation in media buying is the process of organizing premium supply into structured packages that buyers can evaluate, compare, and activate more easily. It helps reduce manual work, improve deal clarity and connect inventory to campaign goals. Why does transparency matter in curated deals? Transparency matters in curated deals since buyers and publishers both need confidence in how inventory is packaged and represented. Buyers want accurate deal data, and publishers want visibility into where their supply appears and how it is used. How does Experian help make curation more effective? Experian’s data, ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset, helps make curation more effective by connecting premium inventory with audience intelligence. Experian’s identity foundation and marketing data can help buyers move from broad inventory packages to media opportunities tied to more relevant audiences. How would a marketer actually use curation in a campaign? A marketer would use curation to find a media package that combines quality inventory with the audience needed for a campaign goal. For example, a professional sports package can become more relevant when paired with Experian audience data for verified sports fans. What role does AI play in media curation? AI can make media curation faster by helping buyers search supply, compare deal details and identify packages using natural language. Human expertise is still needed to interpret goals, evaluate recommendations, and make the final strategic decision. Latest posts

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 Brent Walker, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Psympl. What value does psychographic data add to financial marketing? Demographic data tells financial marketers WHO a consumer is (like age, gender, or income), but it doesn't predict decisions. Behavioral data shows WHAT a consumer does, but people can take the same action for different reasons. Understanding these reasons helps marketers engage consumers more effectively. Psychographics reveal people's attitudes, values, lifestyles, and personalities, the core of their motivations. This layer helps marketers understand WHY people act, anticipate needs, and connect in more meaningful ways. This matters now as the "Great Wealth Transfer" unfolds: $124 trillion will be transferred from older to younger generations by the 2040s. Psychographics vary widely across generations, and up to 80% of heirs may switch financial institutions. Using psychographic insights gives financial marketers a competitive edge during this historic wealth shift. How can marketers apply Psympl Financial Segmentation? Psympl Financial Segmentation groups households into five psychographic profiles, each with distinct approaches to money, investing, and engagement with financial advisors.  Psympl's platform, the Consumer ConsoleTM, offers reference materials for understanding and engaging each Financial Segment, as well as access to extensive market research data conducted with Ipsos on the Segments to inform marketing strategy and campaign planning.  Psympl collaborates with Experian to map psychographic segments for all U.S. adults over 18. This allows financial services brands to enrich their consumer databases and find target customers based on psychographic, demographic, and socioeconomic profiles. Experian Marketing Data also powers Psympl’s Geo-Targeting tool, which heatmaps the U.S. by psychographic segments down to the zip code, with filters for demographics, socioeconomic factors, and household counts. Note: All five psychographic Financial Segments are represented in every zip code: the color corresponds with the biggest segment in that geography. Psympl's platform also includes the PsymplifierTM, which uses Psychographic AITM to create, analyze, and rewrite marketing content tailored to specific segments or generate new content from simple prompts. How do Psympl and Experian aid targeting strategies? Psympl and Experian support targeting strategies by connecting psychographic insight with consumer data, geography, and channel preferences. That combination gives financial institutions a more actionable view of who to target, where to reach them, and what message is likely to resonate. By connecting psychographic insights with consumer data, geography, and channel preferences, Psympl and Experian show financial institutions who to target, where to reach them, and what message will resonate, forming the foundation for effective targeting. For example, a bank can pinpoint areas with consumers who prefer in-person service. Psympl's Consumer Console™ highlights the Guided Mindset segment, those seeking expert financial help with $250,000+ in assets, as prime prospects. Psympl’s Geo-Targeting feature, powered by Experian Marketing Data, heat-maps where Guided Mindset households with $250,000+ in assets are concentrated. In this example, one location stands out with a high representation (41.9%) and concentration (10,796 households) of the targeted Guided Mindset segment with $250,000+ in investable assets, shown in orange on the heat map. While nearby areas are dominated by Ambitious Mindset (blue) or Performance Mindset (green), the data suggests that ZIP code 45208 is an excellent candidate for a new branch, supported by targeted print, outdoor, or digital marketing. Beyond location, Psympl’s research and Experian TrueTouch help firms choose the best channels for each segment and predict responses to direct mail, email, digital, and broadcast channels. Enriching customer databases with Psympl segments lets firms tailor messages—like notifying Guided Mindset customers about new locations, and use the Psymplifier™ to quickly generate targeted marketing content. What are the top use cases for psychographic profiles? By addressing customer motivations and priorities at every stage, organizations drive consistency, align communications, and deliver on customer expectations, whether acquiring, retaining, or upselling clients. Relationships with Baby Boomer clients often do not carry over to younger heirs, who typically have Ambitious and Hopeful Mindsets instead of the Guided, Performance, and Self-Reliant Mindsets more common among older generations. Psychographics reveal these generational differences, distinct needs, values, and engagement preferences, so firms can anticipate, address, and communicate more effectively across generations. Tools like Psympl’s Consumer Console and Psymplifier, combined with Experian TrueTouch Engagement data, equip financial professionals to tailor interactions and marketing content to each segment’s unique preferences, maximizing impact and receptivity. Firms that fail to adapt to the needs and preferences of younger generations will inevitably lose AUM. The Psympl platform, enhanced by Experian data, positions organizations to turn The Great Wealth Transfer into an opportunity rather than a threat. How can banks, credit unions, and wealth marketers start using psychographic segmentation? Building a psychographic segmentation model is resource-intensive and challenging to scale, but Psympl's collaboration with Experian addresses these challenges. After 20 years leading psychographic initiatives at Procter & Gamble, I wish I'd had Experian's data and capabilities; they make planning and measurement much easier. To start, enrich your CRM with Psympl psychographic Financial Segments from Experian. Analyze your customers to see which segments are over- or under-represented, revealing strengths and growth opportunities. Identify which segments most use specific products to target Prime Prospects. Then set a campaign goal and test psychographic messaging against a control group or with pre- and post-measures. Start small, earn, and adapt as you go. Once you see results with relevant, psychographic-based content, expand this approach to prospecting, customer experience, and other applications. Where can readers learn more? I appreciate this opportunity! To learn more, readers can visit the psympl.com website, and more specifically, the Resources Page on the website, which includes videos, whitepapers, and guides for utilizing the Psympl psychographic Financial Segments for customer acquisition, retention, and enhanced engagement. Contact us About our expert Brent Walker, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Psympl Brent Walker is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Psympl, helping wealth management firms, banks, credit unions, and financial services enhance customer acquisition, retention, and cross-sell initiatives.  Brent started his career in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, and over 20 years he led teams in product management, customer marketing, and psychographic segmentation initiatives. In 2012, he cofounded his first company focused on psychographics in healthcare, which saw a series of multiple acquisitions. Brent has delivered a variety of publications covering critical marketing topics, featured in Forbes, The Ohio Bankers League, The Commonwealth Fund, and Healthcare Finance. Latest posts

Brands have spent years strengthening identity. That was the right move. A stronger identity foundation gives marketers a better chance to understand people, shape audiences, and connect media to outcomes. Yet I see many teams hit the same wall after that work is done. Performance breaks at activation. I think of it as the activation gap. It’s the distance between knowing who you want to reach and being able to act on that intelligence across channels in a privacy-safe, measurable way. For many brands, identity is stronger than it was a few years ago. The challenge now is carrying that signal cleanly from data into execution, and from execution into outcomes. Identity was the first step For a long stretch, the industry was focused on rebuilding identity. That made sense. Marketers needed a more durable foundation for audience strategy, activation, and measurement. Now the market is in a different phase. First-party data can’t stop at organization in a CRM, it has to be usable in market as an addressable audience that can move across digital, TV, social, and commerce environments. That shift sounds straightforward. In practice, this is where the process starts to break down. A pharma brand may already have patient or consumer records, onboarding capability, and audience segmentation. It may be able to launch awareness messaging in a few channels. The harder part is turning that foundation into a connected strategy it can carry into market from start to finish. That has direct implications for growth. When signal degrades between planning and execution, media becomes less efficient, optimization slows down, and it gets harder to connect audience decisions to business results. The gap is operational Closing the gap starts with making identity usable in market, not just accurate on paper. A pharma marketing team may know which audiences it needs to reach, have a view of likely demand, and know which channels are in play. None of that creates value if the path from audience creation to activation is disconnected. Modern marketing should be judged by connected execution. Data has to move cleanly into activation. Activation has to stay close enough to measurement so teams can unify cross-channel exposure, build a clearer view of consumer behavior, and connect campaign exposure back to outcomes with more accuracy in near real-time. That’s the part many organizations are still working through. They’ve invested in the foundation. The system above it still feels too fragmented to carry signal from start to finish. Complex markets raise the stakes This pressure is even more visible in regulated categories. In health and finance, brands need more than audience access. They need privacy-safe activation, strong governance, and outcome visibility that can stand up to scrutiny. They need a way to carry audience intelligence across environments without losing control of how that signal is used. In these categories, weak connections between identity, activation, and outcomes create hesitation, and hesitation is expensive. What closing the gap looks like Closing the gap starts with a fuller view of the consumer across channels. Most brands already have valuable first-party data. The challenge is whether they have enough insight to make it activation-ready. When identity, activation, and measurement work more closely together, brands can understand not just who the consumer is, but how that person tends to engage and convert across channels. A consumer may be more likely to engage through streaming TV or digital video, then convert later online or in person. Those insights help brands build a more tailored outreach strategy by device and channel, shaping where they show up, how they sequence messages, and where they place the strongest conversion opportunity. Remove duplication across channels and ecosystems Look for an identity provider that supports accurate and scalable onboarding and resolution across environments, and that shows how identity graph distribution aligns to industry standards at the household and person level. In a multi-device world, that foundation also needs to support high-confidence deduplication to the person and household, especially in connected TV (CTV) and TV environments where devices are often shared and both activation and measurement depend on understanding those relationships. Find the best path to your audience Then make sure those insights can move into activation, supported by curation that helps brands find a more efficient path to reach those audiences, and connected measurement that can tie exposure back to outcomes. My view I’ve spent enough time around growth teams to know that the market rarely rewards brands for having the best data story in a conference room. It rewards the brands that can turn audience intelligence into action in market and see clearly what that action produced. That’s why I think the next separation point is activation. The teams that stand out will be the ones that can take signal from strategy into execution without losing fidelity, then connect that execution back to outcomes quickly enough to make better decisions while it still matters. That changes how I would evaluate a marketing operation. I would look less at how much data a brand has collected and more at whether that data can travel. Identity still matters. The difference now is that identity alone will not create growth. Growth comes from carrying signal all the way through activation and into outcomes, with enough clarity to know what’s working and enough confidence to act on it. About the author Kevin Dunn Chief Revenue Officer, Experian Kevin Dunn joins Experian Marketing Services with more than 20 years of leadership experience across marketing and advertising technology, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Brands and Agencies at LiveRamp. In that role, he led growth across retail, CPG, travel, hospitality, financial services, and healthcare, overseeing new business, account expansion, and channel partnerships. Kevin is known for building cohesive, accountable teams and leading with optimism, clarity, and a strong sense of shared purpose. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering people, driving positive outcomes for clients and fostering a culture where teams can grow, take smart risks, and succeed together. 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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 Samantha Zhang, Senior Data Scientist, and Jim Meyer, General Manager of the DASH TV Universe Study at the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). DASH is an annual tracking study conducted by the ARF to define and better understand TV audience behavior and household dynamics. What does DASH measure, and how does it help the industry understand TV consumption today?  By capturing hundreds of individual- and household-level data points from each respondent in a rigorous and nationally projectable sample, DASH creates a comprehensive picture of U.S. consumer TV “infrastructure” – how America watches.  Core elements in DASHElements that create context in DASHTV setsLocation | brand | smartness | service modes | sources DemographicsConnected devices Game consoles |video players | streaming devicesYesterday viewing Daypart | TV/device genre | Out-of-home viewingMobile devicesOwners | sharing usersShoppingOnline and in-store | Exposure to major RMNsInternet serviceModes | ISPs | connectivity by device Streaming audio Streaming TVSVOD/AVOD tiers and sharing | FAST Email accounts and apps Live TV Modes of access | including casting from devices Social media For example, DASH gathers: Data on every TV set, including brand, room location, age, “smartness,” and connection devices and modes  Household connectivity and video service data, even in homes with no TV set Internet Service Providers (ISP) and TV service usage, including Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs), virtual vMVPDs, streamers (ad-supported and premium), and Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels  Person-level ownership and usage of video-capable mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops  Measures of viewing and co-viewing across dayparts, devices, and services  Additional modules covering shopping and retail media networks, streaming audio, social media, email, and apps Broad coverage and granularity make DASH a uniquely robust source of truth for practitioners across the industry, including measurement experts and ad programming strategists. DASH also reports regularly (and publicly) on key industry dynamics. DASH identified a growing segment of device-only viewers – now nearly 9 million households that watch TV, but do not own a TV set – and highlighted the implications of that trend for traditional ratings systems based only on households with TV sets.  Households (HHs - million)2025 HHs (M) U.S. penetrationChange vs. 2024 (M)Total US134.8100%+2.7Connected TV (CTV)114.685%+2.1TV (Set)124.292.2%+1.1Device-only8.86.6%+1.6TV-Accessible133.198.7%+2.7 DASH called out the rise in app-based pay TV and proposed a new connection framework that better represents the modern TV world, in which linear and streaming overlap. DASH also defines the universes of households reachable with advertising. This graphic, for example, shows how all ad-supported linear and streaming properties in aggregate define the true scale of TV advertising. While 35 million households (and growing) are reachable only with streaming ads and 13 million (and falling) only with linear ads, most households are reachable with both, underscoring the importance of understanding the “overlap.” Who uses DASH data, and what decisions does it help inform? There are three primary users of DASH, each with its own use cases: Measurement providers, including Nielsen, use DASH to calibrate viewership data, turn household data into persons data (and vice versa) and estimate potential reached audiences–what the providers call media-related universe estimate (MRUEs)–for the calculation of ratings. Not surprisingly, measurement companies were the first to see the value that an independent TV universe study could provide. Media companies, including major broadcasters and streamers, use DASH to add context and color to their ad sales presentations – and to track the measurement providers, whose ratings play a major role in valuing ad inventory. AdTech companies, including Experian, use DASH to create high-value audience segments for activation. The recent accreditation of DASH by the Media Rating Council (MRC) and adoption by Nielsen as an input to its TV ratings have generated interest from a broad range of companies. We are actively pursuing new licensees and partners to make DASH more useful within, and even outside, the TV ecosystem. What does MRC accreditation signify, and why is it meaningful for DASH?  MRC accreditation means DASH passed a rigorous audit conducted by Ernst & Young over many months, which validated our methodology, controls, and data quality. MRC accreditation establishes that DASH is an industry-standard dataset.  While the service provider normally announces its own accreditation, the MRC took the unusual step of issuing its own release on DASH, announcing the accreditation of DASH for TV universe estimation and endorsing the study for broader, cross-media use. How does Experian use DASH data to build audiences?  The segments combine specific TV usage habits and behaviors from DASH with Experian data on demographics, spending, and other contextual inputs to create a fuller view of consumer viewing behavior. They are designed to be valuable to advertisers in many categories and planning contexts – and to be customizable to fit advertisers’ media targets. The segments can be used to: Apply or suppress audiences to improve target coverage across a campaign  Better align media and creative  Reach elusive but high-value viewers, such as Ad Avoiders  Drive valuable consumer behavior  Achieve specific advertising objectives What are some practical use cases for DASH-based audiences?  Here are some practical use cases for four different kinds of DASH segments in five different advertiser categories.  Travel Co-WatchersA couples-only resort uses TV Co-Watching Households without Children to strengthen target reach and ad memory recallA big theme park destination uses TV Co-Watching Households with Children to reach families in moments of togetherness Home Entertainment TV Owners and Brand LoyalistsA premium TV manufacturer uses the overlap of Multi Brand TV Owners and Single Brand TV Loyalist Households to market its newest TV model to its most loyal consumers. Fast Food Screen Size ViewersA fast food chain with a high-impact new brand campaign uses Large Screen TV Viewers to better align the media and  creativeThat same fast food chain uses Small-Screen TV Viewers to drive store traffic by increasing exposure of its retail campaign among on-the-go viewers Financial Services Cord Cutters A personal cost management app and a cash-back credit card target Streaming-First Cord Cutter Households to reach young, tech-savvy, cost-conscious consumers Thanks for the interview. Where can readers learn more about DASH? We started work on DASH seven years ago, and it’s been fun to watch it “grow up.” Our partnership with Experian is a big step toward putting DASH to work for advertisers and agencies. To learn more, visit our site at https://theARF.org/DASH or contact us at DASH@theARF.org. Contact us About our experts Samantha Zhang, Senior Data Scientist at ARF Samantha Zhang is a Senior Data Scientist at the Advertising Research Foundation working on the DASH TV Universe Study, with additional research spanning areas including attention measurement, digital privacy, and artificial intelligence.  Jim Meyer, General Manager, DASH, at ARF Jim Meyer is general manager and co-founder of the ARF DASH TV Universe Study and managing partner of Golden Square, LLC, which advises media and research technology companies on growth strategy and development. Latest posts