At A Glance
AdTech can feel overwhelming with all its jargon, but we're breaking it down café-style. From first-party data and identity resolution to clean rooms and ID-free targeting, this guide breaks down the essential terms marketers need to know.In this article…
If you’ve ever sat in a meeting and heard an AdTech term you didn’t understand, you’re not alone. The industry evolves as quickly as a café turns over tables on a busy weekend. Even seasoned regulars can get tripped up by the jargon.
So instead of scratching your head over the “menu,” let’s walk through some of the most common terms: served café-style.
The ingredients: The many flavors of first-party data
Every meal starts with ingredients, and in AdTech, those ingredients are data. First-party data is not just one thing: it’s more like everything your favorite neighborhood café knows about you.
First-party data
The café knows your coffee preferences because you’ve told them directly; whether by ordering at the counter, calling in, or placing an order online. This is information you’ve willingly provided through your interactions, and it belongs only to that café.
First-party cookies
The barista writes down your preferences in a notebook behind the counter, so next time you walk in, they don’t have to ask. First-party cookies remember details to make your experience smoother, but only for that café.
Authenticated identity
A loyalty app that connects online orders to in-person visits. By logging in, you’re saying, “Yes, it’s really me.” Authenticated identity is proof that the customer isn’t just a face in line, but someone with a verified profile.
Persistent identity
Recognizing you whether you order through the app or in person. Persistent identity enables the ability to keep track of someone across different touchpoints, consistently, without confusing them with someone else.
Permissioned data
Agreeing to join the loyalty program and get emails. Permissioned data is a connection to the customer that the customer proactively shared with the café by signing up for their loyalty program or email newsletter.
Each piece comes from direct interactions, stored and used in different ways. That’s what makes first-party data nuanced. The saga of third-party cookie deprecation and changing privacy regulations makes it important to understand which types of data you can collect and use for marketing purposes.
And once you have those ingredients, the next step is making sure you recognize how they fit together, so you can see each customer clearly. That’s where identity resolution comes in.
The recipe: Bringing the ingredients together with identity resolution
At the café, identity resolution is what helps the staff recognize you as the same customer across every interaction. Without it, they might think you’re two different people; one who always orders breakfast and another who sometimes picks up pastries to go.
Matching
The café has a loyalty program, and the pet bakery next door has one too. When they match records across their two data sets, they realize “M. Jones” from the café is the same person as “Michelle Jones” from the bakery. That connection means they can activate a joint promotion, like free coffee with a dog treat, without either business handing over their full customer lists. In marketing, matching works the same way, linking records across data sets for activation so campaigns reach the right people.
Deduplication
Collapses duplicate profiles into a single, clean record, so you don’t get two birthday coupons, even though that would be nice to get.
That’s what Experian does at scale: we connect billions of IDs in a privacy-safe way, so you can get an accurate picture of your audience.
And once you can recognize your customers across touchpoints, the next challenge is collaborating across systems and partners for deeper insights. That’s where the behind-the-counter processes come in.
Behind the counter: Crosswalks and clean rooms
At a café, these terms are like the behind-the-counter processes that keep everything running smoothly. They may sound technical, but they all serve the same purpose: helping data collaborate across different sources, while keeping sensitive information safe. The goal is a better “meal” for the customer, deeper insights, better targeting, and more personalized campaigns. Here’s how they work.
Crosswalks
The café partners with the pet bakery next door. They both serve a lot of the same people, but they track them differently. With a crosswalk, they can use a shared key to recognize the same customer across both businesses, so you get a coffee refill, and your dog gets a treat, without either one handing over their full customer list. A crosswalk is the shared system that lets both know it is really you, without swapping personal details. It’s the bridge connecting two silos of data.
Clean rooms
The café and the pet bakery want to learn more about their shared customers, like whether dog owners are more likely to stop by for brunch on weekends. Instead of swapping their full records, they bring their data into another café’s private back room, a clean room, where they can compare trends safely and privately. Both get useful insights, while customer details stay protected. That’s a clean room: secure collaboration without exposing sensitive data.
Of course, sharing and protecting data is only part of the picture. The real test comes when you need to serve customers in new ways, especially as the industry moves beyond cookies.
Serving customers in new ways: Cookie-free to ID-free
Targeting has evolved beyond cookies, just like cafés no longer rely only on notebooks to remember regulars.
ID-free targeting
The café looks at ordering patterns, like cappuccinos selling on Mondays and croissants on Fridays, without tracking who’s ordering what. Instead of focusing on who the customer is, the café tailors choices based on the context of the situation, like time of day or day of the week. This is like contextual targeting, serving ads based on the environment or behavior in the moment, rather than on personal identity.
ID-agnostic targeting
The café realizes customers show up in all sorts of ways: walk in, online ordering, delivery. Each channel has its own “ID,” a name on the app, a credit card, or a loyalty profile. ID-agnostic targeting means no matter how you order, the café can still serve you without being locked into one system.
Just like cafés no longer rely only on notebooks to keep track of regulars, marketers no longer have to depend solely on cookies. Today, there are multiple paths, cookie-free, ID-free, and ID-agnostic, that can all help deliver better, more relevant experiences.
But even with new ways to reach people, one big question remains: how do you know if it’s actually working? That’s where measurement and outcomes come into play.
Counting tables vs. counting sales
At the café, measurement and outcomes aren’t the same.
Measurement
Tables filled, cups poured, specials ordered.
Outcomes
What it all means: higher revenue, more loyalty sign-ups, or increased sales from a new promotion.
Both matter. Measurement shows whether the café is running smoothly, but outcomes prove whether the promotions and strategies are truly paying off. Together, they help connect day-to-day activity to long-term success.
All of this brings us back to the bigger picture: understanding the menu well enough to enjoy the meal.
From menu to meal
In AdTech, there will always be new terms coming onto the menu. What matters most is understanding them well enough to know how they help you reach your business goals. Just like at the café, asking a question about the specials isn’t foolish. It’s how you make sure you get exactly what you want. The more we, as an industry, understand the “ingredients” of data and identity, the better we can cook up new solutions that serve both brands and consumers. After all, the goal isn’t just to talk about the menu, it’s to enjoy the meal.
At Experian, we help brands turn that menu into action. From identity resolution to privacy-safe data collaboration, our solutions make it easier to connect with audiences, activate campaigns, and measure real outcomes.
If you’re ready to move from decoding the jargon to delivering better customer experiences, we’re here to help
FAQs
First-party data is information a customer shares directly with a brand, like purchase history, preferences, or sign-ups. It’s the most valuable and privacy-safe data marketers can use to build personalized campaigns.
Identity resolution ensures a brand can recognize the same customer across different touchpoints. Matching links records across data sets (e.g., between partners) so campaigns reach the right people without exposing full customer lists.
A crosswalk bridges two data systems with a shared key to recognize the same customer, while a clean room allows partners to analyze data together securely without exposing sensitive details.
Cookie-free and ID-free targeting shift focus away from tracking individuals, instead tailoring ads based on context (like time of day or content being viewed) or allowing flexibility across multiple IDs.
Measurement tracks activity (like clicks or visits), while outcomes prove business impact (like sales, loyalty, or revenue). Both are essential, but outcomes show whether strategies are truly effective.
Experian provides tools for identity resolution, privacy-safe data collaboration, and campaign measurement, helping marketers move from understanding the “menu” of AdTech terms to achieving real results.
Latest posts
Traditional audience signals are fading, and the industry is facing a new reality: identity is no longer just about connectivity, it’s about outcomes. At Cannes Lions 2025, leaders from AdRoll, LG Ad Solutions, Magnite, MiQ, OpenAP, PubMatic, Stirista, Tatari shared how innovative identity approaches are cutting through the noise, improving performance, and delivering real ROI. Their insights reveal a clear path forward for those ready to turn identity into a performance driver. Here’s how you can apply the same principles to drive performance. 1. Make identity a performance engine Treating identity as a performance driver leads to measurable results by creating a clear connection between marketing efforts and outcomes. Identity resolution enables the effective retargeting of audiences, accurate performance attribution across connected TV (CTV), and personalized campaigns across multiple channels. By building household-level graphs and incorporating alternative identifiers, marketers can maintain accuracy as traditional signals change. Activating first-party data across both digital and offline channels ensures that every interaction, whether on-screen or in-store, can be tied back to specific actions, helping optimize campaigns, and improve ROI. How Experian helps Experian’s Consumer Sync solutions create a clean foundation and persistent identity spine by resolving and expanding your first-party data across digital and offline IDs (hashed emails, mobile ad IDs, CTV IDs). This enables activation across omnichannel campaigns, from CTV to social, and connects data to outcomes. "Identity resolution is very important to our overall strategy today. Without that identity linkage, we couldn’t speak the same language as our clients. For example, a client might want to target people who engaged with their brand’s website four days ago via CRM data. Without identity resolution, that’s not possible. But with it, we’re changing the narrative – making TV a hospitable place for deploying first-party data and driving outcomes."Mike Brooks 2. Build trust through responsible data practices Consumer trust begins with responsible data practices that prioritize transparency and privacy. Deterministic match rates ensure accuracy by connecting data points with confidence, while clear methodologies provide visibility into how data is used. These practices improve overall campaign performance and protect consumer privacy by ensuring that every interaction is respectful. How Experian helps Experian’s privacy-first approach ensures that all data activation occurs with compliance and consent. By maintaining high match rates and adhering to transparent methodologies, Experian helps build trust and strengthen long-term connections with audiences. "If people don't take any precautions and they don't actually care about data in the public, they probably don't care about it in private. Experian cares about data privacy and compliance, and that made it a no-brainer for us to work with them. When we combined our focus on privacy with Experian’s expertise, we knew we had to do it right – and we did."Henry Olawoye 3. Expand reach while maintaining high match rates Having more data points to identify individuals leads to higher match rates and broader reach. Enriching records with additional identifiers, like hashed emails, MAIDs, and CTV IDs, makes it easier to connect data across channels and create a unified view of each person. This approach ensures that campaigns can scale effectively while maintaining the accuracy needed to deliver personalized experiences. How Experian helps With a database of over 5,000 attributes spanning 15 verticals and categories, Experian provides a comprehensive view of consumers through a single provider. By sourcing data from over 200 sources (including public records, consumer surveys, and purchase records), Experian enables the creation of detailed audience profiles. This enriched data focuses on identity, creating a unified view of individuals that helps pinpoint the best opportunities to engage effectively across channels and deliver measurable outcomes tailored to specific audience needs. "We’ve been able to extend our IDs by an average of 6.5 different identifiers, with a 70% match rate. That extension is huge – it underpins a lot of the connectivity in our platform and allows us to bring 300 data feeds together to make the most of them."Georgiana Haig 4. Create unified campaigns with interoperability Fragmented data often leads to fragmented results. Interoperability ensures that data from different platforms and systems can work together, creating a unified view that makes measurement and attribution more actionable. How Experian helps Experian simplifies interoperability by ensuring consistent data usage from activation and measurement. By connecting data from various sources, Experian enables a cohesive strategy where insights can be shared across publishers, measurement providers, and ad servers, ensuring campaigns remain aligned and effective at every stage. "The ecosystem benefits from optimized interoperability. We’re focused on allowing advertisers to work seamlessly across IDs and identity solutions – from activation to resolution – so the same data set is used consistently across publishers, measurement providers, currencies, programmatic ecosystems, and ad servers."Chris LoRusso 5. Use AI to amplify, not replace, strategy Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how campaigns are optimized, but its success depends on clean, consented identity foundations. AI can analyze vast amounts of data to refine targeting, manage frequency, and uncover new efficiencies, but only when built on a strong identity framework. How Experian helps Experian uses AI and machine learning to deliver highly personalized marketing solutions. Advanced clustering algorithms in Experian’s Digital Graph analyze and create household and individual device connections, improving targeting and measurement accuracy, while machine learning models improve consumer insights by inferring household composition where data is limited. These innovations enable AI tools to quickly generate tailored audience solutions, analyze contextual signals in real time, and identify opportunities that improve results while maintaining a human centered approach to decision making. "AI is a copilot to your marketing initiatives. For it to perform, it needs insights and information to learn from. That’s why having a strong foundational data asset rooted in deterministic data is so important."Howard Luks Five moves to turn identity into profit Here are five steps to get started: 1. Audit your data health Make sure your audience data is accurate, up-to-date, and complete so you’re starting from a strong foundation. 2. Layer in more context Enrich your records with details, like lifestyle, interests, or buying behaviors, that help you speak your audience’s language. 3. Unify touchpoints across channels Link your data so you can see the same person or household whether they’re engaging on CTV, mobile, desktop, in-store, or through other touchpoints. 4. Activate AI for stronger campaigns Use AI tools to fine-tune targeting, control ad frequency, and find hidden opportunities once your foundation is solid. 5. Align data across systems Ensure interoperability so data from different platforms and systems can work together, creating a unified view for actionable insights. The common thread across these insights is connection: connecting data, teams, and outcomes. Marketers who act on these imperatives will be ready for whatever new channel, format, or privacy rule comes next. Let’s start a conversation about how Experian can help you turn identity into ROI Latest posts
Audigent, a part of Experian, now offers turnkey, outcome-driven deals for brands through Amazon DSP, expanding advertisers’ options for advertising across the open internet. While buyers continue to activate through established supply paths with Amazon DSP, this collaboration introduces sell-side curation that expands data access and reduces overall buyer costs. Three paths to activation With Audigent's curation services now available through Amazon DSP, buyers have streamlined access to premium open-internet inventory and measurable results. Advertisers now have three simple ways to build or tap into curated deals: Off-the-shelf deals in Inventory Hub on Amazon DSP Buyers can access hundreds of pre-built curated deals, each designed to align with common campaign goals and accelerate time to market. Custom deal libraries built around KPIs Advertisers can work directly with Audigent and Amazon Ads to build tailored deal libraries that reflect their unique performance objectives. SimplePMP with AI-driven intelligence Audigent's proprietary AI technology powers its SimplePMP product, offering advertisers sophisticated segment recommendations to identify relevant audiences and inventory with enhanced accuracy. Data that drives performance Turnkey curation only works if the data behind it is immediate, precise, and actionable. With Audigent providing curation via Amazon DSP, each deal fuses premium, real-world signals with hand-picked inventory so every impression can move the needle. How turnkey curation works Here are three ready-made examples to spark ideas 1. Weather in real time When the temperature climbs above 85°F, a beverage brand’s “Hot-Day Hydration” creative can launch automatically. Twenty-four hours before a heavy-rain forecast, big-box retailers can push “Storm-Ready Supplies” for generators and batteries. Weather-triggered audiences from The Weather Company mean you buy only when conditions drive demand. 2. Moments that matter to fans Live Nation ticket-purchase signals that pinpoint two peak travel-booking windows—right after fans secure out-of-town concert or game tickets and again during the week leading up to the event—so airlines, online travel agencies, and hotels can serve timely seat-sale or last-minute lodging offers when intent (and conversion rates) are highest. 3. Intent you can see Bombora B2B signals surface companies researching topics like “zero-trust security” or “cloud cost reduction.” A cybersecurity SaaS can reach those accounts with demo ads, and an office-furniture brand can court firms exploring “hybrid-workspace redesign.” Media spend zeroes in on buyers already in-market. A customer-centric approach Audigent delivers turnkey, customer-centric solutions across the open internet through Amazon DSP, prioritizing quality over quantity through premium web inventory. As buyers and sellers embrace more direct, transparent, and addressable supply paths, this streamlined approach boosts efficiency and drives meaningful outcomes for brands. Interested in trying this new path with Amazon Ads and Audigent? Email: audigent_sales@experian.com. What's next? Audigent is committed to enhancing our curation services available through Amazon DSP. We're focusing on: Expanding our suite of turnkey solutions to address evolving advertiser needs in the open internet space Developing new data-driven insights to further refine audience segmentation and inventory selection Continuously improving our technology to deliver even greater value and efficiency for advertisers As the advertising landscape evolves, Audigent will continue to innovate, ensuring our offerings complement and enhance the capabilities available through Amazon DSP. Ready to cut supply path costs? Connect with us to design your first curated library Latest posts
Marketers aren’t thinking in channels anymore: they’re thinking in audiences. As consumer media habits have scattered across devices, platforms and formats, brands have shifted their focus from managing one channel at a time to delivering a connected experience. That’s the core of omnichannel marketing: meeting people where they are and making each touchpoint feel like part of a larger narrative. However, most brands still encounter the same roadblocks: siloed data, fragmented planning and tools that don’t integrate. And while the industry talks a great deal about omnichannel marketing, few are actually doing it well. The brands that figure it out won’t just reach more people; they’ll improve brand perception while improving the customer journey, achieving better outcomes, and optimizing their media spend more efficiently. Learn more about this trend in our 2025 Digital trends and predictions report. Learn more Why omnichannel is no longer optional Omnichannel marketing has long been a goal, but recent shifts in media and technology now make it a necessity. According to Forrester, 21% of global B2C business and tech professionals identified enhancing omnichannel or cross-channel customer experiences as a top priority for their organization today. Connected TV (CTV) and commerce media networks are emerging as dominant channels, necessitating the coordination of messaging across an expanding ecosystem of streaming, programmatic display, and commerce-driven environments in addition to the multitude of other addressable (and non-addressable) channels. Fortunately, identity solutions continue to evolve, enabling marketers to maintain audience addressability in digital channels even as traditional signals decline and privacy regulations intensify. Consumers expect this kind of cohesion. They don’t see “channels" – they just see a brand. A member of your loyalty program might browse a product online, see the exact item later on their socials, and then receive an email offer. If those messages feel disconnected or out of sync, this will not be a good customer experience, and a brand risks wasting impressions and losing conversions. Omnichannel isn’t about showing up in more places. It’s about showing up with a consistent message. The opportunities inherent in true omnichannel execution Despite the industry’s movement toward omnichannel marketing strategies, there are a few untapped opportunities brands would benefit from pursuing. Break down planning silos to optimize performance Many marketers still plan and measure media in silos: programmatic display, CTV, commerce media, search, social, email, SMS, and each might have their own budgets, strategies, and KPIs. This disjointed approach leads to inconsistent messaging, inefficient spend, and overexposure or underexposure to key audiences. The opportunity? Shift toward integrated media planning and measurement. By aligning teams and KPIs across channels, marketers can optimize frequency, coordinate creative sequencing, and better attribute business outcomes. Breaking down internal silos improves the customer experience and drives more effective performance. With two-thirds of North American CMOs naming siloed data as their biggest obstacle, those who solve it stand to gain a clear advantage. Encourage interoperability to activate audiences consistently Omnichannel success depends on defining an audience once and reaching them everywhere. But in today’s ecosystem, where walled gardens control inventory and many tools remain disjointed, this is easier said than done. Just under a third of marketers say the tools they use don’t work well together. The opportunity? Invest in interoperable systems that give you control over your data and privacy-safe solutions like clean rooms or universal IDs that enable consistent audience activation across platforms. Advocate for a unified identity framework Audience data remains fragmented: commerce media networks control shopper data, TV platforms hold viewership data, and walled gardens provide limited data transparency and determine which data they will share, making it difficult to recognize, reach, and follow the customer journey across digital touchpoints. Without a unified view, campaigns remain disconnected and cross-channel attribution is difficult. The opportunity? Advocate for a centralized, privacy-conscious identity framework that bridges fragmented data sources. This would allow marketers to recognize consumers across platforms and deliver cohesive messaging. Marketers need solutions that enable connected audience activation while respecting privacy requirements and platform-specific constraints. Without this, omnichannel remains an aspiration rather than a reality. Data and identity: The tools you need in your toolkit to make omnichannel work Implementing omnichannel right starts with establishing identity. Brands need a foundation that lets them connect the dots: across data, platforms and channels. Here’s how: Build a unified identity foundation “A single view of the customer is the foundation of a successful omnichannel program,” says Forrester in a December 2023 report on omnichannel. This begins by connecting disparate data sources, including persistent offline information, such as addresses, emails, names, and phone numbers, with digital signals, in a privacy compliant way. And this, in turn, creates a strong identity foundation. Solutions that integrate hashed email addresses (HEMs), mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), IP addresses, CTV IDs, and universal IDs enable brands to resolve customer identities across different platforms, ensuring that campaigns remain addressable as users transition between channels. Activate audiences everywhere, without the hassle Brands should be able to define an audience once and activate it across all addressable channels without unnecessary complexity. Interoperability between demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), clean rooms, and private marketplaces (PMPs) ensures that high-quality audiences are matched with premium inventory in a targeted, transparent, and efficient manner. This connectivity helps maintain consistent audience targeting—even as consumers engage in different environments. By working with a partner that seamlessly integrates with major platforms, marketers ensure that data quality and identity resolution remain intact throughout campaigns, avoiding data loss that occurs when data is transferred between different, disparate platforms. Measure across channels, and the customer journey Effective omnichannel marketing isn’t just about reaching audiences—it’s about understanding how different touchpoints contribute to conversions. Advanced attribution models, incrementality testing, and cross-platform frequency management enable brands to use consistent identity across campaign planning, activation and measurement so they connect ad exposures to real-world outcomes. Achieving this requires a strong identity resolution partner—one that can unify audience data across environments and power accurate, privacy-compliant measurement at scale. The future of omnichannel marketing Omnichannel is becoming the baseline expectation for modern marketing. The brands that figure out how to connect the dots across the increasingly disparate media landscape will drive better performance and build stronger customer relationships. By working with a partner that can offer you an end-to-end data and identity solution focused on consumers, not channels, you can better understand your best customers (and your next customers), reach them across channels, and measure cross-channel campaigns more effectively, making true omnichannel execution more achievable. Get started today Latest posts