Marketing data and identity

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of modern advertising, changing how brands connect with people. At Experian, we believe this technology should make marketing more human, not less. We use AI to help marketers understand consumer behavior, respect privacy, and deliver messages that matter. As part of our latest Cannes Content Studio series, we spoke with leaders from AdRoll, MiQ, OpenX, Optable, PMG, PubMatic, and Yieldmo. Their insights show a clear path forward; one where technology supports human strategy to create more meaningful connections.  1. How does AI help you see audiences more clearly? AI decodes complex behavioral signals to reveal the values and mindsets behind decisions, and increasingly, it predicts what audiences will care about next. This allows marketers to deliver timely, relevant messages that resonate with audiences. At Experian, we help brands use these insights to connect more meaningfully and ethically. Takeaway: Experian’s tools help brands uncover audience insights, enabling more meaningful and ethical connections. 2. Where does AI actually save time, and improve results? Running campaigns is time-consuming. Solutions like Agentic AI now orchestrate end-to-end campaign workflows, audience building, trafficking, QA, pacing, and routine optimizations, so teams focus on strategy and creativity. Many leaders (94%) are investing broadly in AI to drive efficiency and impact, and 49% of marketers use it daily for image and video generation, shifting repetitive tasks from people to tools. By quickly combining past and current performance data, AI can pre-optimize before launch and refine mid-flight, while marketers steer the message and experience. "AI uses past campaign data to optimize performance before launch, continues learning during the campaign, and refines strategies based on the insights it generates, driving better results over time.”Howard Luks Takeaway: Experian’s solutions streamline campaign workflows, allowing marketers to focus on creativity and strategy while improving results. 3. How do AI and human strategy work together in real time? AI handles real-time data analysis and optimization, freeing marketers to focus on strategy, messaging, and creativity. By defining audiences once and activating them across platforms, teams can adapt quickly and confidently. At Experian, we combine machine intelligence with human insight to deliver smarter, more agile campaigns. “AI analyzes data, pulls insights, and automates optimizations, allowing marketers to focus on strategy, messaging, and creativity instead of spending time digging through numbers and data."Lizzie Chapman Takeaway: Experian solutions empower marketers to adapt quickly and confidently, combining human strategy with insights. 4. What does privacy-first look like now? Relying on simple, static data points is no longer enough. A modern approach to identity blends deterministic data (like known identifiers) with modeled components, ensuring data remains de-identified where possible. Clear, transparent guardrails, permitted-use policies, retention limits, sensitive-category blocks, and audit trails, help brands balance personalization with privacy, build trust, and respect user choice. "A new blend of identity systems combines deterministic data, known identifiers, and model driven components, creating fresh ways to address identity and activate campaigns with precision.” Vlad Stesin Takeaway: Experian’s privacy-first identity solutions help brands balance personalization with safety, ensuring trust and compliance. 5. Which new data signals matter, and why? AI is unlocking a new generation of data signals, like content context, sentiment, emotional tone, suitability, attention, and commerce intent, that go beyond legacy identifiers like cookies and demographics. These signals can help brand messages appear in the most relevant environments and by high-value audiences. Used well, they improve relevance, avoid placements near unsuitable or off-brand content, and drive stronger campaign outcomes. "Unlocking new data sets (like emotion, sentiment, and context), AI is creating innovative ways to connect client content with advertising opportunities and rethink how we approach the market.” Sam Bloom Takeaway: Experian’s solutions use advanced data signals to help marketers create more effective and innovative campaigns. Why Experian for human-centered AI? We deliver on the promise of AI-powered marketing through five pillars: See audiences clearly across households, individuals, and devices. Recommend next‑best audiences and automate setup for faster execution. Adapt in real‑time to keep relevance high. Innovate responsibly with strong governance and transparency. Plan, activate, and measure campaigns on one unified platform. The future of intelligent marketing AI will keep accelerating, but the goal stands: make marketing more human. Teams that blend privacy‑first identity, predictive insight, AI‑powered simplicity, and real‑time intelligence will earn trust and drive outcomes. Experian helps you bring those pieces together so every campaign moves from assumptions to clarity, and from activity to measurable results. Talk to Experian about building human-centered AI into your marketing strategy AI marketing trends FAQs How does AI help marketers understand audiences better? AI analyzes complex signals, behaviors, values, and mindsets to provide a clearer picture of what matters to audiences. That clarity makes messaging feel personal and relevant. Learn more about Experian’s Digital Graph and how it can help marketers understand audiences better.  Where is AI improving campaign efficiency today?   Automation reduces manual setup and reporting, so teams focus on strategy and creative. Nearly half of marketers (49%) use AI daily for image and video generation, reflecting this shift.  What does “smarter activation across platforms” mean? Smarter activation across platforms means defining audiences once, then carrying them across channels with live feedback, so relevance and suitability stay high. See how Experian enables smarter activation with our data and identity solutions.  How is AI changing identity?  Privacy‑first identity blends deterministic and modeled components, keeping data de‑identified where possible. Experian’s solutions balance personalization with safety. Learn about Experian’s identity solutions is changing identity.  Why is structured data important for AI‑driven marketing?   AI systems rely heavily on brand‑managed sources. 86% of citations come from websites, listings, and reviews, so clean, accurate, structured data makes your answers and your brand more discoverable. Discover how Experian supports structured data for AI-driven marketing.  Latest posts

Every marketer has seen it: a customer browses reviews on a laptop, adds items to a cart on mobile, then “disappears.” In reality, they just likely switched devices or logged in with a different email. Identity resolution connects these scattered signals into a single profile so you never lose sight of the customer journey. Identity resolution is what helps you keep track of customers who bounce around. Connecting scattered signals into a single customer profile can help you deliver seamless experiences, meet strengthening privacy standards, turn first-party data into measurable results, and fuel better customer analytics. See our identity resolution solution in action Learn about it here What is identity resolution? Identity resolution is the process of pulling together the different identifiers a customer uses and connecting them to a single profile. Without it, you’re left with an incomplete picture of the customer — like a cart tied to one email, an app login tied to another device, or a loyalty swipe that never links back to the same person. Common identifiers include: Cookies: Short-lived browser data Emails: Plain-text and hashed Device IDs: Mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) or app-based identifiers Loyalty IDs: Program numbers that tie online and offline activity Hashed PII: Personally identifiable information (PII) encrypted for privacy Ultimately, identity resolution can help you recognize the same customer wherever they engage. Why does identity resolution matter now? Marketers face incomplete views, data silos, privacy regulations, and shrinking visibility: Rising consumer expectations: People want seamless, personalized journeys across touchpoints. Privacy-first environment: Consumer privacy legislation (like the GDPR, CCPA, GLBA, FCRA, and new state laws) makes compliance non-negotiable. Signal loss: The decline of cookies, MAIDs, and walled gardens are pushing brands toward first-party data. Experian utilizes AI and machine learning to fill these gaps, predict behaviors, and connect signals across devices — providing marketers with a clear, privacy-safe view of their customers, even when traditional identifiers are missing. In this environment, identity resolution matters because it gives marketers a way to deliver seamless, personalized customer experiences and engage audiences effectively while respecting their privacy. It’s the basis for turning consented first-party data into measurable marketing outcomes without sacrificing trust. Talk to an expert Why is identity resolution critical in a privacy-first world? Even as cookies linger, marketers have already shifted their strategies to rely on first-party data, where choice and transparency are the baseline expectation. At Experian, our long history as a regulated data steward makes us a uniquely capable and trusted partner for managing modern compliance expectations. Our identity resolution solutions maximize the value of permission-based data while meeting consumer demand for privacy, personalization, and control. Struggling with scattered customer data? Experian makes identity resolution seamless Learn more How does identity resolution help brands? Identity resolution turns fragmented signals into unified profiles that drive personalization, efficiency, and compliance. Here’s how it creates measurable business impact. Creates a unified customer view One of the biggest advantages of identity resolution is the ability to integrate data from loyalty programs, point-of-sale (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, web analytics, and offline sources into a single, comprehensive profile. Experian strengthens identity resolution with AI-driven clustering models that resolve household and individual identities across billions of signals with greater accuracy. With a clearer picture of each customer, brands see higher match rates and larger addressable audiences, which translates to more substantial reach and better return on ad spend (ROAS). Enables better personalization Customers constantly switch devices, update their information, and change preferences. Experian makes it easier to keep pace with these changes through frequent data enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution via Activity Feed. Combined with our long-standing use of AI and machine learning, this approach ensures shifting behaviors are captured quickly, enabling timely personalization, and more responsive engagement. With less delay from data to action, the result is faster response times and higher conversion rates. Improves the customer experience Customers notice when brands deliver relevant ads and contextual content across every channel. Consistency matters! But consistency doesn’t just happen on its own; it comes from identity resolution, which keeps the customer journey connected. As brands maintain continuity, they build trust, strengthen engagement, and increase customer lifetime value. Drives better marketing ROI Not every profile is valuable. Identity resolution helps marketers identify the highest-value audiences and reduce wasted spend. That efficiency leads to lower CPA and a higher overall ROI across campaigns. The power of modeling from a stronger foundation When you have a unified customer view, your models are built on better data. That means you can find more people who look like your best customers, build more responsive audience segments, and target with greater accuracy. This foundation can lead to better spending, more relevant campaigns, and a higher ROI. Maintains privacy compliance With GLBA/FCRA-grade standards and consumer choice mechanisms like opt-outs and data correction, you can protect your brand while maintaining personalization — without compromising legal or ethical safeguards. What are some identity resolution use cases and examples? Every industry faces its own unique identity challenges, but identity resolution is the common thread that turns scattered data into connected experiences. Let’s break down how companies in different verticals are putting it to work (and the kinds of results they’re seeing). Retail and e-commerce Shoppers bounce between websites, carts, and checkout lines, leaving behind scattered signals in the process. In retail, identity resolution bridges the gap between online and in-store experiences by matching online carts with loyalty swipes or connecting connected TV (CTV) exposure to in-store sales. This means fewer silos, better targeting, and more personalized offers wherever people shop. Our 2025 Digital trends and predictions report calls out that omnichannel experiences aren’t optional anymore. With CTV and social dominating spend, brands need identity resolution to cut through silos and build a complete view of customer behavior. Read the full report Financial services In financial services, identity resolution makes it possible to deliver personalized, compliant offers like refinancing options for likely mortgage switchers or the right rewards card for frequent spenders. Our partnership with FMCG Direct to create Consumer Financial Insights® and Financial Personalities® segments helps banks, insurers, and lenders understand behaviors — such as credit card use, deposit balances, and investment habits — without exposing sensitive details. Read more below about how our financial audiences enable privacy-safe personalization. Explore privacy-safe financial audiences Travel and hospitality Travel decisions aren’t always planned out in advance. Many bookings happen spur-of-the-moment, which is why real-time identity resolution is so powerful; it keeps the journey seamless when travelers jump from phone to laptop to tablet and presents relevant offers right as decisions are being made. Windstar Cruises put this information into action with Experian’s identity graph to connect digital interactions with actual bookings, which drove 6,500+ reservations and $20 million in revenue. Get the $20 million Windstar Cruises playbook here Media and TV Viewers tend to hop around between linear TV, streaming apps, and social feeds. And without identity resolution, every screen looks like a different person. Marketers can accurately plan, activate, and measure campaigns by unifying viewing behaviors into one ID with Experian’s AI-powered identity graph. Optimum Media tackled its multiscreen challenge by partnering with Experian for identity solutions. Layering our audience insights and our AI-driven Digital Graph onto their subscriber data, they were able to connect the dots across channels, reach the right households, and measure results instead of just impressions. In the end, they finally got a clear view of what works across every screen. Learn how Optimum Media mastered multiscreen measurement Curious how identity resolution can power your customer analytics? We can walk you through it. Chat with an expert Healthcare and pharma Healthcare marketers can’t afford slip-ups with HIPAA regulations. Identity resolution makes it possible to engage the right patients and providers with de-identified audiences rather than third-party cookies. At Experian, AI and machine learning have always been part of how we power identity resolution. In healthcare, that means using AI-enhanced modeling to connect de-identified clinical and claims data with lifestyle insights. The result is a more comprehensive picture of the patient journey that helps close care gaps, reduce wasted spending, and improve outcomes. By working with partners like Komodo, PurpleLab, and Health Union, we make it possible to activate campaigns at scale that boost engagement and adherence while keeping patient privacy front and center: Komodo Health enriches our identity graph with insights from millions of de-identified patient journeys plus lifestyle data, giving brands a fuller view of where care gaps exist and how to close them. PurpleLab connects real-world clinical and claims data to Experian’s platform, letting advertisers activate HIPAA-compliant audiences across CTV, mobile, and social with the ability to measure real outcomes like prescription lift and provider engagement. Health Union contributes a data set built from 50 million+ patient IDs and 44 billion+ patient-reported data points. Combined with our identity and modeling capabilities, this expands match rates and unlocks up to 76% net-new reach, so campaigns reach patients and caregivers in critical health moments. As a result, healthcare brands can launch campaigns that are privacy-first, highly targeted, and proven to drive meaningful impact. Audio People use audio while commuting, working out, and even folding laundry. It can be one of the hardest channels to track because of how frequently listeners switch between apps, stations, and devices. Experian’s identity resolution partnerships with Audacy and DAX change the game: Audacy helps tie scattered listening into a single view, so advertisers can follow audiences across devices and keep ads relevant in the moment. DAX pairs Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences with its audio network, enabling brands to target precisely and launch impactful campaigns at scale. These partnerships turn audio into an accurate channel where ads feel personal, privacy-safe, and measurable. Gaming Gamers don’t stick to one platform. Player data gets scattered across mobile, console, and PC, so it’s tough to keep track of individuals. Experian helps stitch those signals together so publishers can finally see the whole picture, personalize gameplay, and keep players coming back. With enriched profiles, publishers can deliver offers that resonate and unlock fresh revenue by packaging high-value gaming audiences for advertisers outside the industry. Unity, a leading gaming platform, is tapping into Experian’s syndicated audiences to gain player insights and help advertisers reach gamers across mobile, web, and CTV. For global publishers, unifying player data with Experian has driven higher engagement and stronger ad ROI. Discover how to unlock revenue with unified player data How should I evaluate identity resolution providers? When choosing an identity resolution partner, look for: Data scale and quality: The value of identity resolution depends on how complete and accurate the underlying data is. The right provider should bring together a wide range of identifiers from online and offline sources, maintaining high accuracy so your customer profiles are broad and reliable. Match accuracy and recency: The best partners also refresh their data regularly and can blend deterministic (exact, one-to-one matches) with probabilistic (pattern-based matches) methods. That way, you get the accuracy of “this email is definitely that customer” with the reach of “this device likely belongs to the same person.” Privacy and compliance readiness: Compliance can’t be an afterthought. Your identity partner should be ready for GLBA, FCRA, GDPR, CCPA, and the latest state-level rules with built-in tools for opt-outs, corrections, and deletions. Integration flexibility: A good provider fits into your world, not the other way around. Look for pre-built integrations with your customer data platform (CDP), demand-side platform (DSP), or marketing tech (MarTech) stack so you can get up and running without the heavy IT lift. Data analytics capabilities: You need proof that identity resolution drives ROI. Look for closed-loop measurement that ties unified IDs directly to campaign performance, so you can see what’s working and optimize with confidence. How Experian enables enterprise-grade identity resolution Experian delivers identity resolution at the scale, accuracy, and compliance required by the world’s largest enterprises. Our solutions are: Built on trust: Backed by 40+ years as a regulated data steward and rated #1 in data accuracy by Truthset, so you can act with confidence. Powered by our proprietary AI-enhanced identity graph: Combining breadth, accuracy, and recency across four billion identifiers, continuously refined by machine learning for maximum accuracy. Seamlessly connected: Pre-built data integration with leading CDPs, DSPs, and MarTech platforms for faster time to value. Always up to date: Frequent enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution through Activity Feed for timely personalization and more responsive customer engagement. Privacy-first by design: Compliance with GLBA, FCRA, and emerging state regulations baked in at every step, supported by rigorous partner vetting. The bottom line Identity resolution turns fragmented signals into connected, measurable, and compliant experiences. From retail to gaming, brands using it see stronger personalization, engagement, and ROI. With Experian, you get the data, trust, and responsible AI innovation to make identity resolution work across every channel. Our approach uses AI to connect identities, predict behaviors, and deliver personalization that balances privacy with performance. If you’re ready to turn fragmented data into growth, now’s the time to start. The world’s leading brands trust us to power identity resolution at scale. See how we can do the same for you. Identity resolution FAQs What’s the difference between deterministic and probabilistic matching? Deterministic uses exact identifiers (like an email) for accuracy, while probabilistic uses signals and algorithms to expand reach. Best-in-class providers usually combine both. How does identity resolution improve ROI? Identity resolution helps with personalization by unifying scattered signals into one profile. It reduces wasted spend and increases match rates, which means bigger addressable audiences and higher ROAS. Can identity resolution work without third-party cookies? Yes. With first-party data and hashed PII, brands can still maintain addressability and personalization. What industries benefit most from identity resolution? Retail, finance, travel, media, gaming, and audio all use identity resolution to personalize, attribute sales, and improve efficiency. How is Experian different from a CDP? A customer data platform unifies the data you already own. Meanwhile, we add depth, scale, and higher match rates by layering in our identity graph and data enrichment. Is Experian identity resolution privacy-compliant? Yes. Experian is GLBA/FCRA compliant, GDPR/CCPA ready, and supports consumer opt-outs and corrections to ensure responsible personalization. Latest posts

Originally appeared in Adweek  This holiday advertising season, identity is the real differentiator Marketers are betting big on AI to run their holiday advertising, using it to build predictive audiences, generate creative at scale, and optimize media buys in real time. The draw is clear: greater efficiency, delivered at scale.  But here’s the problem: without a solid identity foundation, AI is just guessing. And in a year when consumers are cautious and competition is fierce, guesses won’t deliver the outcomes you need. Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report shows that success this season will depend on connecting the right data to the right audiences in real time. Download the report now Are shoppers really using AI to make holiday purchases?  Not yet. Only 12% of consumers plan to use AI tools to shop this season, mostly for finding discounts. Instead, trusted influences (like retailer websites, product reviews, and recommendations) still guide buying decisions.  For marketers, that’s a signal to focus on credibility and connection. AI can support your holiday advertising strategy, but trust still wins the sale. Consumer sentiment heading into the holidays is low, but that could mislead marketers Here's why How marketers are really using AI in holiday advertising  Behind the scenes, AI is working overtime. Teams use it to segment audiences, test creative, and optimize media in real time. These capabilities are powerful, but only if they’re grounded in accurate, persistent data.  Think about the typical holiday shopper. They may browse a product online, validate it in store, and finally purchase days later from a different device than they used while browsing. If AI isn’t anchored in identity, it struggles to connect those touchpoints. Instead of amplifying relevance, it amplifies noise. See our predictions for Black Friday 2025 Why identity is the GPS for AI-driven holiday advertising  Identity is what turns AI from a blunt instrument into an accurate tool. By unifying fragmented signals across channels and devices, identity provides the consistent consumer view that AI needs to be effective.  With that foundation, AI can do more than churn out models. Instead, it can: Identify the right audiences and filter out waste Personalize with context, not just scale Measure real outcomes, linking exposures to visits and purchases Identity doesn’t just improve efficiency; it creates accountability. And in a season where every holiday advertising campaign dollar is scrutinized, accountability is the difference between investment and waste. Why connected data will make or break Cyber Week How to turn complexity into clarity this holiday season  This year's holiday advertising season is complicated. Marketers are confident, consumers are cautious, and AI is somewhere in the middle. The challenge isn’t just speed or volume, it’s accuracy.  By pairing AI with identity, you can adapt to real behavior instead of assumptions. You can build campaigns that are consistent across connected TV, retail media, and social platforms. And you can prove results when it matters most.  AI isn’t a holiday miracle. But when it’s powered by identity, it can give you clarity in a noisy season and proof of performance when budgets are under scrutiny. Explore Experian's holiday audiences to activate this season What’s the real takeaway for marketers this season?  Don’t assume AI alone will save your holiday advertising strategy. It won’t. Consumers still trust human voices more than machines, and your AI models are only as strong as the data beneath them. Identity is the difference between guesswork and accuracy, between activity and impact.  This holiday season, the winners won’t be the brands that simply spend more or automate faster. They’ll be the ones that put identity at the core of their AI strategy and meet consumers where they really are.  Download Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report to see where consumers are spending and how identity can help your holiday advertising campaigns more effective. Download now About the author Colleen Dawe VP, Advertiser Partnerships, Experian Colleen Dawe is VP, Advertiser Partnerships at Experian Marketing Services, where she oversees revenue growth and client success, helping advertisers harness data and identity to fuel marketing strategies. With over 15 years of experience spanning TV and digital media, she brings deep expertise in data, identity, activation, and measurement to help her clients connect innovation with business outcomes. Holiday advertising FAQs Why isn’t AI enough on its own for holiday advertising? AI works best when it’s grounded in accurate data. Without identity, it can’t connect actions across devices or channels, which limits its effectiveness. How does identity improve AI-driven campaigns? Identity creates a single, persistent view of your audience. That means AI can personalize content, measure conversions, and cut waste with far greater accuracy. What does “identity” mean in marketing terms? It’s the data layer that connects people across their devices, browsers, and behaviors—so your campaigns reach real individuals. How can marketers prove ROI in holiday advertising? By tying exposure to verified outcomes—like store visits or purchases—using identity-linked data. That’s how Experian helps brands move from impressions to impact. Latest posts

What challenge did the pet brand face? A national e-commerce pet supplier wanted to expand into audio advertising to diversify beyond display campaigns. But with only one team member available to test this new channel, they faced three hurdles: Prove performance in a new channel  Run lean with limited bandwidth  Show purchase intent, engaged site visits, and completion rates fast  They needed a partner to handle execution and supply optimization so their lean team could focus on strategy and selling audio internally.  Hear how we're working with Audacy to help our clients connect beyond the screen Tune in here The solution: How did Experian Curated Deals help? To test audio efficiently without adding internal overhead, the brand turned to Experian Curated Deals. Experian Curated Deals unified premium audience data with curated audio inventory into a performance-ready private marketplace, delivered via a simple Deal ID and optimized on the supply-side in real time. Streamlined access to premium audio inventory By reducing intermediaries and improving supply path efficiency Managed setup, activation, and optimization Acting as an extension of the brand’s lean in-house team Delivered real-time demand-side platform (DSP) reporting For agile targeting refinements Applied built-in supply path optimization To route spend toward higher-performing inventory sources Enriched bidstreams with privacy-safe audience signals To increase relevance and purchase intent This approach allowed the brand to validate audio quickly while maintaining performance confidence and operational simplicity. “What stood out about Experian was their real-time control and the depth of their trading team. I knew I could hand them a campaign, and they’d run with it.”Programmatic Media Lead Want to see the full case study? Download it here What were the campaign's results?  Curated Deals optimized performance at the supply level and enriched inventory with real-time audience signals, and the brand drove measurable results without adding creative refreshes or operational complexity.  In just a few months, audio transformed from a small test into a top-performing channel:  Exceeded KPIs by 63%  Increased purchase intent and engagement vs. competing platforms  Matched display performance without creative refreshes or incentive overlays  Earned budget increases, positioning audio as a long-term investment  Reduced internal setup time, freeing the team for strategic projects  “Experian became more than just a media partner: they filled critical gaps that would typically require outsized investment in internal resourcing.”CMO Explore more examples of how brands are driving performance with Experian Windstar Cruises Leading athletic retailer Swiss Sense Why does this matter for marketers?  Audio is no longer experimental. When paired with premium audience data and optimized supply paths, it becomes a scalable performance channel. This case study shows how brands can:  Use Experian Curated Deals to validate new channels With minimal risk and no contractual friction Activate instantly via Deal IDs While benefiting from built-in supply path optimization Enrich inventory with real-time, privacy-safe signals To drive engagement and purchase intent Lean on flexible managed support Without sacrificing transparency or control For marketers navigating limited resources and pressure to prove ROI quickly, Experian Curated Deals provides both operational simplicity and measurable outcomes. See how your campaigns can achieve similar results with Experian Curated Deals Curated Deals FAQs What are Experian Curated Deals? Experian Curated Deals unify premium data and premium inventory into optimized private marketplaces designed for performance. Delivered as simple Deal IDs, Curated Deals enrich bidstreams with real-time, privacy-safe signals and apply supply path optimization to improve efficiency and campaign outcomes. Why use Experian Curated Deals for audio advertising? Experian Curated Deals allow brands to combine high-intent audience data with premium audio inventory while optimizing supply paths automatically. This reduces operational complexity and improves performance without relying on legacy identifiers Can audio really drive conversions? Yes. In this case, audio campaigns not only exceeded awareness and engagement goals but also matched the conversion performance traditionally associated with display. How does Experian support lean teams? Experian supports lean teams by providing the choice between self-service activation or fully managed support, scaling resources as needed without contracts or minimum commitments. By managing setup, supply optimization, and reporting, Experian acts as an extension of your team, reducing internal workload while driving performance. Latest posts

Demand-side platforms (DSPs) are more than just technology providers, they’re strategic partners, helping marketers answer the key question: “How should I spend my media budget?” A leading DSP struggled to attribute consumer actions across digital channels such as connected TV (CTV) and display. Without connecting impressions to conversions, they risked losing client trust and ROI proof. With Experian’s Digital Graph, they resolved 84% of IDs and increased match rates, strengthening attribution and client confidence. The challenge A leading DSP had trouble showing which ads drove results across CTV, display, and digital. Without linking ad views to conversions, they couldn’t prove ROI.  The missing piece was attribution. They needed to show which channels drove conversions, but without strong identity resolution, it was hard to connect CTV ads to website activity. See how Experian is shaping addressability in CTV What is Experian's Digital Graph? Built from trillions of real-time data points and updated weekly, Experian’s Digital Graph connects billions of identifiers across devices and households, such as cookies, mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), CTV IDs, IP addresses, universal IDs, and more. It gives DSPs a reliable foundation by linking these identifiers back to households and individuals, improving DSPs' ability to offer attribution by better connecting impressions to conversions. Learn more about our Digital Graph here What makes the Digital Graph unique is its scale and freshness. It ingests trillions of signals in real time and delivers updates weekly. That consistency matters: it gives DSPs confidence that they’re working with the most accurate view of digital identity. AI and machine learning (ML) are core to how we maintain that level of accuracy. Our models use sophisticated clustering algorithms to analyze device connections at both household and individual levels. By evaluating data points such as timestamps, IP addresses, user agents, cookie IDs, and device identifiers, these algorithms create precise device groupings that enhance targeting and measurement accuracy. The models are continuously refined, ensuring our clients can better understand consumer behaviors within households and activate more effective, personalized marketing. Think of it like connecting puzzle pieces scattered across devices and channels. On their own, each piece doesn’t say much. Together, they reveal the full picture of who saw an ad, engaged, and converted, and which ads performed best. Watch the video The solution By syncing its cookies with the Digital Graph, the DSP gained access to related identifiers, including:  - MAIDs - CTV IDs - IP addresses - Experian cookies  This expanded identity universe gave the DSP a unified view of individuals and households, making it possible to connect impressions to conversions across devices and channels. With each weekly refresh, attribution models stayed accurate and up to date, turning fragmented signals into proof of performance.  Results Within weeks, the DSP saw measurable improvements: - 84% of IDs synced- 9% increase in match rates With a stronger foundation of digital identifiers, the DSP matched more MAIDs, CTV IDs, and IP addresses to conversions. This allowed them to show clients exactly which ads and channels drove ROI, transforming impression reports into actionable proof of performance and strengthening client trust. See how MiQ strengthened their Identity Spine with Experian's Digital Graph Why attribution matters now Attribution has never been more critical. With signals fading and marketing budgets under pressure, DSPs need reliable data to prove performance. Experian’s Digital Graph takes a multi-ID, always-on approach, refreshed weekly with trillions of signals. This delivers consistency and accuracy that single-point, stale-ID solutions can’t match. For this DSP, that meant transforming attribution from guesswork into clear proof, strengthening client trust, and proving ROI across channels. Download the full case study Connect with us today to see how our Digital Graph can help you maximize advertiser trust and ROI. Ready to strengthen your approach to attribution? FAQs What is Experian’s Digital Graph? Experian’s Digital Graph is a privacy-conscious identity resolution solution built from trillions of real-time data points, refreshed weekly, that links identifiers like cookies, MAIDs, CTV IDs, Unified I.D. 2.0 (UID2), ID5 IDs and IP addresses to households and individuals. How does Experian’s Digital Graph improve attribution? Experian’s Digital Graph improves attribution by connecting impressions to conversions across devices and channels, giving DSPs a clearer view of which ads and channels drove results. What makes Experian’s Digital Graph different from other solutions?  While many platforms rely on single, static IDs, Experian’s Digital Graph uses a multi-ID, always-on approach with weekly refreshed, ensuring accuracy even as signals shift. What results can DSPs expect when using Experian’s Digital Graph?  When you use Experian’s Digital Graph, you can expect higher match rates, more synced IDs, clearer attribution models, and stronger proof of ROI for your clients. Because Experian’s Digital Graph serves as the backbone of the industry, it also helps DSPs maximize the scale and reach they can deliver to advertisers. Is Experian’s Digital Graph privacy-compliant? Yes. Experian’s Digital Graph is designed with privacy in mind, ensuring compliance while still delivering accurate attribution insights. Latest posts

If Santa used data to plan his holiday campaign, he’d call Experian. After all, how else could he deliver the right gifts to the right household? From sleigh bells to savings alerts, the holiday season isn’t just about Christmas. Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Lunar New Year, or simply the season of giving, brands have one thing in common: a need to reach the right audience at the right time, with messaging that resonates. Retail sales for 2025 are expected to grow 2.7–3.7% YoY, reaching nearly $5.48 trillion, with mobile commerce driving 75% of e-commerce growth. With so many brands vying for attention, delivering the right message to the right audience can be the difference between a one-time click and a lifelong customer.  In this article, we’ll unwrap Experian’s holiday shopping audiences, including 25 new audiences, designed to help you reach the most relevant shoppers for your holiday campaigns. These audiences are available for activation on-the-shelf of most major platforms, including TV, social, and programmatic. You can find the complete audience segment name in the appendix. 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report Download our latest report, in collaboration with GroundTruth, for data-driven insights you can use to refine your messaging and reach the right audience in their preferred channels this holiday season. Download now Deck the data halls: What separates Experian's syndicated audiences? Utilize Experian’s syndicated audiences to ensure your marketing messages resonate with shoppers.   Experian’s 3,200+ syndicated audiences can be sent to 200+ leading social platforms, such as Meta and Pinterest, TV, programmatic advertising platforms, and directly within Audigent for activation within private marketplaces (PMPs). 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. Access to unique audiences through Experian’s Partner Audiences available on Experian’s data marketplace, within Audigent for activation in PMPs, and directly on platforms like DirectTV, Dish, Magnite, OpenAP, and The Trade Desk. Four audience categories to target this holiday season Even Santa needs help organizing his list these days, especially with so many kinds of households to deliver holiday magic to. With the U.S. population growing by roughly 21.7 million people in the last decade, there are more holiday tables to set, more last-minute carts to fill, and more families hitting the road than ever before. Experian Audiences and Partner Audiences help Santa (and your brand) get the message just right. New this season! Experian now offers Consumer Packaged Goods audiences to help you reach consumers ready to get into the holiday spirit with seasonal baking, cooking, and other goods. Here are four households on Santa’s sleigh route and how you can reach them with Experian:  The merry makers The list-checkers The holiday hoppers The entertainers Let’s unwrap the segments within each category.  This group isn’t just celebrating; they’re setting the stage. Whether they’re prepping for Friendsgiving or a cozy Diwali dinner, they’re fueling the season with food, décor, and hospitality. Holiday hosts and entertainers allocated more than $260 on food, candy, and decor alone in 2024, and according to GroundTruth, Saturday, December 7, 2024, was the busiest in-store shopping day across nearly every major category. Grocery store sales climbed 2.1% during the 2024 holiday season, and hosting Thanksgiving cost an average of $431. Here are 10 holiday host audiences to target this holiday season and how you can reach them with Experian: NEW! Bakeries High Spend NEW! Caterers High Spend NEW! Chocolate Candy Box Bag Bar Shoppers 3.5oz Plus NEW! Chocolate Shoppers NEW! Cocktail Mix Shoppers NEW! Frosting and Frosting Mix Shoppers NEW! Marshmallow Shoppers NEW! Ready-to-Use Pie Crust Shoppers NEW! Sugar Shoppers Holiday Shoppers: High Spenders How to use these audiences Santa knows this household is hosting the holiday magic, so he loads his sleigh with gourmet cocoa, festive napkins, and extra marshmallows to make sure the party is stocked with seasonal favorites. A consumer-packaged goods brand launching a new holiday baking product can reach Chocolate Shoppers, Holiday Shopping High Spenders, and Ready-to-Use Pie Crust audiences to connect with high-intent hosts prepping festive desserts. This household isn’t just shopping; they’re creating the perfect gifts. In 2024, U.S. shoppers planned to spend more than $1,000 on holiday gifts as online purchases surged, totaling $241 billion between November 1 and December 31. Looking to 2025, according to our latest holiday insights, just 22% of consumers expect to spend more, while 27% anticipate cutting back. With consumer confidence still on an uneven footing and inflation having climbed up to 2.9%, shoppers are approaching holiday lists with greater caution. Experian’s purchase-based data shows mass retail remains a bright spot, with value-driven spending holding strong amid recent dips and rebounds, as shoppers cautiously resume purchases. That makes gift-focused households more deliberate with their choices and reinforces that brands emphasizing value and trust will earn lasting loyalty. Here are 10 list-checker audiences to consider this holiday season:  NEW! Precious Stones Metals Watches Jewelry High Spend Big Box/Club Stores Holiday Shoppers Black Friday Holiday Shoppers Cyber Monday Holiday Shoppers Heavy Buyer/Spenders Holiday Shoppers: In-Store or Online High Spend Gift Shoppers Holiday Shoppers: Apparel (Clothing) Luxury Gift Shoppers Online Coupon Users Post Holiday Shoppers How to use these audiences Santa knows this household goes big when it comes to gifting, so he makes sure their stockings are filled with trinkets, timeless watches, and the kind of treasures that twinkle under the tree. A luxury jewelry brand launching a limited-edition holiday collection can activate Precious Stones Metals Watches Jewelry High Spend and Luxury Gift Shoppers audiences to reach buyers who believe in gifts that sparkle. This household is on the move. From planes and trains to jam-packed highways, travel is back in full force. In 2024, a record 119.3 million Americans traveled during the holiday period, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Road trips remained the most popular mode, while air travel hit a new high with 7.85 million flyers. Here are 10 holiday travel audiences to target: NEW! Bridge and Road Fees Tolls High Spend NEW! Hotel High Spend NEW! Lodging Hotels Motels Resorts High Spend NEW! Passenger Railways High Spend NEW! Timeshares High Spend NEW! Tourist Attractions and Exhibits High Spend NEW! Travel Agencies and Tour Operators High Spend Holiday Budget Savvy Airline Travelers Holiday Travel - Airline Holiday Travel - Train How to use these audiences For this household, Santa swaps his sleigh for the train car - booking them on a magical Polar Express journey complete with cocoa, carols, and a golden ticket to holiday wonder.  When brands want to deliver the same magic, a travel package could bundle tickets to a railway’s Polar Express immersive experience with air travel and lodging, activating the Hotel High Spend, Travel Agencies High Spend, and Passenger Railways High Spend audiences to reach travelers seeking an unforgettable holiday adventure.  This household knows how to celebrate from the couch. Whether it’s football, holiday movies, or once-a-year specials, the screen is their gathering place. On December 25, 2024, Americans streamed more than 50 billion minutes of content, making it the most-streamed day in U.S. television history. From dazzling halftime shows to nostalgic holiday classics, entertainment is the heartbeat of the season. Here are 10 entertainer audiences to target: Cable and Streaming TV Service Subscribers Cable Satellite or Streaming Network Subscribers Co-Watchers Cord Cutters Holiday TV NFL Enthusiasts Paid TV High Spenders Screen Size – Large Sports Enthusiasts Streaming Video: High Spenders Download our holiday audience guide How to use these audiences Santa knows this audience loves flipping between a holiday classic and the big game. That’s why he delivers gifts for households craving the latest binge-worthy content. It could be a subscription or a big-screen update wrapped with a bow. These audiences represent a golden opportunity to pair campaigns with highly engaged moments. A beverage brand can target NFL Enthusiasts during a holiday football broadcast with ads for limited-edition game-day packs. Sleigh your campaign goals this holiday season with Experian Audiences The holiday season is the busiest time of year for brands - and for Santa. That’s why he relies on Experian to make his list, check it twice, and be sure every sleigh stop is spot-on. Experian’s data, ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset, allows brands to reach people based on demographic, geographic, and behavioral attributes (e.g., websites visited and purchase history). By using Experian Audiences in your holiday advertising campaigns, you can reach holiday hosts, gift-givers, entertainers, holiday travelers, and many more. Where can you activate Experian Audiences? Find our audiences available directly on over 30 platforms including:  Basis FreeWheel  Magnite  Nexxen  The Trade Desk   Viant   Microsoft Advertising and more Just as shoppers seek the perfect gifts, with the right strategy, your holiday advertising campaigns can capture the right shoppers. 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 syndicated audience on Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok or on a platform not listed above? Contact us today. Additionally, work with Experian’s network of data providers to build audiences and send to an Audigent PMP for activation. You can activate our syndicated audiences on-the-shelf of most major platforms. For a full list of Experian’s syndicated audiences and activation destinations, download our syndicated audiences guide. Explore our other seasonal audiences that you can activate today. View now Activate holiday audiences today with Audigent Planning a performance-driven push this holiday season? Audigent will build customized deals that combine premium Experian syndicated or Partner Audiences and inventory into a single, streamlined deal ID – tailored to your campaign needs. Plus, our powerful supply-side optimization ensures your campaigns deliver top marks in performance. Connect with the Audigent team today at AudigentAgency_Brands@experian.com to get your holiday campaign wrapped and ready to go. Let's make your holiday campaigns magical Appendix Here are the complete audience segment names (taxonomy paths) for all audience segments discussed in this blog post. The merry makers Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Bakeries High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Caterers High Spend Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Chocolate Candy Box Bag Bar Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Chocolate Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Cocktail Mix Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Frosting and Frosting Mix Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Marshmallow Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Ready To Use Pie Crust Shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > CPG Engagement > Sugar Shoppers The list-checkers Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Precious Stones Metals Watches Jewelry High  Retail Shopper: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Big Box/Club Stores Shoppers  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Black Friday  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Cyber Monday  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Heavy Buyer/Spenders: In Store  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Heavy Buyer/Spenders: Online  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Gift Shoppers High Spend Spenders  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Apparel (Clothing)  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Luxury Gift Shoppers  Retail Shoppers: Purchased Based > Shopping Behavior > Online Coupon Users  Retail Shoppers: Purchased Based > Seasonal > Holiday Shoppers: Post holiday  The holiday hoppers Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Bridge and Road Fees Tolls High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Hotels High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Lodging Hotels Motels Resorts High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Passenger Railways High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Timeshares High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Tourist Attractions and Exhibits High Spend Purchase Predictors > Shoppers All Channels > Travel Agencies and Tour Operators High Spend Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Budget Savvy Airline Travelers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Holiday Travel - Airline Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal> Holiday Travel - Train The entertainers Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cable and Streaming Service Subscribers Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cable Satellite or Streaming Network Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Co-Watchers Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cord Cutters Publisher Derived > IAB Television > Holiday TV Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Activities and Entertainment > NFL Enthusiasts Television (TV) > TV Enthusiasts > Paid TV High Spenders Television (TV) > Viewing Device Type > Screen Size – Large Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Sports and Recreation > Sports Enthusiast Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Entertainment > Streaming/Video/Audio/CTV/Cable TV: Streaming Video: High Spenders Experian syndicated holiday audiences FAQs Where can I activate Experian Audiences? Experian Audiences can be activated on 200+ leading platforms, including social media (Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok), TV and streaming (DirectTV, Dish, OpenAP), programmatic platforms (The Trade Desk, Magnite, Nexxen), and directly within Audigent PMPs. How many syndicated audiences does Experian offer? Experian offers over 3,200 syndicated audiences, ranging from demographic and geographic segments to purchase-based and lifestyle categories. These are ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset for key demographic attributes. What’s new for the 2025 holiday season? This year, Experian has introduced 25 new holiday-ready audiences, including consumer packaged goods (CPG) segments like Chocolate Shoppers, Ready-to-Use Pie Crust Shoppers, and Cocktail Mix Shoppers, plus new travel audiences. Can I create a custom audience? Yes. If you need something beyond syndicated segments, Experian’s team can help you build and activate custom audiences tailored to your campaign goals on the platform of your choice. Latest posts

AdTech jargon can feel overwhelming, but we're breaking it down café-style. From first-party data and identity resolution to clean rooms and ID-free targeting, here are the essential terms marketers need to know.

Reach de-identified patient and provider segments at scale across every channel. Pharmaceutical brands and media platforms, including connected TV (CTV), can activate HIPAA-compliant audiences built on real-world clinical and claims data through a new collaboration between PurpleLab and Experian. Targeting de-identified audiences is essential for engaging the right patients at pivotal moments in their health journey, maximizing ROI while safeguarding privacy and improving outcomes. Overall, prescription drugmakers spent $2.97 billion on national TV advertising in the first half of 2025, a 12.2% year-over-year increase, underscoring the growing demand for scalable, privacy-compliant healthcare advertising in premium media environments.  Now, whether you're a pharma advertiser launching a new therapy or a platform curating health-focused inventory, PurpleLab’s integration refreshes the media planning ecosystem, offering marketers easier access to the audiences needed to drive impact. Activate with accuracy and scale PurpleLab’s de-identified healthcare segments, categorized by condition, treatment, specialty, and prescription behavior, are now accessible through Experian's data marketplace, streamlining media planning. This integration enables PurpleLab’s privacy-safe audiences to travel from discovery to omnichannel delivery. Experian then handles onboarding, activation, and audience expansion, in accordance with HIPAA and with industry standards. Utilizing Experian’s identity graph, spanning household and individual-level insights, as well as marketing attributes, these healthcare audiences can be: Onboarded securely, matching hashed emails or tokens to digital identifiers Activated across major channels, including CTV, mobile, display, and social Expanded with confidence, reaching more of the target population, patients, or healthcare professionals, without relying on third-party cookies This infrastructure unlocks greater scale and completeness for niche pharma audiences that have historically been hard to reach in digital and streaming environments. For brands navigating fragmented media and tightening privacy regulations, this collaboration provides the clarity and consistency they’ve been seeking. “We know healthcare marketers are under pressure to get it right: to respect privacy, be accurate, and scale. That’s why we’re excited to bring PurpleLab audiences into the Experian data marketplace and make them available through Audigent’s curated deals. It gives pharmaceutical brands and platforms a clear way to plan and measure campaigns, with the assurance that they’re reaching patients and providers when it matters in the right way.”Kim Gilberti, General Manager Curation through Audigent: Premium supply meets premium data For advertisers seeking turnkey media solutions, PurpleLab audiences are now also available through Audigent’s curated deals. Audigent’s curated deals simplify media buying by packaging PurpleLab’s clinically grounded audiences with premium, brand-safe inventory, thus creating a unified package. Instead of stitching together data and supply separately, media buyers can now access pre-built or custom-curated media deals where PurpleLab audiences are already integrated, ideal for health and wellness programming, premium CTV, or contextual content aligned to therapeutic areas. This approach gives marketers both efficiency and accuracy, streamlining execution while maintaining compliance and relevance. “Bringing together PurpleLab’s clinically precise audiences with Experian’s powerful identity and activation capabilities, and pairing it with Audigent’s premium inventory, gives advertisers more than a turnkey solution. It’s the power to launch campaigns that truly resonate, with data and media working in harmony from day one to deliver both efficiency and impact."Scott Ronay, VP, Advertising Sales Real-world use cases: Accuracy with purpose CTV awareness for cardiovascular therapies A cardiovascular brand is launching a CTV campaign to reach healthcare providers involved in treatment decisions. Using PurpleLab’s provider-level segments from the Experian data marketplace, a brand can activate audiences across brand-safe, streaming environments. This strategy enables meaningful engagement with prescribers while maintaining scale and compliance across CTV and complementary digital channels. Cross-device activation for high-impact health campaigns A biotech firm promoting a new therapy needs to reach patients who are likely to have a relevant condition, based on modeled audience segments. Using PurpleLab’s real-world patient segments, the advertiser activates across mobile, display, and CTV, with Experian’s identity graph ensuring household-level consistency across devices. Privacy and scale are preserved, while the brand ensures it’s not wasting impressions on ineligible or misaligned audiences. Closed-loop measurement, built for healthcare Beyond targeting, the PurpleLab–Experian integration empowers advertisers to measure real-world outcomes, not just digital proxies. By utilizing tokenization, Experian enables ad exposure data to be securely matched back to de-identified health events within PurpleLab’s platform. This means marketers can assess outcomes such as: Prescription lift among exposed vs. unexposed audiences Healthcare professional engagement and treatment initiation Patient adherence or follow-through behavior This type of closed-loop reporting is critical in pharma, where traditional metrics like clicks or impressions do not reflect business impact. Now, with token-based match-back, brands can see whether their campaigns are driving real results, securely and compliantly. Ready to reach the right patients and providers securely and at scale? Explore PurpleLab audiences in the Experian data marketplace and Audigent curated deals to activate clinically grounded, privacy-compliant segments across CTV, display, mobile, and more. Contact us Latest posts

Curation in AdTech is the strategic packaging of enriched audience data and premium inventory into a single, performance-ready deal, typically executed through private marketplaces (PMPs). It gives marketers greater control over targeting, supply paths, and measurement in a privacy-first environment. Programmatic buying has grown more complex. Buyers face inefficient advertising and audience definition and identification, shrinking margins, and growing pressure to perform in a privacy-first world. Add in fragmented tech, shifting privacy regulations, and inconsistent identity signals, and reaching the right audience at scale has never been more complex (or costly). Meanwhile, advertisers demand more transparency, publishers want control, and consumers expect relevance without feeling watched. Open exchanges, legacy data management platforms (DMPs), and spray-and-pray strategies just aren’t cutting it. That’s why curation has seen increased adoption in the AdTech space. In programmatic advertising, curation refers to the strategic integration of enriched data and quality inventory into a single package — often executed as a PMP deal. This approach reshapes how campaigns are built, activated, and optimized by enabling performance-ready buys that reduce waste, increase relevance, and give marketers greater control over outcomes. Why data-driven curation is a rising star in performance marketing Curation does more than bundle data and inventory. It modernizes audience activation by enriching bidstreams with real-time, privacy-safe signals and optimizing the full supply path before inefficiencies impact performance. It’s no wonder then that curation investments are accelerating, PMPs are gaining traction, and buyers are shifting budgets accordingly. Over 66% of the $150 billion+ open exchange programmatic market now flows through curated PMPs, with industry giants like Google publicly backing curation as a core strategy. What does programmatic curation mean in AdTech? Programmatic curation is the process of filtering, structuring, and packaging enriched data with high-quality programmatic inventory — enhanced by real-time optimization to create more targeted, efficient, and transparent media buys. The most effective approaches enrich bidstreams with real-time, privacy-safe signals and apply AI-powered optimization across supply and informed by demand signals. This creates curated private marketplaces that are designed for performance, not just packaging. Download our 2026 Digital trends and predictions report for more on curation Instead of buying at scale and hoping for the best, curation prioritizes accuracy and value over volume, resulting in more targeted, efficient, and transparent media buys. As privacy regulations reshape targeting, curation is becoming a key differentiator in an increasingly crowded AdTech space. It connects robust data with quality supply, helping marketers stay effective while giving publishers new ways to monetize with control. But not all curation is created equal. Programmatic curation requires these core elements: 1. Comprehensive identity To help drive addressability and consistency in today’s omnichannel world. 2. Unique audiences Unique, high quality, privacy-compliant, and valuable. 3. Full signal visibility Real-time integrations across supply and demand opening unfiltered views across the buy. 4. Strong supply connections Access to quality inventory from publishers at scale. 5. AI-powered optimization To measure, refine, and improve performance during a campaign and improve performance throughout the campaign lifecycle. Ideally, this includes supply path optimization (SPO) that routes spend toward more efficient supply sources and reduces waste. 6. Ability to report on outcomes To close the loop attributing media exposure to real-world outcomes. Without all of these elements, a so-called “curator” may simply be repackaging inventory without delivering the full value of a curated approach. Experian Curated Deals take curation a step further by unifying premium data and premium inventory into optimized private marketplaces that simplify activation and help solve media inefficiencies by unifying audience signals across channels and enriching inventory with real-time data at scale. Delivered through simple Deal IDs, Curated Deals are designed to fit directly into agency and brand workflows in leading demand-side platforms (DSPs), without contracts, minimums, or hidden fees. Why does curation matter if cookies still exist? Curation matters even though cookies still exist because identity fragmentation is already here. While third-party cookies and mobile IDs like the identifier for advertisers (IDFA) haven’t gone away, the industry has already pivoted in anticipation of their decline. Even without Google flipping the switch, signal loss is here thanks to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT), tighter compliance rules, and new tracking restrictions. Marketers are dealing with less data, more fragmentation, and fewer reliable IDs. So if you want to run an effective, scalable media campaign today, you need tools that go beyond third-party cookies. That’s why programmatic curation is gaining ground as a better, more sustainable way to buy media. Investments in programmatic curation are growing, and not just for identity resolution. Marketers are leaning in because it: Combines verified audience data with premium inventory Supports ID-free or context-aware targeting Enables scalable, identity-agnostic strategies Improves data quality through enrichment Supports cookieless and deviceless strategies that are not tied to a single identifier Enables persistent targeting across environments where traditional IDs are unavailable Creates more controlled, pre-approved media paths via PMPs and reduces wasted spend through SPO applied on the supply-side. “Curation will be bigger than header bidding and as big as programmatic or real-time bidding — that’s our bet.”Andrew Casale, CEO Ask the Expert with Index Exchange Whether cookies stay or go in the future, curation works for an ecosystem that demands better, cleaner, and adaptable media buying. The priority isn’t “cookies vs no cookies.” It’s building addressable, privacy-safe activation that performs even when identity signals are fragmented. Who benefits from programmatic curation? Curation creates value across the media ecosystem because it aligns incentives around data quality, supply integrity, and measurable outcomes. By bringing better data, cleaner supply, and more intentional targeting into programmatic advertising, it helps brands, agencies, and media buyers drive stronger performance, gives publishers more control, and creates a more respectful experience for consumers. And unlike traditional approaches, curation is built for what’s now and what’s next. Here’s how each group benefits and why it matters. Agency holding companies Curation helps agency holding companies run more efficient campaigns by connecting high-quality data with premium supply. It delivers: Streamline fragmented supply paths and reduce wasted spend Integrate seamlessly with existing data and SPO strategies Improve audience accuracy in privacy-constrained environments Package premium data and inventory into performance-ready PMPs Increase transparency and control across buying strategies Accelerate testing and optimization without rebuilding campaign structures When executed through Experian Curated Deals, these benefits become even more actionable. Curated Deals unify premium data and premium inventory into optimized private marketplaces delivered via simple Deal IDs that integrate directly into leading DSP workflows. Holding companies can activate instantly through self-service deal creation, without contracts or minimum commitments. Built-in supply path optimization routes spend toward more efficient sources, while real-time signal enrichment enhances audience relevance at the moment of bid. A percent-of-media pricing model bundles data and inventory into one streamlined package, helping teams reduce complexity while improving performance. Independent agencies Independent agencies operate with leaner teams and fewer internal resources, yet face the same expectations for performance and innovation as larger firms. Curation helps level the playing field by simplifying execution and packaging premium data with quality inventory into scalable private marketplaces. Curation enables independent agencies to: Access performance-ready inventory without building custom integrations Improve efficiency through cleaner supply paths Strengthen audience targeting in cookieless or fragmented environments Launch campaigns more confidently with predictable scale Engage with accessible minimums that support agency growth Through Experian Curated Deals, independent agencies gain access to enterprise-grade data, premium publisher relationships, and optimization tools without enterprise friction. Curated Deals are delivered as ready-to-activate Deal IDs with no contracts, minimums, or hidden fees. Agencies can choose between self-service activation or flexible managed service support that scales with their workflow. Built-in supply path optimization and real-time signal enrichment help smaller teams drive measurable performance gains without adding operational burden. This approach empowers independent agencies to compete confidently, expand capabilities, and grow client relationships with more efficient media strategies. Brand direct marketers For brand marketers, curation simplifies programmatic activation while improving transparency and performance. In-house marketers often face limited resources, evolving privacy requirements, inconsistent access to partners, and pressure to deliver measurable results across fragmented channels. Curation helps consolidate data and inventory into more intentional, performance-ready private marketplaces that are easier to activate and optimize. Curation enables brand marketers to: Reduce reliance on legacy identifiers while maintaining scalable reach Improve media efficiency through cleaner supply paths Align audience strategy more closely to business goals Increase transparency into where and how media dollars are working Future-proof campaigns in an increasingly privacy-conscious environment Simplify media investment with bundled data and inventory pricing When powered through Experian Curated Deals, brands gain even greater simplicity and flexibility. Curated Deals unify premium data and premium inventory into optimized private marketplaces delivered via Deal IDs, allowing teams to activate instantly with no contracts, minimums, or hidden fees. With built-in supply path optimization, real-time signal enrichment, and a percent-of-media pricing model that bundles data and inventory into one package, Curated Deals help brand teams streamline workflows while driving stronger performance. Flexible managed service support and transparent reporting ensure in-house marketers can scale confidently, whether operating independently or alongside agency partners. How a pet brand beat audio campaign goals by 63% with Experian Curated Deals Publishers For publishers, curation makes inventory more addressable without giving up control. It enables: Smarter packaging that aligns with buyer needs and campaign goals Higher CPMs by curating inventory above open exchange floors More control over how audiences are accessed and how inventory is monetized Access to higher-value demand through curated, data-backed deals Better protection of proprietary audience in a privacy-conscious environment Consumers At the end of the chain, curation improves the ad experience for your audience. It supports: Higher-quality content alignment for more natural, less disruptive ad experiences tailored to their interests Less invasive tracking, as targeting becomes more data-smart and privacy-aware, with reduced reliance on legacy identifiers and personally identifiable information (PII). Curation is setting a new standard for how data, inventory, and experience come together across the ad ecosystem. When media is smarter, cleaner, and more intentional, everyone wins. What’s Experian’s role in powering curation? Experian powers curation by combining identity, premium audiences, and outcome measurement into integrated private marketplace deals. With our acquisition of Audigent, Experian is now more than just a premier data provider. We’re also a full-service curation partner. Together, we deliver end-to-end programmatic curation across data, inventory, and optimization, helping brands and publishers unlock smarter, more scalable media strategies. Audigent, a part of Experian, named Microsoft Advertising's Curator of the Year What do Experian Curated Deals enable? Experian Curated Deals unify premium data and premium inventory into optimized PMPs delivered through simple Deal IDs. They are designed to integrate directly into agency and brand workflows within leading DSPs. Experian Curated Deals make it easier to activate high-performing, privacy-compliant campaigns at scale with: End-to-end curation across data, inventory, and real-time optimization Pre-packaged and custom PMP deals with built-in performance signals Scalable, privacy-first media solutions aligned to brand objectives, verticals, and KPIs Delivered as simple Deal IDs that activate instantly in leading DSPs, with no minimums, fees, or contracts PurpleLab® audiences are live in Experian Curated Deals Flexible support models Curated Deals are available via self-service activation or fully managed support, based on your team’s workflow and resourcing needs: Audience and data strategy guidance Performance strategy and optimization support Transparent reporting and insights across audience, supply, and creative These aren’t just theoretical; curated marketplace deals are already delivering measurable gains. In OpenX, Audigent-curated campaigns increased bid competition by 20% and drove a 118% spike in impressions won over a two-month period. Key benefits of curation for our partners By bringing together our data depth and Audigent’s curation technology, we offer our partners a full suite of value-added capabilities, including: High-quality, verified data ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset ensuring confidence in audience accuracy across fragmented environments. Powered by Experian’s identity graph and deep programmatic data insights plus real-time, privacy-safe signal enrichment that improves relevance at the moment of bid. Data enrichment layers that boost addressability, accuracy, and contextual relevance. Privacy-compliant infrastructure built for secure, cookieless data use at scale. Platform integration across leading DSPs and supply-side platforms (SSPs) for seamless activation and optimization. including built-in supply path optimization to reduce waste in fragmented supply chains. This reduces reliance on legacy DMP layering or fragmented SSP-native curation tools. Experian's curation services live in Amazon DSP Experian's curation services live in DV360 via Index Marketplaces Experian Curated Deals are built for scale across today’s fragmented ecosystem. This scale enables advertisers to build once and activate everywhere, maintaining reach and accuracy even as identifiers fragment. 7.26+ billion first-party IDs 24.3+ billion first-party device graph 1.7+ billion MAIDs 1.8+ billion monthly traffic across 900K+ web and mobile sites, plus 2.5+ million daily contextuality indexed webpages. How did Boiron improve performance through curated PMPs? A leading homeopathic brand, Boiron, partnered with Audigent to scale customer acquisition for its flu relief product without increasing media investment. They wanted to reach new, privacy-compliant audiences while improving CPA across display and video. Using Audigent’s curated SmartPMPs and CognitivePMPs, the campaign delivered measurable performance improvements: 80% lower CPA on display than historical benchmarks 40% lower CPA on video 30% reduction in data costs Significant media efficiency gains through real-time supply and data optimization Fully future-proof targeting with zero reliance on cookies or MAIDs See how Boiron’s success story is just one example of how Experian Curated Deals can deliver efficiency and impact in a privacy-conscious environment. It also shows how percent-of-media pricing can create savings opportunities by bundling data and inventory into a single deal. Experian's curation capabilities Together with Audigent, our curated solutions go beyond basic packaging. Every deal is designed for performance, privacy, and relevance, so you can activate smarter media with greater confidence: Deal ID-ready audiences for fast, turnkey activation Performance-specific curation, including viewability, CTR, and outcome-based targeting Custom audience + inventory packages tailored to campaign goals Vertical-specific curation for industries like auto, retail, CPG, and financial services Real-time optimization signals embedded into every curated deal with supply path optimization built in to route spend toward more efficient supply sources. What types of Curated Deals does Experian offer? Experian Curated Deals support multiple activation strategies depending on campaign goals. Contextual-based deals Contextual-based deals are built for persistent relevance. Contextual PMPs reach consumers based on the content they’re engaging with and remain effective across environments where IDs are limited or unavailable. Audience-based deals Audience-based deals are built for bottom-funnel tactics. These private marketplaces use audiences to refine inventory and create custom curated deals, combining first-party publisher segments, Experian Audiences, Partner Audiences, and your first-party data where needed, including onboarding and lookalike modeling for expanded scale. Predictive Indexed deals Predictive Indexed deals are built for scalable, privacy-friendly reach. Predictive indexing analyzes signals and content consumption across a network of over two million web and mobile sites and apps to build ID-less private marketplaces that are cookieless, deviceless, and futureproofed. Audience-based deals Audience-based deals are built for bottom-funnel tactics. These private marketplaces use audiences to refine inventory and create custom curated deals, combining first-party publisher segments, Experian Audiences, Partner Audiences, and your first-party data where needed, including onboarding and lookalike modeling for expanded scale. Don’t wait: Curate today The future of programmatic advertising will be won by marketers and publishers who embrace cleaner ways to activate their data, inventory, and strategy now. With Experian, you’re getting Curated Deals that unify premium data and premium inventory into optimized private marketplaces, enriched with real-time signals and built-in supply path optimization. Whether you’re trying to reduce media waste, gain supply path control, or future-proof your campaigns, Curated Deals can get you there faster. And because Curated Deals are delivered via simple Deal IDs, you can activate instantly across your preferred platforms with no minimums, fees, or contracts. Let’s activate your first Curated Deal. Smarter buying starts where premium data meets premium inventory. Get started with curation FAQs about curation in AdTech What is programmatic curation? Programmatic curation is the packaging of trusted audience data with premium publisher inventory into private marketplace deals built for performance and accountability. It gives marketers more control over targeting, supply quality, and measurement. How is curation different from buying on the open exchange? Open exchange buying emphasizes broad reach across diverse inventory sources while curation pre-selects enriched audiences and vetted supply paths before bidding begins, which improves transparency, efficiency, and outcome alignment. Why are private marketplaces central to curation strategies? Private marketplaces are central to curation strategies because they provide structured, pre-approved access to inventory. When combined with enriched data and identity resolution, PMPs create accountable media paths that reduce waste and support measurable performance. How does Experian support privacy-first curation? Experian’s data is built on a privacy-conscious identity foundation that connects offline and digital identifiers responsibly. Experian Curated Deals integrate identity resolution, enrichment, and outcome measurement without relying solely on legacy identifiers. How does Experian measure outcomes within Curated Deals? Experian’s measurement approach ties media exposure to real-world outcomes such as visits, conversions, and sales. By using identity resolution across channels, Experian connects activation directly to business impact. Latest posts