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How Experian’s Digital Graph delivers next-generation signal-agnostic advertising solutions

Published: June 13, 2024 by Budi Tanzi, VP, Product

Experian offers a suite of next-generation tools built on the Experian Digital Graph to help marketers adapt to ongoing signal fragmentation and privacy regulation. These solutions enable brands to maintain behavioral targeting and campaign performance even as traditional signals decrease.

Through Experian’s integration with Audigent, we now offer early access to Curated Deals, contextually-indexed audiences, and Geo-Indexed Audiences that help advertisers test privacy-first audience activation in a period of accelerating signal fragmentation.

Experian and Audigent offer a data management platform (DMP) that enables publishers to collect, manage, and understand their first-party data, while also accessing third-party data, to better monetize their data assets.

At the same time, Experian continues to advance its signal-agnostic Digital Graph, which already covers industry-standard universal IDs, like Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) and ID5, as well as both IPv4 and IPv6, which are becoming more and more prevalent.

Together, these updates give marketers a reliable, privacy-forward foundation for audience reach, cross-device targeting, and measurement as signal fragmentation continues to reshape digital advertising.

How is Experian’s Digital Graph evolving in a multi-signal world?

Signal fragmentation is reshaping how marketers reach and measure audiences, so we continue to strengthen the Experian Digital Graph to keep performance steady across channels. Recent updates focus on improving connectivity, accuracy, and durability:

  • More signals to keep reach strong: We added IPv6 and phone-based UID2s to our Digital Graph, building on the hashed email (HEM)-based UID2s we already support.
  • Better AI models for cleaner identity data: We improved our AI clustering and device classification models to sharpen ID resolution.
  • More stable customer profiles: We enhanced stability in our Digital Graph by tying it more closely to our Offline Graph, ensuring more complete customer profiles that last over time.

Together, these updates give marketers a more resilient identity foundation and help maintain performance in a market defined by rising signal fragmentation.

How is Experian advancing contextual targeting and geo-based targeting with our partners?

AWith more signals in market and traditional identifiers becoming less reliable advertisers are returning to tactics that don’t rely on cookies. Contextual targeting and geo-based targeting have both delivered results for years, and are becoming even more important as marketers look for consistent ways to reach audiences without relying on ID-level data.

Experian is modernizing these approaches by pairing Experian Marketing Data with contextual and geographic signals to create privacy-first activation paths that hold up as identifiers fade.

With our acquisition of Audigent, we’re expanding the ways marketers can activate privacy-forward audiences at scale. Together, these capabilities strengthen how brands reach people with relevant experiences, even as traditional IDs fade:

  • Contextually- Indexed Audiences: We index Experian’s syndicated audiences against contextual signals inside private marketplace (PMP) deals using Experian’s Digital Graph and Audigent’s Hadron ID. In a 15-day test with a national advertiser, this ID-less approach exceeded click-through rate goals by 25% while matching the scale and delivery of ID-based campaigns.
  • Geo-Indexed Audiences: We also offer Geo-Indexed Audiences that use location-based signals to reach consumers in the right places and moments, providing another durable option when IDs are unavailable or restricted.
  • Evolving toward more intent-rich signals: Looking ahead, we are developing ways to incorporate additional intent indicators, such as content consumption patterns and repeated contextual behaviors, to give marketers stronger cues about where their audiences are in their decision process, all without relying on user-level identifiers.

Together, these tactics make contextual and geo-based targeting more measurable, scalable, and privacy-safe, helping marketers keep performance steady as signal fragmentation accelerates.

Which alternative IDs does Experian’s Digital Graph support?

Experian’s signal-agnostic Digital Graph is designed to interoperate across identity frameworks and connect digital identifiers into a single, privacy-compliant system. It now supports alternative IDs such as:

  • UID2s
  • ID5 IDs
  • HEMs
  • Connected TV (CTV) IDs

Our Digital Graph is rebuilt weekly to maintain high accuracy and addressability across campaigns. These capabilities ensure marketers can continue cross-device activation and measurement as legacy signals decline.

“Experian is a valued partner in Nexxen’s unified identity graph powering the Nexxen data platforms, which bring us the ability to seamlessly onboard client data, activate campaigns, and measure performance while maximizing biddable opportunities for our advertisers. They help ensure our clients can continue reaching audiences at scale and successfully execute campaigns.”

NexxenChance Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer

What’s next for Experian’s identity and connectivity roadmap?

As digital signals change and CTV viewership grows, we continue to expand the identifiers supported within the Experian Digital Graph. Recent additions such as IPv6 and phone-based UID2s, alongside existing IPv4 and email-based IDs, help marketers and platforms understand the full customer journey across screens and households within a privacy-first framework.

We are committed to maintaining and increasing connectivity in the digital world, ensuring that clients can reach their audiences even as familiar signals decline. A core part of that commitment is strengthening the overlap between our Offline and Digital Graphs. This work improves cross-channel consistency and gives marketers more reliable links between individuals, households, and devices.

As we keep investing in identity resilience, clients can expect ongoing innovation that supports addressability and performance despite evolving privacy constraints.

How can marketers maintain addressability at scale today?

Experian’s connected toolkit of signal-agnostic advertising solutions empowers brands to continue reaching audiences with confidence:

  • Identity resolution through Experian’s Digital Graph
  • Curation via Audigent
  • Cross-device measurement built for privacy compliance
  • Universal ID interoperability across platforms

As the industry adjusts to signal fragmentation, Experian provides the scale, trust, and connectivity required to sustain effective targeting.

A resilient path forward for addressable advertising

As the AdTech industry continues to evolve, Experian’s Digital Graph continues to power interoperability, scale, and privacy-safe measurement.

With data ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset, collaborations across the AdTech ecosystem, and ongoing support for universal IDs, Experian gives marketers a reliable path to addressable, measurable, and privacy-first advertising.

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About the author

Budi Tanzi, VP of Product and Solution Engineering, Experian Marketing Services

Budi Tanzi is the Vice President of Product at Experian Marketing Services, overseeing all Identity Products. Prior to joining Experian, Budi worked at various stakeholders of the ad-tech ecosystem, such as Tapad, Sizmek and StrikeAd. During his career, he held leadership roles in both Product Management and Solution Engineering. Budi has been living in New York for almost 11 years and enjoys being outdoors as well as sailing around NYC whenever possible.


FAQs

How does Experian’s Digital Graph help marketers prepare amidst signal fragmentation?

Experian’s Digital Graph enables consistent audience targeting and measurement across browsers and devices using privacy-compliant identifiers. It connects verified digital data, giving advertisers continuity as traditional IDs become less reliable.

Experian’s Digital Graph supports consistent audience targeting and measurement across browsers and devices using privacy-compliant identifiers. By connecting verified digital data, the Digital Graph gives marketers continuity as signals such as cookies, device IDs, and IP-based identifiers become less reliable. Recent updates, including IPv6, phone-based UID2s, and improved AI clustering, help you maintain reach and accuracy even as digital signals shift.

What partners support Experian’s signal fragmentation strategy?

Experian works with a variety of partners to source digital IDs. We work with The Trade Desk and ID5 to incorporate their universal IDs into our Digital Graph. Additionally, Audigent, now a part of Experian, offers Curated Deals, which are a non-cookie dependent way to provide reach and relevance. 

Does Experian’s Digital Graph comply with privacy standards?

Yes. Experian’s identity and data solutions align with IAB Data Privacy Standards and regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), ensuring transparent and compliant data use.

What future plans does Experian have for the Digital Graph?

Our current focus is to increase the overlap between our Offline and Digital Graphs, enabling more cross-channel addressability for our clients. We also continue expanding supported identifiers and improving our AI models to maintain performance as signal fragmentation grows.

How can I get started testing Experian’s signal-agnostic solutions?

You can reach out directly to explore privacy-first activation options, including contextual, geo-indexed, curated deals, and ID-based strategies supported by the Experian Digital Graph.


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About Experian Marketing Services

At Experian Marketing Services, we use data and insights to help brands have more meaningful interactions with people. As leaders in the evolution of the advertising landscape, Experian Marketing Services can help you identify your customers and the right potential customers, uncover the most appropriate communication channels, develop messages that resonate, and measure the effectiveness of marketing activities and campaigns.

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