At A Glance
American Home Shield improved CPA efficiency by 18% by working with Experian to apply audience curation through Experian Curated Deals. Through Curated Deals, we connected audience data, inventory, and ongoing optimization across display, online video, and audio, giving AHS a clearer view of which segments drove stronger acquisition performance.What challenge was American Home Shield trying to solve with audience curation?
American Home Shield (AHS) wanted to reach people in-market for home warranty products with greater accuracy and efficiency. They wanted to improve targeting, personalize campaigns across channels, and reduce cost per action (CPA).
For acquisition-focused brands, audience curation can improve both media efficiency and business outcomes. AHS, a pioneer in the home warranty industry, worked with Audigent, a part of Experian, to segment and target in-market home warranty audiences more effectively through Experian Curated Deals.
AHS’s goals
How did Experian use audience curation for American Home Shield?
Experian used audience curation to help AHS better identify, understand, and target online audiences in-market for home warranty products. Our audience curation approach gave AHS real-time performance insight and a more efficient way to act on what was working during the campaign.
Using Audigent data, AHS identified a focused set of audience segments including:
- Consumers in-market for home warranty or protection
- DIYers
- New homeowners
- Parents
- Real estate buyers and sellers
What audience curation approach did American Home Shield use?
We applied three audience curation methods to help AHS reach relevant audiences across audio, display, and online video. This mix gave AHS broader coverage and a clearer read on which curated audiences and activation methods supported stronger acquisition efficiency.
Our audience curation strategy included three methods:
Fallon, AHS’s agency, played a critical role in shaping AHS’s audience curation strategy, media activation, and real-time optimization across channels.
What results did American Home Shield see from audience curation?
AHS improved acquisition efficiency and gained a stronger understanding of audience performance. Our audience curation approach helped AHS identify which curated segments delivered better results and supported more efficient media decisions.
“Partnering with Audigent, a part of Experian, feels like working with a true extension of our own team. They are deeply engaged in campaign performance and collaborate closely with our media agency to optimize in real time. Through testing curation with Audigent, we have improved CPA efficiency while also gaining meaningful business efficiencies. We now have a clear understanding of which segments perform best and why, unlocking new value for our home warranty products.”
American Home ShieldAndrea Steele, Director, Media & Marketing
Experian Curated Deals produced measurable gains across performance and operational efficiency, including:
- 18% overall improvement in CPA efficiency
- 3.7x more cost-efficient streaming audio than AHS’s pre-partnership benchmarks
- 28% lower cost for AHS prospecting display versus pre-partnership benchmarks
Explore more examples of how brands are driving performance with Experian
Download our full case study with American Home Shield
AHS partnered with us to segment and target in-market home warranty audiences more effectively through audience curation. Our innovative approach to curation forms the backbone of AHS’s goal of driving acquisition across online media.
Contact us
About American Home Shield
As a pioneer in the home warranty industry, American Home Shield (AHS) serves millions of customers across the U.S. and operates under the Frontdoor, Inc. umbrella.
FAQs
Audience curation helped American Home Shield (AHS) focus media investment on in-market home warranty audiences across display, online video, and audio. Our approach gave the AHS team greater visibility into segment performance and improved CPA efficiency by 18%. Audience curation means combining audience data, inventory, and optimization into a single activation approach. Experian used audience curation to help AHS activate relevant segments more efficiently and understand which audiences were driving stronger acquisition results.
Experian helps brands apply audience curation by connecting audience strategy, activation, and optimization across media environments. That gives marketers a clearer way to compare curated audience performance, refine segment choices, and improve efficiency across channels.
Audience curation matters because it helps marketers align audience data and media placement more intentionally. That gives teams a clearer view of which audiences and environments are contributing to performance, enabling more informed future acquisition decisions.
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.
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Commerce media networks have had a strong start. Growth has been fast, demand has been strong, and brands have made it clear they want closer access to commerce-driven audiences. But as more networks mature and enter the space, many are starting to feel the same pressure point: scale. Most commerce media networks were built as managed service businesses. That model works well early on. High-touch, white-glove partnerships make sense when you’re working with a handful of strategic brands. But there’s a ceiling. There are only so many teams, only so much inventory, and only so many advertisers that model can realistically support. It’s one thing for a large retailer to build custom programs for a P&G. It’s another to do that at scale for hundreds or thousands of brands. At some point, growth slows, not because demand disappears, but because the model can’t stretch any further. The scale problem no one likes to talk about That’s where many commerce media leaders find themselves today. Pausing to assess what comes next. For a long time, growth has been measured almost entirely through media dollars. That mindset is understandable. Media is familiar, it’s easy to quantify. It shows up clearly in negotiations and revenue reports. But viewing commerce media networks purely as media sales engines creates long-term risk. It can strain brand relationships, limit innovation, and distract from what commerce media networks actually do better than almost anyone else: understand consumers deeply. Signals are the real asset Commerce platforms sit close to decision-making. They see what people search for, what they consider, what they buy, and when those behaviors change. Those signals are incredibly powerful. And yet, most networks only activate them inside their own walled environments. That’s a missed opportunity. Curation represents the next area of growth for commerce media networks, and it doesn’t require replacing or diminishing existing media revenue. In fact, it complements it. No single commerce media network has all the data needed to give advertisers the scale and reach they’re looking for. And no advertiser wants to recreate the same audience in dozens of disconnected platforms. That friction creates inefficiency and slows decision-making. Why collaboration supports sustainable growth The opportunity is to look beyond first-party data alone and start thinking about collaboration. Second-party data. Data partnerships. Signal sharing done responsibly and transparently. Imagine an advertiser defining an audience once and being able to understand and reach that audience across multiple commerce environments. Not through a series of disconnected buys, but through a more consistent approach built on shared understanding leading to increased reach and more impactful campaigns. That’s easier for advertisers to manage, and it creates an additional revenue stream for commerce media networks that complements media sales rather than competing with them. Curation strengthens media, it doesn’t replace it Media will always play an important role. There is clear value in custom experiences tied directly to a commerce environment. Think buyouts, sponsored experiences, custom creative integrations. Those are situations where brands want to work closely with the network itself. But the signals commerce media networks hold don’t need to be limited to those moments. Those signals can be monetized independently through data products, co-ops, and partnerships that extend their value into other channels. That’s how curation adds value without undercutting existing revenue. A practical path forward for commerce media leaders For commerce media leaders thinking about their next phase of growth, the focus should be on sustainability. Building a massive media operation takes time and investment. Data-driven revenue streams can be introduced more quickly, require fewer internal resources, and provide steadier margins. It’s a practical approach. Use signal-based revenue to fund growth. Let that revenue support investment in tooling, talent, and media innovation over time. Bootstrapping, in the truest sense. Why transparency matters early There’s also a broader responsibility here. In many advertising channels, transparency followed growth, often after pressure from the market. Commerce media networks have an opportunity to do this differently. To lead with transparency from the start. To be clear with brands and consumers about how data is used, how signals are created, and how value flows through the ecosystem. Because the reality is this: commerce media networks are holding some of the most valuable intent signals in the market today. But those signals don’t retain their value in isolation. If they aren’t enhanced, combined, and made accessible in the right ways, someone else will step in to do it. And when that happens, control shifts away from the source. The bottom line The next chapter of commerce media isn’t just about selling more media alone. It’s about recognizing the value of the signals already in hand, working together to make them more useful, and building additional revenue streams that support long-term growth. That’s how commerce media networks grow without eating their own lunch. About the author Kevin Dunn Chief Revenue Officer, Experian Kevin Dunn joins Experian Marketing Services with more than 20 years of leadership experience across marketing and advertising technology, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Brands and Agencies at LiveRamp. In that role, he led growth across retail, CPG, travel, hospitality, financial services, and healthcare, overseeing new business, account expansion, and channel partnerships. Kevin is known for building cohesive, accountable teams and leading with optimism, clarity, and a strong sense of shared purpose. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering people, driving positive outcomes for clients and fostering a culture where teams can grow, take smart risks, and succeed together. Latest posts
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