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Contextual targeting is having a comeback, and it’s smarter, sharper, and more strategic than ever before. By 2030, annual contextual advertising spend is anticipated to reach $562 billion! As marketers move away from cookie-based targeting and adjust to a privacy-first digital world, contextual advertising is becoming one of the most effective ways to reach engaged audiences.
Unlike the basic contextual keyword targeting of the past, today’s contextual strategies are built on data, machine learning, and deep audience insights. Experian, with Audigent, plays a key role in powering this evolution, enabling marketers to execute contextual campaigns with the precision, performance, and compliance needed for today’s environment.
Let’s talk about how advertisers are reaching audiences in a changing advertising era with smarter contextual targeting.
What is contextual targeting?
Contextual targeting, by definition, is a cost-effective, privacy-safe way to engage audiences based on what they’re reading or watching in the moment without relying on personal identifiers. It places ads on webpages that contain content relevant to your product or service.
Contextual targeting vs. behavioral targeting
The concepts of contextual and behavioral targeting are commonly confused. Both aim to deliver relevant ads, but their methods differ significantly.
Let’s break it down.
Behavioral: Based on online behaviors
Behavioral targeting builds user profiles based on factors like browsing history, clicks, and purchases, tracking users across platforms using cookies and device IDs. For example, if someone researches new SUVs on multiple sites, they might see car-related ads long after they’ve stopped actively looking.
While 68% of consumers say they’re concerned about how their data is used in advertising, marketers have the opportunity to build trust through better targeting with Experian. We help brands meet rising consumer expectations with responsible, privacy-forward behavioral data and targeting options that enable you to reach audiences effectively while aligning with your privacy and control needs.
Contextual: Based on content and environment
Behavioral targeting will continue to play a valuable role in personalized marketing strategies, but contextual targeting is a compelling alternative or complement for strong performance in a privacy-safe, scalable, cost-conscious way.
Contextual targeting focuses on the ad environment. It analyzes the page’s content, such as keywords, tone, and structure, and serves ads that align with that context without personal identifiers or user tracking.
With Experian Marketing Data, you can enhance contextual targeting further by layering in data about who’s likely to be on the page. That combination of content signals and audience intent creates smarter, more privacy-compliant campaigns that perform better.
Innovations in contextual targeting
In its early form, contextual targeting depended on simple keyword matches. While functional, it lacked nuance and often resulted in broad or irrelevant placements.
Today, the approach is far more intelligent. Thanks to AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP), platforms can now assess the full context of a webpage, analyzing tone, sentiment, structure, and content depth to determine the best ad match.
Contextually-Indexed Audiences
Experian’s Contextually-Indexed Audiences take contextual targeting one step further by analyzing traffic from websites and mobile applications to identify the types of frequent visitors to those pages with the power of rich consumer insights. Instead of simply showing up on relevant pages, brands can reach pre-qualified audiences mapped to those environments, combining intent, content, and data-driven strategy in a single solution.
This is where contextual targeting is headed and why it’s no longer just an alternative to behavioral but a strategic advantage in its own right.
A privacy-first future
Even as third-party cookies remain in use, their long-term reliability is uncertain, and the industry continues moving toward solutions that don’t depend on personal identifiers. Laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) have led advertisers to rethink how they engage audiences, shifting focus from individual tracking to content and context.
With modern tools, advertisers can use contextual targeting programmatic strategies to reach audiences in privacy-compliant ways that still deliver high performance. Programmatic platforms like demand-side platforms (DSPs) now offer pre-built contextual segments by industry, interest, seasonality, and more.
In a few clicks, marketers can launch campaigns that align with content environments where consumers are already engaged without behavioral tracking. For brands looking to future-proof their media strategies, contextual is one of the few options that checks every box.
Why more marketers are using contextual targeting
Contextual targeting can help you grow your audience, drive web traffic, boost visibility, and increase conversions as data privacy regulations grow stricter worldwide.
Here’s a deeper dive into the benefits of this targeting strategy.
Connect with ready-to-engage audiences
One of contextual targeting’s greatest advantages is the ability to meet consumers exactly where and when they’re most receptive. It places your ads on pages where they naturally add value to the user experience. When someone is actively reading or watching content about a specific topic, they’re already in the right mindset, which makes your ad feel more like a helpful recommendation than an interruption.
For example, if someone is reading a blog post comparing hiking backpacks, they’re far more likely to engage with an ad for outdoor apparel or trail shoes than one for an unrelated product like kitchenware.
Drive sales and revenue while lowering costs
Another draw of contextual targeting is its affordability for brands with limited budgets. It doesn’t require third-party data, identity graphs, or tracking infrastructure, so it’s easier on your media budget.
By aligning ads with page context, brands can also see real business results, such as:
- Lower cost per thousand impressions (CPM): Since contextual ads are served based on the content of the page rather than user profiles, they often have a lower price tag — especially in verticals where access to behavioral segments may be more competitive.
- Reduced cost-per-acquisition (CPA): More relevant impressions mean fewer wasted clicks and better ROI.
- Lower cost-per-click (CPC): On networks like Google Display, CPCs for contextually targeted ads can be as low as $0.45, especially in e-commerce and consumer goods sectors.
- Higher conversion rates: Ads placed in relevant environments outperform generic placements, which increases the likelihood of action and conversion.
- Higher lifetime customer value (LTV): Users who arrive at your site from contextually aligned ads are more likely to convert and become repeat customers, driving long-term revenue.
Quick and easy setup, built to perform
Contextual campaigns can also be launched quickly,often within a day, and produce immediate results.
One powerful option is Experian’s Contextually-Indexed Audiences, which combines real-time analysis from over two million websites with access to more than 1,400 trusted audience segments. Available through top demand-side platforms’ contextual marketplaces and Audigent private marketplaces (PMPs), this solution offers a scalable way to reach high-intent consumers without cookies or IDs.
Getting started is simple. With a few inputs like relevant topics, keywords, or content categories, you can activate ads in environments where your audience is already engaged. And the best part? The ease and speed to launch doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing results. Because your ads show up alongside content your audience is already interested in, they feel timely and relevant, which leads to more clicks, stronger engagement, and better overall performance.
Personalized experience based on known interest
Consumers crave personalization. In fact, Deloitte conducted a 2024 study that found 80% of consumers want personalized brand experiences and spend 50% more with the ones that do. Contextual targeting meets that expectation by delivering relevance in the moment without tracking users’ online behavior.
Experian’s Contextually-Indexed Audiences use contextual cues across the web to find common sets of audiences and identify where high-intent audience segments tend to show up. This helps advertisers deliver relevant, privacy-safe messaging to consumers who are more likely to engage, thereby building trust, capturing attention, and increasing performance while respecting user privacy.
Brand safety
Contextual targeting even helps brands avoid reputational pitfalls. With the help of AI and NLP, today’s contextual tools can assess what a page says and how it says it. That means you’re not just protecting user privacy but also your brand by ensuring your ads appear in relevant, trustworthy environments that reflect your values.
Contextual targeting examples
Contextual targeting works across nearly every industry, helping brands connect with audiences based on the content they’re consuming in the moment.
Here are a few examples of this in action across verticals.
Contextual targeting for automotive buyers
Most car buyers don’t just walk onto the lot. They arrive informed, having begun their journey online, researching makes, models, financing options, trade-in values, and credit requirements. It’s during this discovery phase that contextual targeting shines.
Advertisers in the automotive space can serve ads alongside car reviews, dealership comparisons, or articles about electric vehicle tax credits, connecting with shoppers actively gathering information and signaling strong purchase intent. When your ad appears in the middle of that research journey, it feels like the next logical step.
Contextual targeting also helps local dealerships and national brands stay top of mind during key decision-making moments without relying on third-party cookies.
Contextual targeting for first-time parents
New parents are one of the most information-hungry audiences online. From sleep training and stroller reviews to feeding schedules and baby-proofing tips, they consume a massive amount of content across various topics.
That content provides a rich canvas for contextual targeting. Brands selling baby gear, wellness products, insurance plans, or parenting services can place ads on relevant articles and forums, connecting with parents when they’re researching their options and making purchase decisions.
Contextual targeting for political campaigns
Contextual targeting helps political advertisers connect with voters in relevant, mission-aligned environments. In a time when misinformation and divisiveness can influence public perception, maintaining this control is more critical than ever.
With contextual targeting, campaigns can place their ads alongside trustworthy, high-quality content that addresses issues relevant to their supporters, whether it’s local policy, national news, or editorial commentary aligned with their platform. Advertisers can also avoid content that may contradict their message or brand values.
The future of contextual targeting
While Google no longer plans to fully deprecate third-party cookies, the industry has already moved forward. Most marketers have invested in cookieless solutions, and that momentum isn’t slowing down.
As contextual targeting becomes even more essential to future-proofing media strategies, its effectiveness depends on the quality and responsibility of the data behind it. That’s where Experian leads the way.
Experian Marketing Data as the foundation
At the core of Experian’s contextual targeting capabilities is Experian Marketing Data: a rich, privacy-compliant data set built from verified offline sources. This foundational data powers everything we do and fuels the full suite of Experian’s audience and targeting solutions.
Marketing Attributes and Audiences
One of the key products built from this data is Marketing Attributes, which transforms raw information into detailed, privacy-safe variables like lifestyle preferences, financial behaviors, and media habits. These attributes form the building blocks of Experian Audience solutions, allowing you to create highly specific segments tailored to your goals.
When applied to contextual targeting, these segments help you align your messaging with the types of content your ideal audiences are consuming in real time. We’ll help you activate contextually relevant campaigns using real audience insight to place the right message in the proper environment at the ideal moment.
Contextually-Indexed Audiences
Powered by Experian Marketing Data, Contextually-Indexed Audiences brings a new level of precision to contextual targeting. By analyzing traffic from over two million websites and apps, we offer access to 1,400 audience segments (like luxury shoppers or frequent travelers) that are most likely to visit specific content.
This lets you place your message in environments where your target customers already are, combining contextual relevance with data-driven intent. It’s a smarter, privacy-safe way to reach the right people without relying on cookies or user tracking.
You can activate these audiences instantly through the top demand-side platform’s contextual marketplace or partner with Audigent to create a custom PMP. A PMP offers more control and flexibility and allows you to enhance campaign performance with additional performance optimization capabilities and activation across any media-buying platforms.
Experian collaboration with Audigent and Peer39
Experian and Audigent partner to deliver SmartPMPs, or private marketplace deals that give advertisers access to premium inventory and privacy-first data activation in one streamlined solution.
What makes this partnership unique is Audigent’s supply-side integration. Instead of only running audience segments through the DSP, SmartPMPs pair Experian’s high-performing audiences with curated inventory from thousands of publishers, all accessible through a single deal ID.
This supply-side approach unlocks:
- Better reach across CTV, display, video, and more
- Stronger performance through real-time supply optimizations
- Personalized campaigns that don’t rely on cookies or user-level identifiers
We’ve also partnered with Peer39 and Audigent to expand contextual targeting capabilities further. These partnerships make it possible to match Experian syndicated audience segments, including geo-indexed and behavioral data, to contextual signals in real time.
Advertisers can now run fully cookieless campaigns with exceptional scale and performance by indexing Experian Marketing Data through our identity graph and activating through platforms like Audigent’s Hadron ID or Peer39’s integrations.
In one beta test with Audigent, a major national advertiser used this solution to run a 15-day campaign that exceeded CTR benchmarks by 25% with no cookies or IDs.
Talk to an Experian team member today
The future of digital advertising is about trust as much as performance.
Turn to Experian for help reaching your audience in the right environments using ethically sourced, privacy-first data. We help brands run scalable, contextually aligned campaigns built for today’s privacy landscape and tomorrow’s performance goals.
With tools like Marketing Attributes, Contextually-Indexed Audiences, and Audigent PMPs, we make it possible to connect meaningfully without crossing privacy boundaries. Let’s talk about how we can help you lead the way.
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Connected TV (CTV) continues to expand as a dominant force in digital advertising. Streaming adoption is climbing, yet advertising budgets aren’t keeping pace. With the Newfronts and Upfronts presentations completed, advertisers are being asked to make big decisions with lingering questions still in the mix. One of the biggest barriers? Persistent misconceptions about what CTV can and can’t do. That uncertainty can hold teams back from putting serious weight behind the most addressable screen in the house. Experian works with leading CTV partners to tackle those concerns head on – whether it’s improving measurement, reducing wasted impressions, or making audience data more actionable. To help marketers walk into Upfront conversations with clarity and confidence, we connected with industry experts from Ampersand, the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), FreeWheel, and Madhive to separate fact from fiction. Here are four common CTV myths – and the reality behind them 1. CTV is not ready for performance marketing Why this misconception exists CTV was once seen as a branding tool—good for awareness, but hard to measure. Without clear attribution or precise targeting, it wasn’t built for the kind of performance marketing advertisers expect from digital media. What's actually happening In the not-so-distant past, marketers lacked a consistent way to connect CTV impressions to digital or in-store actions because of device fragmentation and limited signal sharing between platforms. Today, you can reach specific audiences on the biggest screen in the house—and know what happened after they saw your ad. Advancements in identity resolution and cross-device tracking now allow advertisers to measure everything from incremental reach to store visits and purchases. The growing use of universal identifiers like Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) makes it easier to connect ad exposure to real outcomes across screens. "With better visibility into who’s watching CTV and what they do afterward, it’s no longer just about getting a message in front of people—we can actually understand if it drove real-world results, like a store visit or a purchase. By tapping into high-quality audience data—from behavioral to demographic to transactional—we’re able to improve match rates and reach, which ultimately leads to more meaningful outcomes for advertisers."Murphy Vandemotter, Director of Data Operations, Madhive That shift—from impressions to impact—is what makes CTV a true performance channel, not just a way to build brand awareness. How Madhive works with Experian to provide data that drives better targeting and measurement – at scale Madhive is helping local advertisers achieve better CTV outcomes by integrating Experian’s syndicated audiences directly into the Madhive Data Marketplace. Advertisers are using Experian’s data to better understand local audiences, deliver more personalized messaging, and extend campaign reach – in some cases, achieving 10x the reach compared to other marketplaces. Combined with Madhive’s measurement tools and real-time optimization capabilities, advertisers can maximize their CTV investments by building lookalike audiences, quickly adjusting underperforming strategies, and personalizing engagement with viewers at the local level. 2. CTV advertising lacks brand safety and fraud protection Why this misconception exists CTV is sometimes lumped in with the broader digital ecosystem, where concerns around fraud, brand safety, and opaque buying paths are more common. Some advertisers worry they’re not getting what they paid for—or worse, that their ads could appear next to low-quality content. What's actually happening CTV has a much stronger foundation for brand safety and ad fraud than many marketers realize. The most effective way to minimize risk is to work directly with premium publishers and their primary technology platforms — not through long, complex chains of intermediaries that can open the door to fraud and low-quality placements. Platforms like FreeWheel provide direct access to premium CTV inventory across major broadcast and cable brands, helping marketers consolidate spend and significantly reduce exposure to risk. Working with primary supply partners ensures ads run alongside trusted, high-quality programming, not questionable or low-value content. By prioritizing direct paths to premium publishers, advertisers can take greater control over where their campaigns appear, achieving better transparency, higher quality, and stronger outcomes. "Advertisers can reach a broad collection of premium CTV inventory directly through FreeWheel. This not only greatly reduces a marketer’s risk, but it also provides certainty that they’re getting what they paid for in terms of quality content to appear alongside their brands.” Matt Clark, VP of Strategic Partnerships, FreeWheel In other words, cutting corners often increases risk—while consolidation and direct access to premium supply creates a cleaner, safer media buy. How Experian and FreeWheel match quality content with quality targeting Industry standards like OpenRTB 2.6 are evolving to give advertisers more control over where and how their ads appear. At the same time, Experian is helping advertisers maximize that control through our integration with FreeWheel. Advertisers can access Experian’s syndicated audiences directly within FreeWheel’s sell and buy-side programmatic advertising platforms. This gives advertisers the ability to create and activate campaigns across linear, digital, and advanced TV. Backed by a deep understanding of people in the offline and digital worlds, Experian’s data is ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset, giving advertisers confidence that they are reaching the right people. Television audiences you can reach include cord-cutters and consumers who subscribe to free and paid ad-supported streaming TV services. 3. CTV audiences are too fragmented to manage effectively Why this misconception exists With so many streaming platforms and devices in play, US households subscribe to 4 paid video streaming services on average, it can feel nearly impossible to manage reach and frequency without overspending or annoying your audience. What's actually happening Advertisers don’t need to choose between scale and precision anymore. With the right audience and identity strategy, it’s possible to connect the dots across screens and unify fragmented viewing behaviors. “We activate first- and third-party data across CTV, linear, and video-on-demand in a consistent way—making sure campaigns reach real households, not just devices. We also track unduplicated reach and frequency across platforms, so advertisers can understand what’s actually working. Together with Experian, we can measure whether those impressions moved the needle and guide media planning with full-funnel attribution insights."Anastasia Dukes-Asuen, Sr. Director of Advanced TV Data & Insights, Ampersand Experian Audiences are built on our household-level identity graph, giving advertisers a powerful tool to manage reach and frequency across screens. How Ampersand works with Experian Ampersand utilizes Experian Marketing Data to enhance audience-based media planning, activation, and optimization across linear and addressable TV platforms. By combining Experian Audiences with a footprint of 64 million data-enabled homes, Ampersand helps advertisers find the most valuable networks and dayparts to reach their intended viewers. Through its Addressable Simulator tool, powered by Experian data, Ampersand models different budget scenarios to show how reallocating spend into addressable TV can extend reach and improve efficiency. Using Experian-powered targeting has delivered real-world results, like helping a national cruise brand achieve a 14% lift in incremental reach, a 3.1x increase in frequency, and a 24% lower effective CPM. 4. CTV is only for younger, tech-savvy audiences Why this misconception exists Streaming was originally associated with younger viewers, leading advertisers to believe CTV wasn’t an effective way to reach older demographics. That impression stuck, but it’s no longer true. What's actually happening Smart TVs are everywhere, and CTV has gone mainstream. Across generations, households are tuning in to ad-supported streaming services in record numbers—and they’re doing it on the biggest screens in their homes. What ARF data shows New research from the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) backs this up. According to the 2024 DASH TV Universe Study: 77% of U.S. households own at least one Smart TV 82% receive at least one ad-supported streaming service 62% of households receive at least one ad-supported subscription streaming service (AVOD) like Netflix or Max with ads “The audience with the highest Smart TV and ad-supported CTV adoption? Millennials and Gen Xers—Americans in their prime parenting years. Even Boomers have embraced CTV: 73% own a Smart TV and 72% receive at least one ad-supported CTV service.” Jim Meyer, General Manager of the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) DASH TV Universe Study ARF and Experian gives marketers the most accurate understanding of who is watching We partnered with the ARF and its DASH universe study to create 18 TV audiences. By combining the ARF’s DASH data set with Experian Marketing Data, we developed one-of-a-kind TV audiences that reflect how viewers interact with digital devices and e-commerce accounts. We created this resource so our customers can align their marketing campaigns with media usage. These audience segments also yield insights that help marketers reach their audiences with the right messages and content. Make CTV work for you this Upfront season CTV is evolving fast, and advertisers who rely on outdated assumptions risk missing out on its full impact. If you're weighing where to place your bets this Upfront season, don’t let old myths steer you off course. CTV delivers reach, performance, and accountability—especially when powered by high-quality data. Experian helps advertisers get more from their CTV investment with household-level insights that control ad frequency and unified audience activation to maintain consistent messaging across platforms. Let’s make your CTV campaigns work smarter. Learn how Experian can help you understand your customers, reach the right audience, and measure performance. Get in touch Latest posts
Back-to-school season remains one of the biggest retail moments of the year—and 2025 is expected to follow suit. Total spending is projected to reach $84.51 billion, with K–12 shoppers alone contributing nearly $50 billion—59% of the total. E-commerce will also play a major role, accounting for 37.4% of total back-to-school sales. However, 2025 shoppers may be facing even higher costs due to the incoming tariffs with everything from laptops and lunchboxes to kids' clothing and crayons becoming more expensive. In anticipation of these rising prices, shoppers might once again start early to score deals. Last year, 55% of back-to-school and college shoppers had already started buying items in July for the upcoming school year. This early start coincided with major July promotions like Amazon Prime Day, in which U.S. shoppers spent a record $14.2 billion online, where school-related purchases surged by over 200%. Whether you’re marketing school essentials or offering services to help students succeed, it’s easy to default to the same go-to audiences. This blog post highlights overlooked back-to-school segments to help you build personalized back-to-school strategies that resonate with students, parents, and educators. You can find the complete audience segment names in the appendix. School the competition: How Experian can help you connect with 2025 shoppers With summer just around the corner, back-to-school might not be top of mind, but there’s no better time to start planning. Whether you're reaching parents, students, or educators, Experian’s syndicated audiences can help ensure your marketing messages make the honor roll by landing with the right people at the right time. Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences are available directly on over 30 leading television, social, 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 back-to-school attributes such as Presence of Children. 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. Meet your overlooked back-to-school audiences Back-to-school shoppers aren’t one-size-fits-all. From parents prepping supply lists to students outfitting dorms, reaching the right audience is key to making the grade with your campaign. Let's go beyond the basics. Here are four back-to-school audience categories you can target with Experian: New year, new gear-ers Weeknight TV watchers Parenting personas School-season meal planners Let’s open our notebooks and break down the audience segments within each group. Whether your customers are buying backpacks, stocking the fridge, or searching for school essentials, these insights will help your campaign pass with flying colors. New year, new gear-er From teens picking out their first-day outfit to college students stocking up for dorm life, these audiences represent a wide range of priorities, needs, and spending behaviors. They’re also heavily influenced by trends, technology, and value-driven purchases. Don’t overlook these five high-potential audiences in your strategy: Big-Box Electronics Stores: High Spenders Amazon Frequent Spenders Department Store Deal Shoppers In Store Spenders Teen Apparel (Clothing): Online and In Store High Spenders Dell Computer and Apple Mac Purchaser Weeknight TV watchers Back-to-school season is also back-to-routine season. Families are gathering for more shared TV time in the evenings—especially in August and September. This makes co-viewing households a prime audience for messaging tied to school-year prep. Rethink your back-to-school approach with these five overlooked segments: Co-Watchers Co-Watchers with Children Cord Cutters: Recent Engagement Channel Preference: Streaming TV Digital Video Parenting personas Targeting by household structure helps tailor messaging to the right family dynamic—whether it’s parents with toddlers or households with college students. Four audiences you might be missing this back-to-school season: Digital Moms and Dads Sports Utility Families Colleges and Cafes Kids and Cabernet School-season meal planners Food and grocery shopping routines shift during the school season. These audiences are ideal for promotions tied to lunch prep, after-school snacks, and weeknight meals. Add these four under-the-radar audiences for back-to-school success: Online Grocery Delivery Services: High Spenders Grocery Stores: High Spenders Fast Food/QSR Frequent Spenders Fast Food/QSR Pizza Frequent Spenders Core back-to-school shoppers Of course, you’ll want to add traditional back-to-school audiences to your strategy. These audiences are highly engaged and often the decision-makers, making them ideal for marketers looking to drive purchase intent early and often. Here are four key back-to-school audiences you can target–all are available by life stage to reach PreK, elementary, middle, and high school households: Back to School Supplies Back to School Moderate Spend Back to School High Spend Back to School Apparel Make the grade with Experian this back-to-school season As marketers gear up for the back-to-school season, it’s the perfect time to sharpen your strategy and connect with back-to-school shoppers. Whether you’re building tried-and-true segments or exploring more unexpected, high-potential groups you might have not considered, Experian can help you reach the right audience. If you’re looking to create targeted segments for activation across digital and TV or gain insights to guide your campaign planning, Experian has you covered. 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. Additionally, work with Experian’s network of data providers to build audiences and send to an Audigent PMP for activation. Connect with our audience team 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 back-to-school audiences today with Audigent Ready to ace your back-to-school campaigns? 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 a head-start on back-to-school success. Download our back-to-school audience guide now Contact us Latest posts Appendix New year, new gear-ers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Big-Box Electronics Stores: High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Big Box and Club Stores: Amazon Frequent Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Department Store In Store Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Apparel > Teen Apparel (Clothing): Online High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Apparel > Teen Apparel (Clothing): In Store High Spenders Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Technology > Dell Computer Model Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Technology > Apple Mac Purchaser Model Weeknight TV watchers Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Co-Watchers Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Co-Watchers with Children Experian > Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Entertainment > Streaming/Video/Audio/CTV/Cable TV: Cable/Broadcast TV: Cord Cutters: Recent TrueTouch: Communication Preference > Engagement Channel Preference > Streaming TV TrueTouch: Communication Preference > Engagement Channel Preference > Digital Video Parenting personas Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Personas > Digital Moms Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Personas > Digital Dads Mosaic – Personas – Lifestyle and Interests > Group D: Suburban Style > D15 – Sports Utility Families Mosaic – Personas – Lifestyle and Interests > Group O: Singles and Starters > O53 – Colleges and Cafes Mosaic – Personas – Lifestyle and Interests > Group A: Power Elite > A03 – Kids and Cabernet School-season meal planners Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Online Grocery Delivery Services: High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Grocery > Grocery Stores: High Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Food and Drink > Restaurants: Fast Food/QSR QSR Frequent Spenders Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Food and Drink > Restaurants > Fast Food/QSR Pizza Frequent Spenders Core back-to-school shoppers Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Moderate Spend – PreK (Early Ed – PreK) Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Moderate Spend – Elementary School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Moderate Spend – Middle School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Moderate Spend – High School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School High Spend – PreK (Early Ed – PreK) Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School High Spend – Elementary School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School High Spend – Middle School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School High Spend – High School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Apparel – PreK (Early Ed – PreK) Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Apparel – Elementary School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Apparel – Middle School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Apparel – High School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Supplies – PreK (Early Ed – PreK) Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Supplies – Elementary School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Supplies – Middle School Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Seasonal > Back to School Supplies – High School
For decades, television advertisers have faced a trade-off: Traditional linear TV: Delivers broad reach, utilizing the power of sight, sound, and motion on the big screen to capture more focused attention and foster immersive brand-building. However, it lacks the precise targeting modern marketers crave. Digital and addressable channels: Offer highly precise targeting and robust measurement capabilities but struggle to replicate linear TV’s unique combination of visual impact and viewer engagement on the big screen. Connected TV (CTV) bridges this gap by preserving television’s immersive, large-screen experience—where audiences are more attentive to the content—while offering the precise targeting capabilities long associated with digital and addressable channels. Yet, as the industry evolves, there’s a growing realization that lower-funnel performance marketing—which emphasizes quick wins from in-market shoppers—doesn’t fully support long-term brand growth. Leading brands have increasingly noted that relying solely on performance tactics can limit sustained demand and brand equity. Within CTV lies a powerful subset: Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). As consumers gravitate toward free streaming options, FAST has emerged as a key focal point for reaching immediate and future buyers. In this article, we’ll explore why focusing only on in-market shoppers risks missing the larger pool of “future-ready buyers” and how FAST platforms enable brands to engage them effectively. The challenge: Over-fixation on "in-market" shoppers One common marketing hurdle is "lower-funnel myopia"—focusing almost exclusively on in-market shoppers who are ready to buy immediately. While this can yield quick wins, it also means brands miss opportunities to improve in three critical areas: Competition and costs: By chasing the same immediate buyers, brands drive up media costs, especially as programmatic ad spending continues to climb each year. Missing out on future buyers: Most consumers aren’t looking to buy right now. In fact, only 5% of potential consumers are active ‘in-market,’ meaning the other 95% represent future-ready buyers open to purchasing soon. Over-focusing on in-market audiences overlooks people who could be primed to purchase soon. Inefficient spend on “sure bets”: Over-targeting likely buyers inflates costs for conversions you'd capture naturally. Shifting budget toward brand priming boosts incremental ROI. Expanding the funnel isn't just smart – it's necessary While many advertisers have prioritized short-term conversions, the data shows a growing imbalance—and a potential risk to long-term brand health. According to The CMO Survey (eMarketer, Nov 2024), CMOs allocated nearly 69% of their 2024 budgets to short-term brand performance, leaving just 31% for long-term brand building. If you’re only engaging consumers when they’re already in-market, you’re effectively joining the race at the final lap—and often paying a premium to do so. So where does that leave the vast majority who aren’t buying right now? That’s where future-ready buyers come in. The solution: "future-ready buyers" So, how can you broaden your reach without resorting to a “spray-and-pray” strategy? Enter category future-ready buyers—consumers who aren’t actively shopping right now but remain open to your product category. They’re not firmly opposed or “locked out” of it. For example, existing electric vehicle (EV) owners may not be in-market this very moment, but they could be ready to purchase another EV when their lease ends or a new model debuts, making them ideal future-ready buyers. Why they matter: Cultivate future demand. Engage buyers early to stay top-of-mind when they’re ready. Build a sustainable brand pipeline. Develop ongoing interest instead of repeatedly chasing immediate leads. Expand your reach. Broaden targeting beyond active shoppers for long-term growth. Use marketing data to avoid overspending on future buyers Identifying future-ready buyers is powerful—but how do you avoid wasting spend on unlikely buyers? Marketing data helps refine your targeting with real consumer insights, maximizing ROI and campaign efficiency. Precisely define your segments: Use lifestyle, demographic, and psychographic data to target consumers who are open to your product, avoiding wasted impressions on uninterested audiences. Prioritize privacy and compliance: Choose partners who prioritize data security and adhere to regulations, ensuring your campaigns stay both trustworthy and effective. FAST: The strategic channel for reaching future ready buyers FAST services, like Samsung TV Plus, have evolved into a crucial medium for advertisers eager to strike a balance between scale and precision. Here’s why: Engaged audience: Viewers access free, premium content in exchange for ads, making them receptive and attentive. Advanced targeting: FAST offers precise segmentation beyond traditional TV, helping you reach Samsung consumers both in-market and future buyers effectively on the biggest screen in the household. Positive viewer experience: Free content creates a relaxed viewing environment, increasing ad attention and recall. Samsung TV Plus and Experian Marketing Services: Scale meets precision Samsung TV Plus offers expansive reach and contextual targeting aligned to viewer interests. Experian Marketing Services complements this by identifying consumers most likely to buy, leveraging demographic, lifestyle, and intent data—helping you effectively engage future-ready buyers. Putting it into practice: A use case Scenario An electric vehicle (EV) brand, EVolution Auto, wants to reach eco-conscious consumers who aren’t shopping for a car right now but might consider one soon. They also want to track how ads influence brand consideration and sales over time. Approach Identify future-ready segmentsUsing Experian data, EVolution Auto focuses on “eco-conscious drivers”—people interested in sustainability who are likely to be open to an EV in the near future. Activate on Samsung TV PlusThe brand places targeted ads on channels with environmental or tech content. With millions of monthly users and a relaxed viewing experience, EVolution Auto’s spots get more visibility, boosting ad recall. Outcome By pairing Samsung TV Plus’s broad reach with Experian’s precise audience data, EVolution Auto achieves measurable lifts in brand consideration, website traffic, and dealership visits—effectively priming future EV buyers and driving long-term sales momentum. Building a future-proof strategy Exclusively targeting in-market consumers can limit your brand’s long-term potential. By focusing on those not currently shopping—but still open to your category—you widen your future buyer pool and keep your brand top of mind. FAST services like Samsung TV Plus, paired with Experian’s marketing data, offer a powerful way to balance scale with precision–delivering strong engagement today while priming your brand for long-term growth. By shifting your focus toward tomorrow’s buyers today, your brand doesn’t just stay relevant—it sets the stage for sustained market leadership and growth. Contact us Latest posts