What makes an ad impression valuable to an advertiser? The inventory where an ad appears, the audience it reaches, or its potential to contribute to a business outcome?
The answer often involves all three. Yet curation is frequently discussed in terms of site lists, audience segments, and deal IDs. These play an important role, but they don’t tell the full story of the intelligence and decisioning required to evaluate supply and media opportunities.
Advertisers want to reach relevant audiences across quality inventory, make efficient use of their media investments, and achieve measurable business outcomes. Meeting those goals requires connecting the right identity, consumer intelligence, technology, and optimization closer to the source of each impression. Making decisions too late in the transaction can mean missing more effective, direct, or cost-efficient paths to an advertiser’s target audience.
The four pillars of effective curation
Curation works best when four capabilities come together to connect advertiser objectives with relevant media opportunities.
1. Identity makes data useful across environments
Advertisers know their customers, publishers know their audiences, supply-side platforms (SSPs) understand their inventory and traffic, and demand-side platforms (DSPs) bring knowledge of campaign goals. Data partners add behavioral insights. Each may use different identifiers, making it harder to recognize the same person or household consistently across the ecosystem.
Identity provides a shared foundation for connecting these signals. A trusted, widely adopted identity graph can link permitted identifiers to a consistent view of people and households across participating ecosystem partners. This allows advertiser, publisher, and audience data to work together under appropriate privacy controls to inform media decisions.
When that identity foundation is available through real-time integrations, audience signals can be interpreted more effectively as media opportunities arise. Decisioning can apply a consistent understanding of the audience across participating supply environments, keeping audience context connected as opportunities move through the ecosystem.
2. Consumer intelligence adds context to each opportunity
Effective consumer intelligence starts with trusted data and understanding who consumers are, what they do, and what they care about, collected and used with appropriate consent, privacy protections, and permissions.
To achieve that, it’s critical to identify which data providers, audience segments, and types of data are best suited to a specific campaign and deal. Different sources offer different insights, and selecting the right combination helps advertisers identify relevant audiences and make more informed media decisions.
The right signals depend on the campaign. Retail campaigns may draw on purchase history and other behaviors that help predict future spending. Automotive campaigns may rely more on in-market signals, given longer buying cycles, to inform audience, messaging, and channel strategies. First party audiences play a crucial role in many use cases, and the ability to apply these audiences through an independent decisioning system maximizes match rates while minimizing data sharing across platforms.
Rather than relying on a predefined mix of audience segments, an advanced decisioning system can use campaign goals, brand context, and other available signals to shape the audience for each opportunity.
It can help identify which data providers, segments, and data types are most relevant, and then adjust the audience mix as performance and outcomes provide new information. This supports more tailored media decisions throughout a campaign.
3. Technology integrations connect intelligence to supply
Real-time connections with SSPs let decisioning systems consider signals such as context, device information, and format alongside advertiser audience and campaign criteria as opportunities arise. But each SSP integration can expose different signals and data structures, making it difficult to apply a strategy consistently across supply. A neutral intelligence layer connected through the right technology framework can normalize those inputs across participating SSPs and return qualifying deal and audience signals through the SSP, helping DSPs prioritize relevant opportunities in their existing workflows.
4. Optimization turns insights into better decisions
Optimization becomes more informed as demand-side performance data, signals from real-time supply integrations, and online and offline conversion data come together. Connected through a consistent audience view, these signals can help categorize inventory and identify supply paths associated with stronger performance.
Real-time decisioning and optimization help apply those insights quickly during a campaign, while accumulated learnings can inform future campaign setup and delivery. Decisioning systems can evaluate impressions quickly. The quality, relevance, and connectivity of the information behind them determine how useful those decisions are.
Bringing intelligence closer to the impression
Advances in real-time technology are creating new opportunities to apply this intelligence earlier in the media transaction.
Traditionally, much of the intelligence informing programmatic buying has been applied through DSPs. Curation was developed and widely adopted in part because it improved decisioning and performance by layering supply side signals into the ad buying workflow. Containerization is how SSPs are extending that shift, allowing decisioning capabilities to operate within or alongside their infrastructure, closer to the source of supply.
While containers are powerful tools, containerization alone doesn’t create interoperability across supply. Each container operates within its SSP environment, therefore utilizing native features and signals available there.
Real-time integrations are needed to pass signals from participating SSP environments into a neutral decisioning layer. That layer can connect varying signals and identifiers across supply sources, helping apply decisioning more consistently across different sources and types of supply. Imagine an automotive campaign focused on test-drive bookings. Identity and audience signals help recognize likely buyers. SSP signals such as context and format describe the available placements. Campaign and conversion feedback can show which audience, context and placement combinations are performing better. Real-time integrations help apply those learnings across participating SSPs during the campaign, so the DSP can prioritize stronger opportunities while retaining control of bidding.
Advertisers, publishers, data providers, DSPs, and SSPs each contribute different signals that can inform media selection. Connecting those signals through trusted identity and interoperable technology can make decisioning more relevant to individual campaign objectives.
AI can take this a step further by analyzing connected signals and executing media decisions faster and more dynamically. As more relevant data becomes available in real time, AI-driven models could tailor how opportunities are evaluated based on an advertiser’s campaign objectives, audience priorities, and the specific requirements of a DSP. With access to appropriate performance feedback, these systems could refine their decisions over time, making curation increasingly responsive to individual campaigns.
What’s next for curation?
Curation will continue evolving into a real-time decisioning engine for the advertising ecosystem, connecting identity, consumer intelligence, technology, and optimization closer to where media opportunities become available. Neutrality and interoperability will be central to making that intelligence work across platforms and creating value for everyone involved.
Site lists and deal IDs remain useful components of programmatic activation. Relying on site lists and contextual signals alone, though, means overlooking much of what curation can offer. The broader value comes from connecting identity, consumer intelligence, technology, and optimization through real-time supply integrations to inform media decisions. As these capabilities become more connected, curation can play a greater role in how the industry evaluates and acts on media opportunities, helping advertisers and their partners make faster, more customized decisions across the open web.
That’s where the value of modern curation comes into focus, and where its future in media lies.
About the author
Budi Tanzi
SVP, Product, Experian
Budi Tanzi is the Senior 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.
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In our Ask the Expert Series, we interview leaders from our partner organizations who are helping lead their brands to new heights in adtech. Today’s interview is with Georgia Campbell, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Kontext. What types of audiences does Kontext provide, and what are some top use cases for these insights in marketing strategies? Kontext leverages its 1st-party, deterministic shopping data to generate real-time online audiences. What sets Kontext apart is our ability to see the entire consumer journey, from shopping interest to intent and purchases, at a SKU-level. This comprehensive visibility allows us to create purchase-based audiences across various consumer verticals, such as frequent online shoppers, consumers shopping for beauty, segments using Mastercard, or Black Friday enthusiasts. Our data engine, built on a foundation of approximately 100 million consumer profiles and over 10 billion full-funnel, real-time shopping events, enables the creation of precise audience segments. This real-time 1st-party shopper data is invaluable for partners aiming to understand and engage with consumers more effectively. Whether a brand wants to activate past shoppers in a specific category or reach new audiences with a propensity to buy, Kontext provides the insights needed to make informed decisions. Some examples of audience types include these (and hundreds more): In-Market Shoppers: Consumers showing high intent to purchase specific categories, like skincare or electronics, based on recent online behavior. Past Purchasers: Shoppers who have made verified purchases within specific time frames, such as beauty products in the last 18 months. Frequent Shoppers: High-frequency buyers identified through repeated purchasing behaviors. Seasonal Shoppers: Consumers active during key shopping seasons, like Black Friday, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc Premium Buyers: Shoppers who used a premium CC (eg. Amex) and a higher AOV (average order value) Beauty Buyers: an audience that has indicated intent to purchase beauty products (deterministic past purchasers also avail) By using Kontext data, brands can identify the right audiences across multiple verticals, such as retail, CPG, health & wellness, auto, business, energy & utility, financial, and travel. Additionally, our collaboration with Experian allows further refinement of these audiences through layered data from specialty categories like demographics, lifestyle & interests, mobile location, and TV viewing habits. How is Kontext’s data sourced, and what differentiates it from other data providers? Kontext’s data is unique because it is deterministic, 1st-party, and collected as transactions occur. We capture the entire path-to-purchase, down to the SKU-level product detail, across 100 million consumer profiles and more than 10 billion real-time shopping events. Our proprietary technology, embedded in widgets across our 5 million premium online destinations, tracks the full consumer journey—from reading an article of interest to clicking on our dynamic commerce modules, adding items to cart, and completing purchases. This real-time data collection ensures there is no lag between digital events and their connection to consumer profiles. Unlike other providers, we do not aggregate data from multiple platforms; instead, we focus on building our models and insights based on authentic online consumer behavior. Our data stands out due to its: Deterministic Nature: We capture 1st-party data as transactions occur (all in real time) Full-Funnel Coverage: We capture consumer journeys from awareness to purchase, providing a complete view of consumer behavior. Real-Time Insights: Our data engine processes events in real-time, enabling timely and relevant marketing actions. How does Kontext ensure the accuracy and reliability of its audience data? Kontext ensures accuracy and reliability through our unique technology and direct data sourcing. By not aggregating data from other platforms, we maintain control over the quality and integrity of our insights. Our continuous investment in refining our models around online consumer behavior further enhances the precision of our audience data. What types of brands or verticals might resonate the most with Kontext audiences for activation? Any brand looking to understand and activate online shopping behavior – informed by 1st-party transaction data – will resonate with Kontext audiences. Essentially, any vertical that benefits from understanding real-time shopping behaviors, such as retail, health & wellness, auto, and financial services, will find our data invaluable. We have particularly strong insights in beauty, hair care, health & wellness, and values-based online shopping habits, as well as the food & beverage space. Retail & Consumer Goods: Leveraging shopping behavior data for targeted campaigns. Health & Wellness: Identifying consumers with specific health and wellness interests. Automotive: Targeting potential buyers of electric vehicles or eco-friendly products. Financial Services: Engaging high-value shoppers with premium credit card usage. And many more How does Kontext’s data help advertisers navigate the challenges posed by the deprecation of third-party cookies? As third-party cookies become less reliable, Kontext’s 1st-party data becomes invaluable. Our deterministic data engine, which does not rely on cookies, offers: Direct Consumer Insights: Accurate and consented data directly from consumer interactions. Privacy Compliance: Our data collection methods are fully compliant with privacy regulations, ensuring secure usage. Cross-Device Coverage: We use verified digital identifiers, allowing seamless unification and targeting across multiple devices. What measures does Kontext take to maintain data privacy and compliance, and how does this benefit advertisers? Data privacy and compliance are fundamental to Kontext. We meet or exceed all privacy compliance and security standards, ensuring that our data sourcing and usage are transparent and comply with regulations (CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, etc). Kontext prioritizes data privacy and compliance through: Consented Data Collection: All data is collected with explicit consumer consent. Robust Security Protocols: Data is encrypted and secured with industry-leading practices. Compliance with Regulations: We adhere to global privacy laws, including GDPR and CCPA. User Control: Consumers have the ability to opt-out and manage their data preferences. Can you share success stories / use-cases where advertisers significantly improved their campaigns using Kontext’s data? To give you a sense of how Kontext data can be applied, here are two use-cases: Beauty Brand Campaign: An agency hoping to activate an audience of beauty purchasers for a Major Beauty Brand could utilize Kontext’s custom audience of high-value beauty product purchasers. By targeting those consumers who had bought similar products in the last 12 months and had an average cart size of over $50, the campaign would significantly increase performance and ROAS. Electric Vehicle Launch: For a major auto manufacturer’s EV launch, Kontext could be used to identify eco-friendly consumers who had not yet purchased an EV but had shown interest in sustainable products. This precise targeting could lead to higher engagement and conversion rates for the campaign. Thanks for the interview. Any recommendations for our readers if they want to learn more? For those interested in learning more about Kontext, reach out for a personalized consultation. Contact us About our expert Georgia Campbell, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Kontext In her current role as Head of Strategic Partnerships at Kontext, Georgia plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction within the data space. With a deep-seated expertise in leveraging data to drive impact for companies, Georgia has been forging key partnerships that enhance the effectiveness and reach of Kontext’s offerings. Georgia comes from a background in emerging technology, where she has been focused on cultivating partnerships and employing data-driven approaches to spearhead market expansion efforts. She started her career in finance, managing investments across equity, debt, and alternative assets at Brown Advisory. In this Q&A, Georgia shares her insights on Kontext’s Onboarding partnership with Experian, offering perspective on how Kontext’s unique insights can unlock new opportunities for advertisers and brands alike. Latest posts
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