At A Glance
2026 marketing trends reveal that people will spend more intentionally, prioritize value and simplicity, and expect personalization that’s transparent and privacy-first. Omnichannel journeys and micro-moments will shape how they shop, with generational differences influencing trust and digital expectations. Experian helps marketers respond with privacy-first identity, high-quality audience intelligence, and omnichannel activation that drive relevant and measurable performance.In this article…
The 2026 consumer is reconsidering how they want to engage with businesses. Research from Nielsen anticipates that in 2026, people will spend more intentionally, think more critically, and expect more from the brands they invite into their lives. They want clear value, marketing experiences that make decisions easier, and personalization that respects their privacy and improves the moment they’re in.
This change has big implications for marketers. Winning in 2026 will require understanding the motivations, concerns, and trust drivers behind consumer behavior. This means embracing a privacy-first identity foundation, deep audience intelligence, high-quality and ethically sourced data, omnichannel activation, and measurement that closes the loop across channels.
Below, we break down consumer shifts shaping 2026 and how you can translate them into practical strategies for 2026.
How will consumer behavior change in 2026, and how should marketers respond?
Consumers are going into 2026 feeling deeply cautious. According to 2026 consumer outlook data, 32.8% of global shoppers say they’re financially worse off than last year, and 73% of those consumers cite rising cost-of-living pressures as the reason.
Ultimately, people are spending, but they’re directing most of their dollars toward core categories like food, health, and household care. That mix of caution and restraint is shaping what they want from brands: clear value, relevant personalization, and simple, low-effort experiences that make choices feel easier and worthwhile.
Want more details on how consumer caution shaped the peak buying season in 2025? Explore our 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report for insights that can set the foundation for your 2026 strategy.
Here are the consumer trends we expect to shape decision-making most in 2026 and how Experian can help you adapt.
Economic stability will outweigh values
Consumers are prioritizing the realities of their household budgets going into 2026. Global consumer research shows that environmental concerns fell from the #4 global worry to #9 in 2025, while financial pressures and geopolitical issues moved to the top of the list.
People still care about brand values, but economic stability is becoming a stronger driver behind how they decide what to buy, where to shop, and which brands they trust. Consumers want brands to be responsible, fair, and transparent, but they also expect brand values to align with their financial reality.
| Insight | Data point |
| Consumers who feel financially worse off than last year | 32.8% |
| Of those, consumers citing cost-of-living pressures | 73% |
| Environmental concerns falling in priority (2024 to 2025) | #4 to #9 in top global worries |
Source: Consumer Outlook: Guide to 2026
For your marketing, this means shifting from broad value messaging to audience-specific offers tailored to each group’s financial situation, understanding:
- Who feels financially stretched
- Who still has spending flexibility
- Who is shifting habits subtly (frequency, basket size, channel choice)
How marketers should respond to this trend
Experian helps brands read financial signals with accuracy. Using generational segments, income bands, lifestyle indicators, and geo-indexed audiences, you can distinguish between:
- Value-seeking shoppers who prioritize stretch, savings, and reliability
- Higher-income households motivated by sustainability, wellness, or premium experiences
- Multigenerational families with diverse influencers and decision drivers
- Urban vs. suburban households with different price sensitivities and convenience factors
Paired with Experian’s privacy-first identity graph, your brand can activate audiences aligned with consumer insights across commerce media networks (CMNs), connected TV (CTV), social platforms, and programmatic channels using curated private marketplaces (PMPs). This ensures your messaging reflects the financial realities of consumers in 2026. Experian’s predictive insight capabilities also help forecast shifts in financial mindset, enabling you to anticipate change instead of reacting to it.
As financial caution shapes everyday choices, the next question becomes how to remove friction and deliver value in ways that feel simple, relevant, and worth the spend.
Consumers will prioritize value, simplicity, and relevance
With everyday expenses still weighing on households, people will likely simplify their shopping habits in 2026. They want brands to make decisions easier, save them time, and offer clear value without extra effort.
Instead of wading through endless choices or chasing promotions, shoppers are responding to experiences that feel straightforward and trustworthy, with:
- Transparent pricing
- Clear benefits
- Recommendations aligned to budget and needs
- Frictionless decision paths
For your brand, it’ll be essential to deliver carefully crafted and targeted messages at the right moment, rather than overwhelming consumers with excessive messaging. Experian helps you pinpoint what value looks like for different audiences and tailor relevant experiences.
How marketers should respond to this trend
To meet consumers’ demand for value and simplicity, you’ll need to understand what “easy” and “worth it” mean to each audience before you activate a campaign. Experian enables this by identifying the moments, motivations, and household realities that shape how people simplify decisions.
Using Experian’s lifestyle indicators, category affinities, geo-indexed spend patterns, and financial mindset segments, you can quickly pinpoint:
- Which audiences want streamlined choices (e.g., fewer SKUs, clearer value cues)
- Which shoppers expect premium quality without complexity
- Which households prioritize speed and convenience over price
- Which consumers prefer digital-first journeys vs. in-store simplicity
Then, through Experian’s privacy-first identity graph, you can reliably reach these audiences across CMNs, CTV, social, and digital environments with:
- Product recommendations that reduce decision fatigue
- Promotions tuned to value drivers
- Creative that matches each audience’s expectations for ease
- Consistent messaging that aligns across all channels
Experian’s AI-powered simplicity helps reduce manual effort in this process, enabling your team to uncover opportunities, streamline workflows, and focus more time on strategy and outcomes. And as Experian continues to explore agentic workflows, you’ll be able to move from manual audience setup to intelligent audience discovery — enabling strategies you may not have considered before.
Once you’ve simplified the experience, consumers will expect the next layer of relevance: helpful, respectful personalization grounded in the data they choose to share.
People want personalization on their terms
According to Qualtrics’ 2026 Consumer Experience Trends Report, consumers still want personalization going into 2026, but they expect it to happen on their terms:
| Insight | Data point |
| Prefer personalized experiences | 64% |
| Say benefits outweigh privacy trade-offs | 39% |
| Feel uncomfortable with many data-driven personalization tactics | 32% |
Source: 2026 Consumer Experience Trends Report
First-party data is now the foundation of meaningful, privacy-first engagement. Consumers are far more willing to share information when the value exchange is obvious and when they feel in control of how that data is used. They expect brands to:
- Use only necessary data
- Explain how personalization improves the experience
- Offer easy preference controls
- Demonstrate transparent, privacy-first data practices
As your brand lives up to these expectations, trust grows, and consumers become more willing to share the first-party data you need for impactful, privacy-centric personalization in 2026.
Experian helps you meet these needs with Audience Engine, a self-service activation tool that enables you to quickly and accurately view and activate your first-party data and partner segments across 200+ platforms without high operational overhead. And when you need deeper insight, it also connects 3,500+ syndicated audiences and 20+ trusted third-party providers, so you can enrich your first-party data with privacy-safe insights.
This includes Experian’s most recent 2025 Syndicated Audiences release, which adds 400+ updated segments — including 62 Auto Loyalists — giving you a more granular, privacy-safe view of shifting values, lifestyle preferences, and intent signals for 2026. These segments break out characteristics by generation, income, gender, and urbanicity, so your brand can analyze where demand is rising and how behaviors differ across audience groups.
For example:
- An automaker can target Auto Loyalists: Acura with model-specific offers
- A luxury brand can activate Auto Loyalists: Alfa Romeo and adjust messaging by income band, age, urbanicity, or lifestyle
Used together, first-party data and enriched syndicated audiences allow you to personalize responsibly, target more effectively, and respond to 2026 consumer expectations while respecting their privacy wishes.
How marketers should respond to this trend
The future of personalization in 2026 is first-party and zero-party data, supported by a trustworthy identity framework.
Experian enables this through:
- Identity resolution connected to 95% of U.S. households
- Privacy-first activation across digital, CTV, and CMNs
- Data modernization that maintains accuracy and compliance
- Responsible automation that delivers high-performance, human-centered personalization consumers want in 2026
- Mosaic® USA, our household-level consumer classification system that provides a privacy-safe view of lifestyles and preferences so you can apply personalization intelligently across channels
- Audience Engine, which lets you activate and enrich your first-party data for richer, permission-based insights
- Marketing Attributes, which gives you access to thousands of demographic, behavioral, lifestyle, financial, and interest characteristics
As soon as your brand earns permission to personalize, the next expectation is to apply that personalization across channels.
Omnichannel behavior and real-time micro-moments will define how people shop
Consumers don’t differentiate between channels anymore. They want a seamless, cohesive shopping journey. Consumer buying trends indicate that people are shopping more frequently but purchasing fewer items per trip. This suggests more small, mission-driven decisions, often triggered by digital or mobile discovery.
As shoppers move fluidly between mobile, in-store, CTV, and social platforms, they rely on time-saving cues, simple comparisons, and contextual recommendations instead of complex decision-making processes. CMNs now influence choices across the digital shelf, in-store screens, and publisher networks, blurring the lines between media and commerce. Speed also matters; anything longer than next-day delivery reduces the likelihood of a purchase.
These behaviors create more micro-moments: quick, intent-driven decisions shaped by life stage, financial mindset, household composition, real-time signals, and micro-behaviors like quick trips, small-basket missions, and mobile search checks. Meeting consumers in these moments requires contextual relevance, not broad targeting.
How marketers should respond to this trend
Experian helps you act on omnichannel and micro-moment behavior by unifying identity and audiences across:
- CMNs
- CTV
- Social platforms
- Programmatic partners
- Retail media publishers
- In-store digital environments
Meanwhile, our audience assets give you the contextual accuracy these moments demand with:
- Geo-indexed spenders to understand financial posture and neighborhood patterns
- Generational household segments to reflect digital comfort and shopping rhythms
- Lifestyle and interest indicators aligned to real-life needs
- In-market and behavioral signals to reach consumers at the moment intent appears
With privacy-first identity resolution anchoring it all, your brand can deliver consistent sequencing, informed personalization, and accurate measurement across channels. This is essential when omnichannel is the expectation and micro-moments decide who wins the sale.
As these real-time behaviors shift, generational differences will further shape how consumers navigate channels, interpret value, and decide which brands earn their loyalty.
What’s new with Experian Marketing Data?
Explore hundreds of new and updated segments now available — auto, income, lifestyle, spend, TV, and more.
How are generational shifts shaping 2026 consumer behavior?
Generational dynamics are also likely to play a significant role in how people discover, evaluate, and buy in 2026. While every age group is prioritizing value, simplicity, and trust, they express these priorities differently.
Experian’s Syndicated Audiences updated for November 2025 include 61 new demographic segments — broken out by generation, income band, gender, and urbanicity — to help you reach each group with accuracy. These segments are informed by decades of responsible automation and predictive modeling, giving you a clearer view of how each group behaves, even as signals shift.
For example, a retail brand can use the Gen X Dual-Income Households segment to reach value-driven, digitally engaged shoppers, while another brand might activate Millennial Urban Professionals to tailor offers based on lifestyle, income, or urbanicity.
Here’s how key generations will shape buying and the Experian segments that can help you act on these customer insights.
Gen Z expects transparency, authenticity, and digital ease
- Values: Transparency, authenticity, responsible data use
- Digital behavior: Always-on, mobile-first, social and creator-influenced
- Decision drivers: Trust, clarity, seamless digital experiences
- Relevant Experian segments: Gen Z Urban Households, Gen Z Renters
Millennials seek value alignment, financial flexibility, and reliability
- Values: Fair pricing, quality, reliability
- Digital behavior: Efficiency-focused omnichannel shoppers
- Decision drivers: Time savings, cost relief, trust
- Relevant Experian segments: Millennial Urban Professionals, Millennial Parents
Gen X is increasingly digital, highly value-conscious, and loyal
- Values: Reliability, clarity, long-term value
- Digital behavior: Digitally engaged but friction-averse
- Decision drivers: Practicality, stability, predictable service
- Relevant Experian segments: Gen X Dual-Income Households
As these generational differences shape how people discover, evaluate, and buy, one theme unites every age group: trust now determines whether a brand earns attention, data, and loyalty. With today’s consumers scrutinizing how their information is used, that trust might just be what helps you succeed in 2026.
Why is trust the new currency in data-driven marketing?
In 2026, trust will differentiate the brands that flourish. Consumers want:
- Clear data practices
- Transparent value exchanges
- Confidence that brands are honoring their preferences
And as signals decline, first-party data strategies supported by privacy-first identity resolution and responsible automation have become the reliable, transparent foundation for trust-driven marketing.
Experian’s long-standing focus on data accuracy, modernization, and compliance — from quarterly releases and updates to our twice-yearly attribute retirement process — ensures you activate with the most current, ethical, and regulation-aligned data available. These practices strengthen consumer trust and drive more accurate targeting, better match rates, and measurable performance across channels.
This focus on accuracy, governance, and transparency also underpins Experian’s approach to ethical AI, ensuring innovations serve people first while giving you confidence in every decision.
How can marketers apply 2026 consumer insights today?
As trust becomes the deciding factor in whether consumers engage, share data, or stay loyal, marketers need clear ways to operationalize that trust. Fortunately, the insights shaping 2026 translate directly into practical actions your team can take right now.
Here’s where you can start:
- Audit your first-party data strategy and CRM hygiene
- Invest in scalable, privacy-first identity resolution
- Tailor messaging to financial attitudes, not just demographics
- Use Experian’s audience segments to match consumer values, generational traits, and urbanicity
- Build journey-based activation across mobile, CTV, social, and CMNs
- Implement measurement and closed-loop analytics so every activation feeds intelligence back into planning
- Evaluate where predictive insight and responsible automation can reduce manual work and improve outcomes
With Experian, you can reach the right people with the right message at the right moment with accuracy they can trust. Teams gain the predictive insight and responsible automation needed to act on these shifts at scale.
Looking for more insights into the year ahead?
If you’re planning for 2026, consumer behavior is just the starting point. Experian’s 2026 Digital trends and predictions report takes you deeper into the forces reshaping marketing —from AI moving from hype to implementation and the evolution of commerce media beyond retail.
What role does Experian play in helping brands activate data-driven marketing?
As you put these 2026 consumer insights into practice, the challenge becomes turning strategy into scaled, privacy-safe execution. Experian’s data, identity, and activation infrastructure can make the difference:
- Identity as the foundation: Connect first-party data to 95% of U.S. households for a unified, privacy-first view.
- Privacy-first activation: Engage audiences safely across every channel with compliant targeting.
- Actionable data depth: Combine demographic, behavioral, contextual, and household-level attributes to enrich insights.
- Omnichannel reach: Activate at scale across CTV, CMNs, social, programmatic, and in-store environments.
- Closed-loop measurement: Tie exposure to outcomes across channels, enabling more effective optimization and continuous improvement.
These capabilities provide your brand with the clarity, confidence, and control necessary for future success — powered by Experian’s human-centered approach to AI, which combines privacy-first clarity, predictive insight, AI-powered simplicity, real-time intelligence, and transparent innovation to deliver trust, accuracy, and measurable performance in 2026.
Build your 2026 strategy with data you can trust
Those who win in 2026 will be the ones who turn shifting consumer behavior into actionable intelligence rooted in trusted identity, accurate data, and measurement that proves what works. With economic caution shaping decisions, rising privacy expectations, and omnichannel journeys becoming the norm, brands that invest now in a strong data and identity foundation will be the ones that stay visible, relevant, and resilient.
Experian gives you that foundation by unifying identity, high-quality data, activation, and closed-loop measurement through a human-centered approach to AI. With privacy-first clarity, predictive insight, AI-powered simplicity, real-time intelligence, and transparent innovation, Experian helps you understand your audiences deeply, reach them responsibly, and adapt in real time as the market evolves.
2026 is coming fast. Now’s the moment to build a high-performance strategy.
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FAQs
The biggest consumer trends for 2026 revolve around intentional spending, value-conscious choices, low-effort experiences, and personalization that feels transparent and trustworthy. Consumers are cautiously optimistic but still managing tight budgets, prioritizing essentials, and gravitating toward brands that simplify decisions with clear value and relevant experiences that meet them across channels. Personalization remains a differentiator when it’s rooted in responsible data use and clear benefits.
You can use 2026 consumer insights to identify your highest-opportunity audiences, match your messaging and offers to their financial reality and values, and build journey-based activation across channels instead of working in silos. Experian’s identity graph and audiences help you connect online and offline behavior into a single, actionable view.
Experian’s identity graph helps marketers in 2026 by providing a privacy-first, unified view of consumers across channels, connecting first-party data to 95% of U.S. households. This allows you to recognize individuals and households accurately, enrich their data with reliable attributes, and activate personalized experiences across digital, CTV, and CMNs with confidence.
The result is better targeting, higher match rates, and more consistent, relevant engagement at every touchpoint. All of this is further strengthened by Experian’s human-centered approach to AI, which enhances clarity, accuracy, and real-time relevance.
Privacy-first marketing uses consumer data responsibly and transparently to improve the customer experience. In 2026, consumers still want personalization but are more selective about how their data is used.
With privacy-first marketing, you build trust by explaining why data is collected, giving people control, and personalizing only with consented, high-quality data. Experian supports this through our Responsible Data Practices, which prioritize fairness, accuracy, transparency, security, and inclusion.
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In this blog post…What is political campaign marketing?Benefits of digital marketing in political campaignsExperian's political personasHow to combine our political personas with other audiences In the American political landscape, understanding the intricacies of voters' attitudes and behaviors has never been more crucial. With the 2024 election season on the horizon, the challenge lies in moving beyond broad categorizations like "Democrat," "Republican," or "Independent." Voters seek candidates who resonate with their beliefs and values. To meet this challenge, Experian has created political personas that offer a nuanced understanding of American voters. In this blog post, we’ll explore how these Experian audiences can help you tailor your engagement strategies for the upcoming election cycle. Before we dive into our political personas, let's break down what political campaign marketing is and six benefits of using digital marketing in political campaigns. What is political campaign marketing? Political campaign marketing is the strategic engine that drives candidates toward electoral success. It involves crafting and sending out tailored messages to effectively reach constituents to inform them about candidates’ stances on key issues. Think of it as the art of narrative construction, using various communication channels—from traditional media to digital platforms—to engage and mobilize supporters. In an era marked by information saturation, effective campaign marketing serves to cut through the noise to deliver compelling messages that inform, inspire, and spur action. Benefits of digital marketing in political campaigns As the 2024 election approaches, using digital marketing in political campaigns becomes paramount to effectively reach and influence voters where they spend a significant portion of their time—online. Kamala Harris's entry into the race has shifted spending priorities, particularly in critical states such as Ohio, where the Senate race has already attracted $300 million in ad spending. Political ad spend on connected TV (CTV) is expected to rise significantly, from 2.7% in 2020 to 12.8% this year. The Harris campaign is spearheading this trend, dedicating $200 million to digital ads, with a substantial portion directed toward streaming platforms. Embracing digital marketing can help campaigns effectively shape opinions and mobilize support. Here are five key benefits of integrating digital marketing strategies into political campaigns: Unparalleled reach with targeted advertising: A well-connected digital platform partner can help you reach your target audiences across the ecosystem – from social to the open web. Optimization flexibility: Digital marketing allows for quick adjustments in response to real-time data and evolving circumstances. Interactive engagement: The interactive nature of digital channels creates meaningful engagement and dialogue between candidates and voters, building connections and community. Insights: Robust analytics provide valuable insights into audience behavior and preferences, facilitating continuous optimization and refinement of outreach efforts. Amplified messaging: Through digital marketing, political campaigns can amplify their message, mobilize support, and forge deeper connections with voters. Data serves as the foundation for these benefits. Interactivity hinges on data to deliver the right message and creative for engagement. Insights are gained through pre-campaign research, analyzing audience attributes to grasp their interests and behaviors. Flexibility relies on real-time campaign data, a unique advantage in digital marketing. In an era where audiences are available readily on most major activation platforms, advertisers need to understand how audiences are built to be privacy conscious and consistent in a cookieless environment. Experian’s political personas Digital marketing in political campaigns is crucial to reach and influence voters online. Integrating Experian's political personas into your political campaign strategy can help you grasp the complexities of today's American voter landscape and craft tailored engagement strategies. These personas offer invaluable insights into voter viewpoints on key political issues, enriching digital marketing efforts and empowering campaigns to connect with constituents more effectively. Experian has created 10 political personas to help you better understand today’s American voter so you can reach consumers based on their viewpoints into key political issues. Our political personas group voters along the political spectrum from most “committed” on the ends of the spectrum. Let’s walk through how we define each persona starting from the most “committed” personas on the ends of the spectrum. Committed Democrats This audience contains consumers who are likely to have a "very liberal” outlook on political issues. They have strong liberal opinions on various topics including key issues and the economy and are very involved in their communities. Committed Republicans This audience contains consumers who are likely to have a "very conservative” outlook on political issues. They are well-informed, community-minded individuals with strong opinions that reflect their conservatism. They have very conservative attitudes regarding key social issues. Moderate Democrats This audience contains consumers who are likely to have a “somewhat liberal” outlook on political issues. Moderate Republicans This audience contains consumers who are likely to have a “somewhat conservative” outlook on political issues. Political Leaning Liberals This audience contains consumers who are likely to have strong opinions on key issues that may not align with the traditional Democrat point of view. Political Leaning Conservatives This audience contains consumers who are likely on-the-fence on traditional Republican points of view on key issues. Liberal Leaning Independents This audience contains consumers who are registered independents and who are likely to have a “middle of the road” outlook on political issues while tending to lean more liberal. Conservative Leaning Independents This audience contains consumers who are likely registered independents and likely have a "middle-of-the-road” outlook on political issues while tending to lean more conservative. Political Unregistered Liberal Leaning This audience contains consumers who are not likely to have aligned with a specific party, but have a more liberal attitude. They are well-informed and are aware of important political issues. They frequently align with but are not necessarily completely aligned with liberal points of view. Political Unregistered Conservative Leaning This audience contains consumers who are not likely to have aligned with a specific party, but have a more conservative attitude. They are well-informed and are aware of important political issues. They frequently align with but are not necessarily completely aligned with conservative points of view. These 10 personas can help you better understand who the American voter is, but when combined with our 200 politically relevant audiences, such as watches political TV, donations to charitable causes, engagement channel preferences, hobbies, and more, the ability to study and improve engagement for each persona is considerably magnified. How to combine our political personas with other audiences If you're a political candidate looking to reach an important population, Experian audiences are available on-the-shelf of major platforms. For example, if you want to reach unregistered voters and independent voters to influence green initiatives within your community, you can focus on unregistered and moderate personas in the area and combine that with audiences interested in green initiatives, like our GreenAware segments – which predict a consumer’s attitude and point of view on environmental issues. You can use our "Political Unregistered Liberal Leaning", "Liberal Leaning Independents," and GreenAware “Think Greens” audience segments to reach constituents who are likely to be most interested in your message. To reach voters based on their regional voting patterns, you can use our new battleground counties and district audiences: Affiliation Switcher Counties Battleground Counties House Battleground Districts Democrat Counties Republican Counties Independent Counties Add Experian’s audiences to your 2024 election strategy Political advertising spend is projected to surpass $12 billlion in the 2024 election cycle, generating the largest amount of voter outreach in the history of American elections. Experian’s audiences are available on major activation platforms allowing you to strategically reach constituents who would be most impacted and interested in your initiatives. As we approach a cookieless future, Experian’s political personas are cookie resilient. Our data is rooted in both offline and online data that doesn’t rely on third-party cookies. The personas do not rely on an individual’s browsing behavior. Experian can help our partners understand and engage with these political audiences. Over 200 politically relevant Experian audiences are available for activation on-the-shelf of the leading TV, demand, and supply platforms. Here are the platforms where you can find our political audiences: ArcSpan Audigent Cadent Eyeota Magnite Microsoft Nexxen Pandora Permutive Samsung Ads The Trade Desk Verizon Media Viant Videoamp Yieldmo Can’t find the audience you’re looking for or need a custom audience? Connect with our audience team for more information. Connect with our audience team Contact us Latest posts
As audiences shift from linear TV to streaming and digital platforms, measurement is becoming more complex and critical. In 2024, brands that can unify impressions across channels, resolve identity, and connect measurement to business outcomes will gain a significant advantage. Here’s what advertisers and platforms need to know. Why TV measurement is under pressure One name has long stood as the bedrock in TV measurement: Nielsen. Nielsen Nielsen is a leading provider of TV audience measurement and analytics. It is known for its TV rating system, which tracks viewership across various demographics and time slots. Nielsen’s data is used by media companies, advertisers, and broadcasters to understand audience preferences, develop, and plan advertising campaigns, and monitor program performance. Nielsen’s recent global expansion Nielsen has continued to expand its global coverage and now fully represents 100% of TV households in the continental U.S., delivering comprehensive and accurate audience measurement. Through this expansion, Nielsen has remained a go-to resource for domestic and international television analytics. In 2021, Nielsen faced a significant setback when it was stripped of its MRC (Media Rating Council) accreditation, sending shockwaves through the industry. While the accreditation was eventually reinstated in 2023, the incident underscored the need for diversification and alternatives within TV measurement. TV measurement competitor outlook For decades, advertisers and agencies have relied on Nielsen's metrics as the gold standard, a trusted source of data guiding ad spending and campaign strategies. However, recent developments have shaken this foundation, prompting a reevaluation of the TV measurement landscape. One notable trend emerging in TV measurement in 2024 is the increasing interest in alternative measurement providers. As advertisers seek greater transparency, accuracy, and flexibility in measurement, many are exploring options beyond Nielsen. These providers offer distinct advantages and drawbacks, presenting advertisers and agencies with a wealth of options and considerations. Panel-based TV measurement providers Panel-based TV measurement has long been a staple in the industry, relying on representative samples of viewers to extrapolate audience behavior. In 2024, several providers offer panel-based solutions, each with different strengths. Comscore Comscore is a key player in panel-based TV measurement, offering comprehensive audience measurement solutions for both linear and digital television. With its massive panel of opted-in households, Comscore provides advertisers with detailed demographic and behavioral insights, enabling targeted advertising strategies. Comscore recently earned MRC accreditation for total household and average audience measurement in national and local TV reports. Kantar Media Kantar Media offers a range of panel-based TV measurement services, including audience measurement, ad effectiveness measurement, and competitive intelligence. With its global footprint and deep expertise in media analytics, Kantar Media helps advertisers understand audience trends and optimize their media investments. Kantar Media is currently working to create a cross-media measurement panel similar in size to what Nielsen offers. While Kantar Media does not presently operate in the U.S. TV measurement market, it would be a formidable competitor should it move into the arena. ACR-based TV measurement providers Automatic content recognition (ACR) technology has revolutionized TV measurement, allowing for real-time monitoring of content consumption across devices. In 2024, several providers use ACR technology to deliver innovative measurement solutions. iSpot.TV iSpot.TV has emerged as a leading provider of ACR-based TV measurement, using its advanced technology stack to capture and analyze TV ad exposures in real-time. Through its acquisition of 605, iSpot.TV strengthens its position in the market, offering advertisers enhanced audience targeting and attribution capabilities. iSpot.tv’s ad catalog and ad occurrence data are fully accredited by the MRC, which is one of its strongest assets. Watch our Ask the Expert with 605 here Samba TV Samba TV offers a comprehensive ACR-based TV measurement platform, providing advertisers with insights into audience behavior across linear, streaming, and connected TV environments. With its robust data infrastructure and machine learning algorithms, Samba TV enables advertisers to optimize their TV advertising campaigns for maximum impact. Samba has recently partnered with HyphaMetrics to create an alternative panel to compete with others in the market. TVision TVision is a smaller competitor in this group that blends ACR-based TV measurement solutions with a panel-based approach, offering advertisers and networks real-time visibility into viewer engagement and attention metrics. By tracking viewer attention and emotional response, TVision helps advertisers understand the effectiveness of their TV ad campaigns and make data-driven decisions. Four common misconceptions in CTV advertising Advantages of alternative measurement providers As the TV measurement landscape evolves in 2024, alternative providers present compelling advantages over traditional approaches, with three key benefits to consider. Diverse data sources: Alternative providers use a wide array of data sources, including set-top boxes, smart TVs, streaming platforms, and digital devices, offering a more comprehensive view of audience behavior. Granular insights: Many alternative providers offer granular insights into viewer demographics, preferences, and engagement metrics, allowing for more targeted and effective advertising strategies. Real-time analytics: Some providers deliver real-time insights that let advertisers optimize campaigns on the fly and quickly act on emerging trends. Learn how our Digital Graph creates a unified view across TV and digital Challenges with alternative measurement providers Alternative providers face several key challenges that need to be addressed before they are widely adopted. Let's dive into each challenge in more detail. Fragmentation With multiple providers using different methodologies and metrics, achieving standardization and comparability across campaigns can be a daunting task. With the proliferation of over-the-top (OTT) services, the TV measurement landscape has become increasingly complex, with new platforms emerging regularly. While ACR technology has enhanced data collection directly from televisions, the market remains highly fragmented, with many manufacturers (like Vizio, LG, and Samsung) building their own ACR solutions. We've teamed up with both LG and Samsung to make our identity and audience solutions available directly within their platforms, enhancing targeting, activation, and measurement capabilities for advertisers in the CTV space. Data privacy concerns As TV measurement becomes increasingly data-driven, concerns around consumer privacy and data ethics loom large, necessitating robust privacy protocols and compliance measures. We’ve already seen lawsuits around the ACR approach to TV measurement. Education and adoption Shifting away from the familiar territory of Nielsen requires education and buy-in from stakeholders, including advertisers, agencies, and media buyers, which can be a gradual and iterative process. See how we help Optimum Media connect every screen to real results Next steps for an identity graph in TV measurement As the TV measurement landscape trends toward a blend of options instead of singular approaches, the ability to identify and target audiences across platforms is crucial. An identity graph serves as a foundational tool that can enable brands and advertisers to resolve disparate data sources into a unified view of the consumer. Experian’s Digital Graph includes more than 4 billion digital identifiers in the U.S., such as mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), universal IDs, connected TV (CTV) IDs, third-party cookies, and hashed emails (HEMs). Representing 250 million individuals and 275 million CTV IDs, it helps advertisers maintain consumer connections as signals fade. Our ability to merge offline and digital data delivers stronger ID resolution, cross-channel attribution, and clearer insights into audiences across streaming, linear, and digital environments. And because identity is only as powerful as the activation it enables, Experian’s data marketplace makes these audiences directly addressable across TV platforms. Advertisers can seamlessly activate custom audience segments for CTV, streaming, and linear partners – all while maintaining the same identity foundation across planning, targeting, and measurement. As advertisers navigate the complexities of the TV measurement landscape in 2024, combining Experian’s Digital Graph, Offline Graph, and data marketplace will be essential for building effective cross-channel advertising strategies and maximizing ROI. Learn how our Digital Graph strengthened MiQ's Identity Spine How Experian supports TV measurement Experian has been in the TV measurement space for decades and offers flexible attribution reports that can attribute media spend on TV to real actions or outcomes, such as website visits, physical location visits, and online and offline sales. We also have unique data through our automotive and financial databases that can be used for attribution. Through our Consumer Sync solutions, you can elevate your attribution quality to understand the true path to conversion by linking all digital touchpoints to a single person. The next frontier of TV measurement TV measurement in 2024 presents both challenges and opportunities for understanding audience behaviors and preferences. We anticipate a continued migration toward alternative providers as advertisers seek greater flexibility and accuracy in measurement. We expect a fragmented future for TV measurement, where data sources extend beyond traditional giants like Nielsen to include numerous smaller players. Despite the entrenched role of linear TV measurement, advertisers must adapt to a blend of data from diverse sources to navigate the evolving landscape. Read our playbook on how to capture future buyers on FAST At Experian, we have the solutions to help you tackle 2024 marketing trends and make the most of your consumer marketing data. Our Graph enables seamless tracking across devices and channels, allowing us to implement first-touch, last-touch, and multi-touch attribution models with unparalleled accuracy. By harnessing the capabilities of our Graph, our attribution solutions can assign value to every crucial touchpoint in the customer journey, giving you a more holistic and comprehensive view of your campaign performance. Connect with an Experian expert to learn more about how we can help you succeed in your marketing efforts. Connect with us today Latest posts FAQs What is TV measurement? TV measurement is the process of tracking how viewers consume content across linear, streaming, and connected TV (CTV), and connecting those impressions to advertising outcomes. Who is TV measurement designed for? TV measurement is built for advertisers, agencies, media owners, and platforms that need to understand reach, frequency, and ROI across fragmented TV and digital ecosystems. What types of TV measurement solutions exist today? There are panel-based providers (like Nielsen and Comscore), ACR-based providers (like iSpot.TV, Samba TV, and TVision), and hybrid or identity-based approaches that unify signals across channels. How do alternative providers ensure accuracy and performance? Many rely on diverse data sources (set-top boxes, smart TVs, streaming platforms) and identity graphs to improve match rates, reduce duplication, and deliver a more complete view of audiences. Is TV measurement privacy-compliant? Yes. Leading providers, including Experian, build privacy and compliance into their solutions. What makes Experian’s approach different from other providers? Experian uniquely combines offline and digital data within its identity graph, enabling precise ID resolution, cross-channel attribution, and outcome-based measurement that connects media spend to real actions. Where can I learn more or get started? You can explore Experian’s measurement solutions or connect with an Experian expert for a personalized walkthrough.
At Experian, we understand the critical role that audience targeting plays in the success of marketing campaigns. That's why we're excited to share this curated list, aimed at helping agencies and media buyers plan their campaigns and effectively reach their audiences with precision and confidence. What separates Experian's syndicated audiences 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 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. Here's a look at the Experian audiences that were the most popular in Q2 2023. Which ones will you add to your Q2 campaign planning? Our top 10 audiences for Q2 Fitness enthusiast Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Health & Fitness > Fitness Enthusiast In-store high spender on baby products Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Shopping Behavior > Baby Products: In Store High Spenders Has a bachelor’s degree Demographics > Education > Bachelor Degree In-market for an SUV and CUV Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > SUV and CUV In-market for a mid-size truck Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > Mid-Size Truck Homeowner Demographics > Homeowners/Renters > Homeowner In-market for a small, mid-size SUV Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > Small Mid-Size SUV In-market for a full-size truck Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > Full-Size Trucks In-market for a full-size SUV Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > Full-Size SUVs Household income level Demographics > Household Income (HHI) > $75,000+ Our top 5 audiences by vertical Which audience segments were the most popular by advertiser vertical? Advanced TV Household income level Demographics > Household Income (HHI) > $75,000-$99,999 Interested in dogs Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Pets > Dogs (FLA / Fair Lending Friendly)1 Homeowner Demographics > Homeowner/Renter > Homeowner Household income level Demographics > Household Income (HHI) > $100,000-$124,999 Interested in arts and entertainment Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Art and Entertainment > Visual Art and Design (FLA / Fair Lending Friendly) Agency Dog owner Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Pets > Dog Owners Cat owner Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Pets > Cat Owners Active investor Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Investors > Active Investor Mutual fund investor Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Investors > Mutual Fund Investor In-market for a full-size SUV Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-Body Styles > Full-Size SUVs Auto In-market for a new car Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-New/Used > New Car In-market for a used car Autos, Cars and Trucks > In Market-New/Used > Buyer Used In-market for a Honda Autos, Cars And Trucks > In Market-Make And Models > Honda In-market for an auto loan Financial FLA Friendly > In Market Auto Loan In-market for an auto lease Financial FLA Friendly > In Market Auto Lease Did you know? Consumers looking to buy a new vehicle prefer streaming TV, digital newspapers, and email for communication2. By merging our TrueTouchTM engagement channel audiences with our Auto in-market audiences, you can effectively target these consumers through their preferred channels. TrueTouch facilitates personalized advertising campaigns by predicting consumer preferences, ensuring messaging styles align with the right channels and calls to action. By understanding what types of media people prefer, you can match the best way to talk to them with what to offer, using the right channels for personalized ads. No consumer is the same – and you need to engage with them on their terms to successfully market to them. Financial Active in the military Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Occupation > Military – Active In-market for a credit union loan Financial FLA Friendly > In Market Credit Union Loan 40-49 years old Demographics > Ages > 40-49 30-39 years old Demographics > Ages > 30-39 Small business owner Consumer Behaviors > Occupation: Small Business Owners Health 25-29 years old Demographics > Ages > 25-29 30-34 years old Demographics > Ages > 30-34 Weight conscious Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Health & Fitness > Weight Conscious Moms interested in fitness Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Moms, Parents, Families > Fitness Mothers High spenders at vitamin/supplement stores Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Health and Fitness > Vitamins/Supplements: Vitamins/Supplements Retail & CPG Dog owners Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Pets > Dog Owners Cat owners Lifestyle And Interests (Affinity) > Pets > Cat Owners Fitness enthusiast Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Health & Fitness > Fitness Enthusiast Interested in healthy living Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Health & Fitness > Healthy Living High spenders at vitamin/supplement stores Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Health and Fitness > Vitamins/Supplements: Vitamins/Supplements Activate the right audiences with Experian When you choose Experian’s syndicated audiences, you gain access to over 2,400 audiences that span across 15 verticals and categories. These audiences are directly available for activation on over 30 platforms and can be sent to over 200 media platforms. Experian is ranked #1 for data accuracy (as validated by Truthset) and Experian Marketing Data is the foundation for successful targeting, enrichment, and activation. For a full list of Experian's syndicated audiences and activation destinations, download our syndicated audiences guide. Need a custom audience? We can help you build and activate an Experian audience on the platform of your choice. Connect with our audience team Check out other seasonal audiences you can activate today. Contact us Footnotes Fair Lending Act Friendly audiences: “Fair Lending Friendly” indicates data fields that Experian has made available without use of certain demographic attributes that may increase the likelihood of discriminatory practices prohibited by the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”). These excluded attributes include, but may not be limited to, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, disability, handicap, family status, ancestry, sexual orientation, unfavorable military discharge, and gender. Experian’s provision of Fair Lending Friendly indicators does not constitute legal advice or otherwise assure your compliance with the FHA, ECOA, or any other applicable laws. Clients should seek legal advice with respect to your use of data in connection with lending decisions or application and compliance with applicable laws. Experian looked at our Auto and TrueTouch audience data to understand media preference trends over the past year. Latest posts