CES 2025 will be an exciting opportunity to explore how we can work together to shape the year ahead. Here are four themes we expect to take center stage at the event.
“There is no better way to kick off the calendar year than with clients and industry peers that are excited to collaborate on new business opportunities. People come straight off the holidays energized by CES and with a pipeline of deals to work on for the coming month. In-person meetings always trump virtual calls and everyone in the industry comes together to make it a fruitful week.”
Crystal Jacques, Head of Enterprise Partnerships
1. Addressability in a signal-loss world
Addressability has become a cornerstone in AdTech as brands aim to deliver personalized experiences while navigating evolving privacy regulations and signal loss. This shift has prompted advertisers to rethink how they reach and engage audiences. In this environment, alternative identifiers such as UID2 and ID5 have gained traction, offering brands new avenues to target consumers across platforms while respecting privacy. Addressability has shifted from a straightforward tracking mechanism to a multifaceted strategy that combines identity solutions, contextual insights, and collaboration across the ecosystem.
ID Bridging and the new OpenRTB 2.6 specs
As the industry loses identity signals, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify audiences on the supply-side and make them reachable for the demand-side.
The supply-side has used the practice of ID bridging to do just that. ID bridging is the supply-side practice of connecting the dots between available signals to infer a user’s identity and communicate it to prospective buyers. This practicesparked debate, as buyers want full transparency into the use of a deterministic identifier versus an inferred one.
“The OpenRTB 2.6 specifications are a critical step forward in ensuring transparency and trust in programmatic advertising. By aligning with these standards, we empower our partners with the tools needed to navigate a cookieless future and drive measurable results.”
Michael Connolly, CEO, Sonobi
The industry needs widely accepted standards, and that’s what we believe the industry has with the IAB Tech Lab’s OpenRTB 2.6. The specifications dictate the data the supply-side needs to include in the Primary ID and Enhanced Identifier (EID) fields. In doing so, the demand-side receives more transparent information on when bids have inferred IDs and where they came from.
As authenticated signals decrease due to cookie deprecation and other consumer privacy measures, we will continue to see a rise in inferred identifiers. Experian’s industry-leading Digital Graph has long supported both authenticated and inferred identifiers, providing the ecosystem with connections that are accurate, scalable, and addressable. Experian will continue to support the industry with its identity resolution products and is very supportive of IAB’s efforts to bring transparency to the industry around the usage of identity signals.
2. Commerce media consolidation
As the world of commerce media expands beyond traditional retail media, we’re seeing a surge of networks across various verticals—financial, travel, and beyond—all competing to capture shoppers’ attention. With each company independently building its own media network, the need for strategic partnerships has never been more evident. Key players face challenges in scaling these networks and meeting growth targets due to infrastructure and funding limitations. In response, the industry is shifting toward partnerships – and potentially consolidation – to create networks that allow advertisers to reach customers across the entire shopping journey – from digital to in-store.
To succeed, commerce media networks must form strategic partnerships to enhance their data and identity capabilities and provide advertisers with a complete view of their customer.
“With annual growth in billions of dollars, the revenue potential for RMNs is massive. Organizing customer data, segmenting customers, generating insights, creating addressable audiences, and activating campaigns are all critical steps for a RMN to realize that revenue potential. RMNs should select a partner that provides the data, identity and analytical resources to create the winning formula for marketers, customers and retailers.”
Steve Zimmerman, Director of Analytics
With Experian’s expertise in data and identity solutions, commerce media networks can overcome data fragmentation, create high-quality audiences, and maximize addressability across their entire customer base. This collaborative, partner-led approach empowers retailers to utilize their first-party customer data but not be limited by in-house resources. As the commerce media space matures, those who embrace these partnerships and data-driven solutions will be well-positioned to capture the full potential of this expanding market.
3. Navigating complex privacy regulations
With privacy concerns intensifying, consumers are more conscious about data usage, and a series of state-level privacy laws are poised to take effect across the U.S. Multiple state-level laws makes compliance more challenging for marketers since no two laws are the same. While a federal privacy law remains unlikely for 2025, discussions around data ethics, compliance, and transparency will be prominent at CES, especially as a new administration assumes office.
Our privacy-forward audience solutions
Our Geo-Indexed and Contextually-Indexed Audiences help marketers reach the right consumers while prioritizing data privacy. Created without sensitive personal information, these audiences utilize geographic and contextual signals – not personal identifiers — to offer relevant targeting. These new tools provide both privacy and accuracy, giving advertisers and publishers a competitive edge.
“By embracing innovations in geo-based targeting and adhering to responsible data strategies, you can not only comply with these laws but continue to reach your intended audiences effectively.”
Jeremy Meade, VP, Marketing Data & Operations
As privacy regulations evolve, marketers need trusted allies who can provide transparent, compliant solutions. With deep roots in data protection and security, you can confidently partner with Experian as we proactively stay ahead of regulations and strictly follow all consumer privacy laws.
4. Rise of curation
As privacy regulations and signal loss reshape the AdTech ecosystem, curation can optimize programmatic campaigns by connecting advertisers with valuable audiences. This emerging trend utilizes audience, contextual, and supply chain signals to curate high-quality inventory packages for advertisers. By blending insights with inventory, curation ensures greater addressability, efficiency, and performance for both advertisers and publishers.
Supply-side platforms (SSPs) are taking a more active role in curating audiences and inventory. SSPs now collaborate with data providers to match buyer and publisher first-party data in real-time, creating curated private marketplaces (PMPs) that deliver transparency, efficiency, and improved match rates. SSPs can send deal IDs to multiple DSPs, which allows advertisers to deploy audience-based campaigns without restrictions on which DSPs or identifiers can be used.
However, curation isn’t without challenges. It can add complexity, lead to redundant buys, and even reduce publisher control over inventory. Transparency, quality benchmarks, and strategic partnerships will be critical for maximizing the benefits of curation in 2025.
Experian, in partnership with Audigent and others, is at the forefront of enabling privacy-forward curation strategies. Experian and Audigent’s combined capabilities bring together first-party publisher data, contextual signals, and advanced identity resolution to create curated PMPs that empower marketers to deliver precise, impactful campaigns.
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2013 has been a milestone year for those lobbying on behalf of expanded rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Americans. With 12 states and the District of Columbia now formally recognizing same sex marriages and two highly anticipated rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court expected shortly, the momentum is currently on the side of those seeking greater recognition and support of LGBT-related issues. The speed with which public attitudes have shifted towards greater acceptance of LGBT individuals and their causes has left many marketers scrambling to devise plans that are not only inclusive of LGBT consumers, but in many instances, designed to overtly and publically court this influential and growing consumer segment. The 2013 LGBT consumer report out from Experian Marketing Services delivers insights marketers need to better understand the market that is on everyone’s radar. In this first of a series of blog posts, we’ll highlight key data from the report. Readers can download the full report at any time here. Living out Loud In 2006, when Experian Marketing Services first began measuring sexual orientation among respondents to our Simmons® National Consumer Study, we found that 3.4% of all non-Hispanic adults self-identified as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT), a figure consistent with what leading LGBT researchers predicted at the time. However today, 4.3% of the non-Hispanic adult population self-identifies as LGBT, a figure that has risen slowly but steadily year-after-year. Younger adults have consistently been more likely to identify as LGBT, and in fact today, 5.8 percent of 18 to 34 year olds say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. As a result, the adult LGBT population predictably skews towards the younger age cohorts. Specifically, 36% of LGBT adults today are aged 18 to 34 versus 26% of the heterosexual population in that age range. Likewise, while 20% of heterosexual adults are age 65 and older, just 16% of LGBT adults are in this age range, though our data shows that the share of adults age 65 and older identifying as LGBT has also risen. Home and Family As a growing number of U.S. states pass laws recognizing same-sex marriages and civil unions, we see an increasing percentage of gay and lesbian Americans reporting that they are married. In 2007, for example, when only Massachusetts allowed same-sex marriage, 8% of gay men and 14% of lesbian women said they were married. Today, 17% of gay men and 16% of lesbian women are married. Marriage rates among lesbian and gay adults still lag well behind those of heterosexuals, but the gap is closing from both sides. In fact, while marriage rates are rising among lesbians and gays, they’re falling among heterosexuals. Today, 58% of heterosexual men and 53% of heterosexual women are married, compared to 60% of heterosexual men and 55% of heterosexual women who were married in 2007. The Pink Dollar Income levels are important to consider when targeting consumers, but more important is determining the amount of money left over for non-essentials after the other bills are paid. Despite earning nearly identical salaries, gay men have lower annual household discretionary expenditures than heterosexual men. Likewise, lesbian households have fewer dollars than those of heterosexual women to spend on non-essentials. This is mostly likely due to the fact that both lesbian and gay adults tend to reside in larger cities where the cost of living can be considerably higher than average. Interestingly, when household size is brought into the equation, we see that gay males actually have higher discretionary spending per capita than heterosexual men. In fact, gay men live in households that devote $6,794 per capita annually to non-essentials, which is $753 more than what heterosexual men spend. Forthcoming posts from this series will include insights into the automotive and food vertical markets; the mobile habits of LGBT consumers; and an examination of online visitors to LGBT content sites. Don’t want to wait? Download the full report now. Also, learn more about the Simmons LGBT Consumer Study, the only syndicated, national probability sample survey that measures the lifestyles, attitudes, media habits and brand preferences of the LGBT population giving marketers actionable insights into this powerful consumer segment that can be directly compared with those of heterosexuals.
The importance of affiliate marketing as a marketing channel is evident; it ranks as one of the most effective marketing channels for retailers, along with paid search and e-mail. While effective affiliate marketing relies on two groups, the publishers (affiliates) who display advertisements online and the advertisers (merchants) who aim to increase sales for their online shop, incorporating insights from Experian Marketing Services’ Hitwise can strengthen affiliate programs. I recently worked with Rakuten LinkShare on a webinar which highlights how their affiliate marketing services partnered with Hitwise create a proven package for success by providing valuable and actionable insights to affiliate marketers in understanding and targeting key consumer segments. Identify sites sending traffic to your category For our case study, we examined a custom category of Rakuten LinkShare department store clients and compared them with a category of department store non-clients. Using Hitwise, we examined which publisher sites sent traffic to each of the categories in order to identify the best affiliates to partner with. Among the top 20 publisher websites, a number of fashion and style content websites were sources of traffic to LinkShare Department store clients. Fashion and trend focused affiliate sites, namely ShopStyle and Polyvore, pointed to clear fashion editorial interest amongst those who visited LinkShare department store clients. Consider search terms used to capture consumer interest and intent Next, we looked at generic terms that sent traffic to affiliate site ShopStyle. Terms included searches for products sold in department stores such as variations of “heels” and “dresses”. The data indicates that ShopStyle is a good candidate to partner with because it attracted visits from those who are interested in fashion, looking for a deal, and who are likely in-market for specific products. Monitor effectiveness of affiliate programs and make timely decisions Hitwise can also be used by marketers to evaluate the effectiveness of their affiliate partnerships. For this example, we were able to show that Rakuten LinkShare affiliates sent a larger share of traffic to department store clients versus non-clients, pointing to a clear benefit from affiliate partnerships. As affiliate marketing is an increasingly critical channel for marketers, the importance of selecting the best and most relevant publishers is clear. When used in conjunction with affiliate marketing programs, Hitwise enables marketers to understand competitors’ online distribution and sources of traffic, select the best affiliates to partner with, and quantify the return on investment from partnerships.
New data from Experian Marketing Services’ Simmons® ConnectSM mobile and digital panel sheds light on the way smartphone users spend time using their phone, with the average adult clocking 58 minutes daily on their device. On average, smartphone owners devote 26% of the time they spend on their phone talking and another 20% texting. Social networking eats up 16% of smartphone time while browsing the mobile web accounts for 14% of time spent. Emailing and playing games account for roughly 9% and 8% of daily smartphone time, respectively, while use of the phone’s camera and GPS each take up another 2% of our smartphone day. *Activities include use of a smartphone’s native features dedicated to each activity as well as downloaded apps whose primary function falls under the given activity. For instance, “watch video” includes the act of watching video on the smartphone’s native video player as well as use of video apps such as YouTube, Netflix, etc. iPhone versus Android users Smartphone users may constantly debate which operating system is supreme, but we see clear differences between the ways consumers use their phone depending on the operating system that runs it. For starters, iPhone users spend an hour and fifteen minutes using their phones per day, a full 26 minutes more than the typical Android phone owner. Additionally, iPhone and Android smartphone owners use their phones in markedly different ways. For instance, 28% of the time that Android users spend using their phones is dedicated to talking, whereas iPhone users spend only 22% of their smartphone time talking on the device. Android owners also devote a greater share of time visiting websites on their phone than iPhone owners. On the other hand, iPhone owners spend a disproportionately greater share of smartphone time than Android owners texting, emailing, using the camera and social networking. Note on time spent It may surprise some to read that an activity like watching video accounts for such a small share (less than 1%) of the typical adult’s daily smartphone use. However, for the charts above to sum to a single daily total it was necessary to calculate individual activity contribution using a base of all smartphone owners, including those who don’t spend any time engaging in a given activity during a typical day. The chart below provides additional insights into the time spent engaging in the major smartphone activities examining only those individuals who engaged in each activity during a 24-hour period. I’ve also added into the chart a reach and frequency metric to indicate the popularity of each activity and the number of times per day that individuals engage in them. In the chart, the activities with the largest bubbles are those in which the greatest share of smartphone owners engage during a typical day and include the usual suspects: talking (79%), texting (76%), visiting websites (62%), emailing (61%) and social networking (52%). Activities with the fewest daily participants are: watching video, which 2.3% of smartphone owners do during a typical day, and reading, which just 0.5% of smartphone owners do daily. Given that nearly 98% of smartphone users don’t watch videos on their phone during a typical day, it’s easier to understand why video comprises such a low share of the average adult’s daily smartphone use. However, the chart above reveals that those who do watch video on their phone spend, on average, 5 minutes a day watching videos spread out over 4.2 different viewing sessions. For more information on consumers’ usage of smartphones, digital tablets, computers and other traditional and digital media platforms, check out Simmons Connect.