Ad Targeting 2018: Households, Individuals or Both? Why a Blended Approach Is Often the Answer

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This reports looks at how marketers are targeting ads to households and individuals. It also examines how marketers are increasingly using both forms of targeting to deliver on larger cross-device and customer journey objectives. Finally, it includes a marketer’s checklist of questions for vetting identity and ad targeting vendors to ensure their data is accurate and compatible. The household is often the central focus of ad targeting efforts for companies selling items that are shared by household members or products and services centered around life events (such as buying a new home or sending a child to college). For some marketers, lack of individual-level data may also necessitate a primary focus on households. This is often the case for consumer packaged goods (CPGs) companies lacking direct-to-consumer relationships—and data. Those leaning heavily on channels organically targeted at households, such as television and direct mail, also tend to focus here.