Targeting

Targeting

AdCP’s targeting philosophy centers on brief-based targeting where targeting requirements are communicated through natural language briefs, and publishers return products that include all necessary targeting capabilities.

Core Principle: Targeting Through Briefs

The primary way to specify targeting in AdCP is through campaign briefs. Instead of configuring complex targeting parameters, buyers describe their audience requirements in plain language:

{
  "brief": "We want to reach millennial parents (ages 25-40) in major US metro areas who are interested in sustainable products. Focus on mobile and desktop during evening hours when families are planning purchases."
}

Publishers then return products that include the targeting capabilities to reach this audience, with targeting costs built into the media pricing.

Why Brief-Based Targeting?

Eliminates Targeting Conflicts

• Single source: All targeting comes from the publisher’s product definition
• No layering conflicts: Avoids multiple targeting systems competing
• Pricing consistency: Targeting costs are transparent and included in media prices

Simplifies Implementation

• Natural language: Buyers describe needs in familiar terms
• Publisher expertise: Publishers know their inventory and audience capabilities best
• Reduced complexity: No need to learn platform-specific targeting syntax

Enables Accurate Pricing

• Inclusive pricing: All targeting costs are built into the product price
• No surprises: Buyers know the complete cost upfront
• Market-driven: Pricing reflects true market value of targeted inventory

Real-Time Decisioning with AXE

For advanced, real-time targeting needs, buyers can layer additional targeting through the Agentic eXecution Engine (AXE):

• Complements base targeting: Works alongside publisher-defined targeting
• Real-time decisions: Dynamic audience selection based on live data
• Avoids conflicts: Designed to work within publisher targeting constraints
• Premium capability: Advanced targeting for sophisticated campaigns

How Publishers Include Targeting

Publishers incorporate targeting capabilities directly into their product definitions:

Geographic Targeting

Products specify geographic coverage:

"Chicago metro premium display package" 
"US national mobile video inventory"
"California lifestyle sites network"

Demographic Targeting

Audience characteristics are built into products:

"Millennial-focused social media placements"
"Premium business professional network"
"Family-oriented content sites"

Contextual Targeting

Content alignment is inherent in product descriptions:

"Sports content premium video inventory"
"Financial news site network"
"Entertainment property display package"

Device & Platform Targeting

Technical specifications included in product format:

"Mobile-optimized video formats"
"Connected TV premium inventory"
"Desktop display network"

Brief Examples for Common Targeting Needs

Geographic Targeting

{
  "brief": "Target users in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago metro areas with premium display advertising for our luxury retail brand."
}

Demographic Targeting

{
  "brief": "Reach parents with children under 10 who are interested in educational content, focusing on weekend and evening viewing times."
}

Contextual Targeting

{
  "brief": "Place financial services ads adjacent to business and investment content, targeting affluent professionals during business hours."
}

Behavioral Targeting

{
  "brief": "Target users who have shown interest in sustainable products and eco-friendly brands, particularly those researching major purchases."
}

Product Response Targeting Information

When publishers return products, they include targeting information buyers need:

{
  "product_id": "premium_millennial_mobile",
  "name": "Premium Millennial Mobile Package",
  "description": "Mobile display inventory targeting millennials (25-40) across lifestyle and entertainment apps in top 25 US markets",
  "targeting_description": "Ages 25-40, household income $50K+, interests in lifestyle/entertainment, mobile apps only, top 25 US metro areas",
  "audience_size": "~2.5M monthly unique users",
  "pricing": {
    "cpm": 8.50,
    "targeting_included": true
  }
}

When to Use Targeting Overlays

Targeting overlays in create_media_buy and update_media_buy are rare and should only be used for:

Geographic Restrictions

Use geo fields only for:

• RCT testing: Randomized control trials requiring specific geographic splits
• Regulatory compliance: Legal requirements for geographic restrictions
• Product refinement: When a product spans multiple regions and you need to restrict to a subset

Available fields:

• geo_country_any_of: ISO country codes
• geo_region_any_of: State/region identifiers
• geo_metro_any_of: DMA codes (not all publishers support metro-level targeting)
• geo_postal_code_any_of: ZIP/postal codes (not all publishers support postal-level targeting)

Note: Not all geographic granularities are supported by all publishers. Country and region are most widely supported.

Frequency Capping

Basic impression suppression controls:

{
  "targeting_overlay": {
    "frequency_cap": {
      "suppress_minutes": 60  // Suppress for 60 minutes after impression
    }
  }
}

Example Geographic Overlay (RCT Testing)

{
  "packages": [
    {
      "buyer_ref": "test_group_a",
      "product_id": "national_video",
      "targeting_overlay": {
        "geo_metro_any_of": ["501", "602", "803"]  // Test DMAs
      }
    },
    {
      "buyer_ref": "test_group_b",
      "product_id": "national_video",
      "targeting_overlay": {
        "geo_metro_any_of": ["504", "505", "506"]  // Control DMAs
      }
    }
  ]
}

What NOT to Use Targeting Overlays For

Express these in briefs instead:

• Demographics (age, gender) - “Target adults 25-54” in brief text
• Device types - “Mobile users” or “CTV viewers” in brief text
• Browser/OS - Rarely relevant; mention in brief if truly needed
• Content categories - “Sports content” or “News sites” in brief text
• Audience segments - “Auto intenders” or “Luxury shoppers” in brief text
• Operating systems and browsers - Mention in brief if needed
• Language preferences - “Spanish language content” in brief text
• Daypart preferences - “Morning commute hours” or “prime time evening” in brief text

Why briefs work better:

• Natural language captures intent more clearly
• Publishers know their inventory and can target effectively
• Avoids channel-specific complexity (DOOH has no browsers)
• Simpler API with fewer edge cases

Available Targeting Overlay Parameters

All targeting parameters use the any_of operator pattern for inclusive targeting.

geo_country_any_of

• Description: Restrict delivery to specific countries
• Format: ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes
• Examples: ["US", "CA"], ["GB", "FR", "DE"]
• Use cases: Regulatory compliance, country-specific campaigns

geo_region_any_of

• Description: Restrict delivery to specific regions/states
• Format: Region codes (interpretation depends on country)
• Examples: ["NY", "CA"], ["ON", "BC"]
• Use cases: State-level compliance, regional testing
• Note: Not all publishers support all region formats

geo_metro_any_of

• Description: Restrict delivery to specific metro areas
• Format: DMA codes (US) or metro identifiers
• Examples: ["501", "803"] (New York, Los Angeles DMAs)
• Use cases: Local campaigns, metro-level RCT testing
• Note: Not all publishers support metro-level targeting

geo_postal_code_any_of

• Description: Restrict delivery to specific postal/ZIP codes
• Format: Country-specific postal codes
• Examples: ["10001", "10002"], ["90210"]
• Use cases: Hyper-local campaigns, ZIP-level restrictions
• Note: Not all publishers support postal-level targeting

axe_include_segment

• Description: AXE segment ID to include for targeting
• Format: String segment identifier
• Examples: "x8dj3k", "segment_auto_intenders_2024"
• Use cases: Advanced audience targeting with Agentic eXecution Engine (AXE)

axe_exclude_segment

• Description: AXE segment ID to exclude from targeting
• Format: String segment identifier
• Examples: "x9m2p", "segment_existing_customers"
• Use cases: Exclusion targeting with Agentic eXecution Engine (AXE)

frequency_cap

• Description: Limit ad exposure frequency per user
• Format: Frequency cap object with impressions, duration, and scope
• Use cases: Brand safety, user experience management
• Example: {"impressions": 5, "duration_seconds": 86400, "scope": "creative"}

Benefits for Different Stakeholders

For Buyers

• Simpler planning: Describe audience needs naturally
• Transparent pricing: All costs included upfront
• Reduced complexity: No targeting configuration required
• Better outcomes: Publisher expertise optimizes delivery

For Publishers

• Pricing control: Bundle targeting into product pricing
• Expertise utilization: Apply knowledge of inventory and audiences
• Simplified integration: Fewer technical targeting parameters
• Market positioning: Differentiate through targeting capabilities

For Platforms

• Reduced conflicts: Single targeting source eliminates layering issues
• Cleaner implementation: Less complex targeting logic required
• Better performance: Optimized for publisher inventory characteristics

Real-Time Targeting Signals

Orchestrators can provide real-time targeting signals to publishers for dynamic, high-cardinality targeting beyond what can be expressed in static overlays. These signals enable:

• Brand safety - Real-time content filtering and adjacency controls
• Brand suitability - Contextual alignment with brand values
• Audience targeting - Dynamic audience segments updated in real-time
• Contextual targeting - Page-level or moment-level targeting decisions

Real-time signals are provided through the AdCP Signals Protocol, which allows orchestrators to supply targeting data at impression time.

Key Differences: Signals vs Overlays

• Signals are evaluated at impression time, not campaign setup
• Signals support higher cardinality (thousands of values vs. dozens)
• Signals can be updated continuously without modifying the media buy
• Signals enable sophisticated contextual targeting that briefs cannot express

When to Use Real-Time Signals

✅ Use Real-Time Signals For:

• Brand safety filtering (block unsafe content)
• Brand suitability scoring (prefer suitable contexts)
• Dynamic audience targeting (real-time segment membership)
• Contextual targeting (page-level or moment-level decisions)
• High-cardinality targeting (thousands of values)
• Targeting that changes during campaign flight

Implementation Requirements

Publishers MUST:

1. Support Geographic Targeting: Handle all four geographic parameters (country, region, metro, postal) to the extent your platform supports them
2. Interpret Briefs: Use briefs to determine appropriate audience and content targeting
3. Validate Targeting: Reject media buys with targeting that cannot be supported
4. Document Limitations: Clearly communicate any geographic targeting limitations in product descriptions

Buyers SHOULD:

1. Use Briefs First: Express most targeting needs in natural language briefs
2. Minimize Overlays: Only use technical targeting for geographic restrictions or RCT testing
3. Trust Publishers: Let publishers apply their inventory knowledge to brief interpretation
4. Validate Early: Check product capabilities before applying technical targeting

Best Practices

1. Default to briefs - Start with natural language descriptions
2. Write Clear Briefs: Be specific about audience and context requirements
3. Trust Publisher Expertise: Publishers know their inventory capabilities best
4. Use signals for dynamic targeting - Real-time signals handle complex, high-cardinality targeting better than overlays
5. Minimize Technical Overlays: Use only for geographic restrictions or compliance
6. Validate Audience Fit: Ensure product descriptions match campaign goals
7. Inclusive pricing - Expect targeting costs to be built into product rates

Future Evolution

• Enhanced Brief Processing: More sophisticated natural language understanding
• Audience Discovery: Better tools for exploring available audiences
• Deeper Signal Integration: More sophisticated real-time targeting capabilities
• Performance Optimization: AI-driven audience refinement based on campaign results

Related Documentation

• Signals Protocol - Real-time targeting signals for brand safety and contextual targeting
• Product Discovery - How briefs lead to targeted product recommendations
• Example Briefs - Real examples of effective targeting briefs
• Policy Compliance - Automated compliance checking and enforcement