For some media agency executives, it’s the “future of targeting.” Others say it’s a theory that will only get you so far. Though the case studies remain unwritten, agencies like WPP are already running early-stage vector-based targeting solutions in key markets, including the U.S., while peers at Dentsu see it as the natural next step for contextual targeting.“It’s becoming more widespread,” said Alex Steer, chief data officer, WPP data & technology solutions. “We expect to see it growing.”
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Vector-based targeting uses similar ideas to those underpinning lookalike or contextual targeting. It refers to the practice of finding an audience based on a combination of several different pieces of information, like the different “dimensions” to a coordinate, rather than targeting using keywords.
The relevant data could include anything from geographic information, viewing history or propensity to purchase. It’s translated into numeric form by an agency and packaged together in a “vector embedding,” a file that can be read by a computer model operated by an SSP or ad tech partner on the supply-side of the programmatic pipeline.
“Instead of me giving you one data point, I’m giving you a recipe that’s based on all of my data,” explained Steer.
