Data Accuracy
Accuracy is the core of data-driven advertising
Data-driven advertising is only as effective as the accuracy of the data it relies on.
Without accuracy
Serve ads to the wrong people
- Serve irrelevant ads
- Waste media spend
- Miss your target audience
With accuracy
Serve ads to the right people
- Every ad is relevant
- No spend is wasted
- Reach your entire target audience
Campaign targeting data isn’t very accurate
Each quarter, Truthset measures the accuracy of demographic attributes and identifiers (like email and postal) for 20+ leading data providers in our Data Collective. Our independent, objective measurements show that consumer data contains up to 60% error.
What we’ve found:
After onboarding, accuracy continues to degrade further on the path to activation.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Truthset helps all parties improve the accuracy of data at each step, to reduce waste and improve performance and ROI.
Why audience data is often inaccurate
Accuracy of data provider demographic attributes and identifiers
The quality of consumer data varies widely, and a single data file can contain records with different levels of accuracy.
When multiple demographic attributes are combined, their error rates can compound, resulting in a higher error rate than individually. This is because being accurate in two or more attributes simultaneously is harder than just one. It’s like a target where the bullseye becomes smaller and smaller, as more attributes are added.
Accuracy of audience segments in data marketplaces
Audience targeting segments available in commonly used marketplaces are typically less accurate than the original data from the data provider. When data is prepared for activation in a media channel, it loses accuracy at each step.
Truthset analyzed more than 100 third-party data provider segments in commonly used data marketplaces. We found that after onboarding, data loses an additional 40% accuracy, on average. For example, a typical data provider audience may be 55% accurate, but after onboarding, it’s only 33% accurate.
How data loses accuracy at each step
Then audiences lose further accuracy during the multiple identity resolution and match processes on their way to media activation, via CDPs, DMPs, DSPs and SSPs. Identity resolution involving IP addresses, cookie IDs and MAIDs especially impact accuracy. The amount of dropoff varies depending on the type of media used; media where users authenticate with an email address has the lowest drop off.
Then audiences lose further accuracy during the multiple identity resolution and match processes on their way to media activation, via CDPs, DMPs, DSPs and SSPs. Identity resolution involving IP addresses, cookie IDs and MAIDs especially impact accuracy. The amount of dropoff varies depending on the type of media used; media where users authenticate with an email address has the lowest drop off.
Too many match processes can result in assigning the wrong attributes to a person, or removing the person from the audience completely because two data sets can’t match different identifiers like email addresses. In our analysis, these are some of the consequences we’ve seen:
39%
of gender targeting budget is misspent
83%
of age segments are inaccurate
73%
of ads targeting African Americans are wasted
How Truthset preserves data accuracy
We validate your data at the source, extend audiences with more validated data, then activate audiences directly in authenticated media.
What’s special about Truthset measurement
Objective
Patented
People
Scaled
How Truthset measures consumer data
Truthset works with 20+ of the top data providers in the Truthset Data Collective to validate the accuracy of their data. Truthset’s patented algorithm evaluates, compares and scores the accuracy of each record and consumer attribute.
We give data providers advanced tools to improve their data, and give brands a higher level of accuracy for effective marketing.
How Truthset improves your ROI
Efficiency
Reduce waste without losing scale
- Less cost to reach targets when all non-target impressions are removed
- Less ad tech tax from removing multiple steps that each have a cost
Effectiveness
Your ad dollar perform better
- Impressions are delivered only to in-target, receptive people.
- All your offers are relevant.
Your data is safe with us
Soc 2 Type 2
Compliant since 2022
Truthset Data Collective
20+ of the world’s largest data providers trust us with their PII
100 % AWS Cloud
- Standard security best practices
- Encryption at rest & in transit
- All events logged, never deleted
- All data stored & accessed in US
- Intrusion detection system
100 % AWS Cloud
- Standard security best practices
- Encryption at rest & in transit
- All events logged, never deleted
- All data stored & accessed in US
- Intrusion detection system
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