IP addresses have quietly become the backbone of addressable advertising. From connected TV (CTV) to programmatic platforms, they serve as the de facto match key linking devices to households, households to individuals, and individuals to insights. But there’s a hidden cost to that reliance—and it’s adding up fast.
Truthset was recently commissioned by CIMM and Go Addressable to conduct the industry’s first large-scale study on IP linkage accuracy. We benchmarked nearly a billion commercial records from six major data providers against verified IP-to-household data from two ISPs and one MVPD.
The results were eye-opening:
- IP-to-postal linkages are accurate, on average, 13% of the time, and IP-to-email linkages are accurate, on average, 16% of the time.
- Data providers agree only 6.4% of the time on IP-to-postal linkages and 2.8% of the time on IP-to-email linkages, with the large majority of linkages over the same 90-day period unique to each provider.
- Commercial datasets showed 3x more IPs per household than ISPs report
- IPv6 data is underrepresented by 72%, despite comprising over 54% of US traffic
- Timestamp definitions vary wildly, obscuring freshness and accuracy
These issues aren’t just technical. They’re financial. A $1.00 media investment could yield as little as $0.09 in value if built on bad IP data. And when IP errors ripple into email, postal, and demographic layers, the performance loss compounds.
The Accuracy Gap Is a Standardization Problem
At the heart of these inconsistencies lies a familiar industry challenge: the lack of shared standards.
Different vendors define timestamps differently. Some use “first seen,” others “last seen,” and still others rely on batch update flags. IPv6 data, meanwhile, is often excluded or poorly captured, leading to blind spots in reach, measurement, and attribution. Even the basic question of how many IPs are “normal” per household has no universal answer.
Without alignment, marketers can’t confidently compare vendors. Measurement platforms can’t verify performance. And data providers are left optimizing in the dark.
The Solution: Fix What We Can, Together
The good news? These gaps are fixable. And they don’t require overhauling infrastructure or reinventing identity. They just require agreement on what’s “standard.”
Truthset, CIMM, and Go Addressable recommend two simple, high-impact actions that would immediately improve IP data quality:
- Standardize timestamp definitions
Agreeing on what a timestamp means—when a record was collected, updated, or last verified—would increase comparability and data confidence across the board. - Increase transparency around IPv6 data treatment
With IPv6 dominating U.S. internet traffic, providers must clearly disclose whether and how they collect, store, and sell IPv6-based records. That clarity is essential to fair market comparisons and effective campaign planning.
These steps are already under discussion across leading platforms, providers, and publishers. But broader adoption is key. Standardization benefits everyone in the ecosystem, not just the biggest players.
Why It Matters Now
CTV is growing fast. So is scrutiny on media efficiency. In a zero-based budgeting environment, brands can’t afford to blindly trust identifiers that haven’t been independently validated.
This isn’t about finger-pointing or forcing uniformity. It’s about creating a shared language for accuracy, so the entire ecosystem can move faster, spend smarter, and perform better.
Legacy data strategies optimized for volume. But digital-era performance demands precision.
IP addresses aren’t going away. They’re too foundational. But with better standards and greater transparency, they can become assets instead of liabilities. The brands that act now and encourage greater accountability and clarity will be the ones who win in the long run.
It’s time to stop guessing and start standardizing.
Download the full IP Accuracy Study to explore the methodology, findings, and roadmap for reform.