Comscore on Thursday, in a partnership with MediaMath, launched a programmatic contextual targeting solution for connected TV (CTV) and video on the open exchange. Speaking with Rachel Gantz, general manager of Activation Solutions at Comscore, on Thursday got me thinking about behavioral targeting and context.

The launch of CTV and video contextual targeting for programmatic exchanges marks a milestone for the television industry as it leaps into cookieless solutions.

Reaching a specific demographic is one thing, but it’s another to have the ability to connect with audiences based on behavior, complete with safeguards for brands and relevant context for viewers across desktop, mobile, and connected TV.

Marketplaces like Amazon have seen dramatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now one wants advertisers to take advantage of the behavioral data from a variety of actions to support a range of media buys.

People have unique interests. Although it is common for marketers to use demographic attributes to reach potential customers, research from Amazon suggests there are more effective options for driving relevance among audiences.

Interactions — from searching to buying — on Amazon translate to billions daily. All are first-party metrics that the company says can help advertisers better understand the audiences that interact with their brands.

Amazon says advertisers can use these behavioral signals to drive consideration for their products “among audiences that have regularly demonstrated shopping behaviors reflective of broad interest groups, like ‘deal seekers.’”

This is not just about search, but about using behavioral signals for over-the-top and out-stream video ads.

Amazon Advertising measured possible success by comparing 28 OTT ad campaigns that fell into three categories based on their audiences: demographics only, demographics and behavioral signals, and behavioral signals only.

What Amazon found

Brands that leveraged Amazon Advertising’s behavioral signals saw an increase in consideration — which refers to the total customers who visited brand detail pages on Amazon — compared with those that reached audiences based on demographic attributes alone.

OTT video ad campaigns that leveraged both demographic attributes and behavioral signals saw a 38% lift in consideration.

OTT video ad campaigns that exclusively leveraged behavioral signals drove a 44% increase in consideration compared to those that used demographic attributes, according to the findings.

Amazon says relying on demographics provides a one-dimensional view of audiences.

Taking first-party data from Amazon, where people search, listen to music, watch videos, and buy products and groceries gives brands a well-rounded view. Then match that with contextual targeting.