Performance Marketing Knowledge Pack Files

Targeting Taxonomy — Display & Programmatic

Detailed targeting options, audience segment definitions, and platform-specific capabilities.

Targeting Methods by Platform

Method	GDN	DV360	TTD	Xandr
Contextual (keyword)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Contextual (topic/category)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
In-market audiences	Yes	Yes	Yes (via 3P)	Yes (via 3P)
Affinity audiences	Yes	Yes	Limited	Limited
Custom intent	Yes	Yes (custom affinity)	Similar	Similar
1st party (pixel)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
1st party (CRM)	Via Customer Match	Yes	Yes	Yes
3rd party segments	Limited	Extensive	Extensive	Extensive
Lookalike/Similar	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Geo (country/region/city)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Geo (radius/hyperlocal)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Device	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Day/time	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Placement (domain)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Placement (app)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Deal ID (PMP)	Limited	Yes	Yes	Yes
Programmatic Guaranteed	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Audience Segment Categories

In-Market Audiences (Google Taxonomy)

Users actively researching or planning to purchase in a category. High-intent, lower reach.

Key categories: Autos & Vehicles, Business Services, Consumer Electronics, Education, Financial Services, Home & Garden, Real Estate, Software, Travel.

Example: "In-market for CRM Software" targets users who have recently searched for, compared, or engaged with CRM-related content.

Affinity Audiences

Users with long-term interests, regardless of current purchase intent. Lower-intent, higher reach.

Example: "Technology Enthusiasts" targets users with ongoing tech engagement (news, product reviews, tech forums).

Custom Segments

Build your own audiences based on:

• Keywords — people who search for these terms
• URLs — people who browse sites like these
• Apps — people who use apps like these

Most flexible targeting method. Combine keywords + URLs for tight intent targeting.

Third-Party Data Providers

Provider	Strengths	Coverage	Use Case
Oracle / Grapeshot	Purchase intent, demographics	Global	B2C prospecting
Lotame	Cross-device, data management	Global	Audience unification
Bombora	B2B intent data (surge signals)	Global B2B	B2B display prospecting
Dun & Bradstreet	Firmographics, company data	Global B2B	ABM display campaigns
IRI / NCSolutions	CPG purchase data	US	CPG, retail
Experian	Demographics, financial	US/UK	Financial services, auto

Note: Third-party cookie deprecation reduces effectiveness of behavioral segments. Prioritize contextual, 1st party, and publisher 1st party data.

Retargeting Segment Definitions

Segment	Definition	Window	Priority
Cart abandoner	Added to cart, no purchase	3-7 days	Highest
Product viewer	Viewed product page, no cart	7-14 days	High
Category browser	Viewed category page, no product	14-30 days	Medium
Site visitor	Any page visit, no deep engagement	14-30 days	Lower
Blog reader	Read content, no product pages	30-60 days	Lowest (nurture)
Past purchaser	Completed purchase	30-90 days	Cross-sell/upsell
Lapsed customer	No purchase in >90 days	90-180 days	Re-engagement

Segment Exclusion Rules

Cart abandoner    → exclude: purchasers (7d)
Product viewer    → exclude: cart abandoners, purchasers (7d)
Category browser  → exclude: product viewers, cart abandoners, purchasers (14d)
Site visitor      → exclude: category browsers, product viewers, cart abandoners, purchasers (30d)
Past purchaser    → exclude: recent purchasers (30d), active retargeting segments

Contextual Targeting Strategy

With cookie deprecation, contextual becomes critical for prospecting.

When to Use Contextual vs Audience

Signal	Contextual	Audience
Cookie availability	Works without cookies	Requires cookies or login
Privacy compliance	Fully compliant	Requires consent
Upper funnel	Strong (reach + relevance)	Good (reach, less relevant)
Lower funnel	Weak (no user history)	Strong (retargeting)
Measurement	Harder to attribute	Easier to attribute

Contextual Targeting Methods

1. Keyword contextual — Target pages containing specific keywords. Most precise.
2. Topic/category contextual — Target pages classified under topics. Broader reach.
3. Semantic contextual — AI-classified page meaning, beyond keywords. Most sophisticated.
4. Custom contextual — Combine keywords + topics + exclusions for tight control.

Brand Safety Categories (IAB)

Standard exclusion categories for display campaigns:

Category	Risk	Default Action
Adult content	High	Exclude
Arms & ammunition	High	Exclude
Crime	High	Exclude
Death & injury	High	Exclude
Drugs & alcohol	Medium	Exclude (or restrict)
Hate speech	High	Exclude
Military conflict	Medium	Exclude
Obscenity	High	Exclude
Spam/MFA	High	Exclude
Terrorism	High	Exclude
Sensitive social topics	Medium	Evaluate per brand
News — general	Low	Evaluate per brand
UGC — unmoderated	Medium	Exclude

Creative Size Requirements

Standard Display Banners (IAB)

Size	Name	Priority	Inventory
300x250	Medium Rectangle	Must-have	Highest
320x50	Mobile Leaderboard	Must-have	Very high (mobile)
728x90	Leaderboard	Must-have	High (desktop)
160x600	Wide Skyscraper	Should-have	Medium
300x600	Half Page	Should-have	Medium
336x280	Large Rectangle	Nice-to-have	Medium
970x250	Billboard	Nice-to-have	Lower (premium)
320x480	Mobile Interstitial	Nice-to-have	Medium (mobile)

Minimum set: 300x250 + 728x90 + 320x50 covers ~80% of available inventory.

File Requirements

Spec	Requirement
File size	<150KB (standard), <200KB (rich media)
File type	JPG, PNG, GIF, HTML5
Animation	Max 30 seconds, must stop on last frame
Clickable area	Entire ad must be clickable
Border	1px border required if background matches common site backgrounds