Travel agency? Target dentists

RTB is here to stay: 20 percent of all display impression purchases were made in real time. Quantcast, which got its start as a tool to provide publishers with rich audience data, discussed how to make RTB more efficient at the Digiday Agency Summit. The key is to follow three simple rules:

  • You need a lot of data to be able to differentiate the signal of real viewer intent from the noise of online activity.
  • You can only sift through these piles of data with smart models, algorithms that know what to look for and how to look for it.
  • You must be able to activate the resulting insights at auctions in real time.

Quantcast, while working for a travel industry client, noticed that its models were targeting dentists. This unorthodox connection became clear once Quantcast dug a little deeper and realized that not only are dentists “planners” by nature, but they were preparing for a large dental convention by making travel arrangements. With enough data and good modeling, Quantcast was able to detect this trend and take advantage of it when making real-time bids.

See the full video below:

More from Digiday

Digiday’s comprehensive guide to what’s in and out for publishers in 2026

Adaptability stopped being a nice-to-have for publishers years ago; it became a survival skill. Here’s a look at Digiday’s guide to what’s in and out for 2026.

How marketers rank this year’s generative AI image, video tools

Digiday’s 2025 agency generative AI report card explores the winners and losers of the generative AI landscape.

In memoriam: Brands we lost in 2025

Digiday Media staff rounded up some of the most notable brand names we lost in 2025, like Joann and Rite Aid.