Hearst puts its audience data to work - through Amazon

"The test is still in early stages, and Hearst's svp of ad product and data Jen Dorre, offered only limited detail last week at the Digiday Publishing Summit in Miami. Still, the early signs are promising. When advertisers buy Hearst ad inventory through the Amazon DSP, Dorre's team is seeing noticeably stronger completion and click-through rates compared to other buys."

"Those gains stem from a deeper integration between AURA, Hearst's AI-driven audience tool, and Amazon's clean room product for publishers, the Amazon Publisher Cloud. Here's how it works: AURA builds audience segments by combining behavioral signals from browsing habits with contextual cues from the content readers consume. Until the summer, these segments were only available via Hearst's direct sales team. Now, under the new partnership, advertisers can access them through the Amazon DSP."

Hearst integrated its AI-driven audience tool AURA with Amazon's Publisher Cloud clean-room so advertisers can buy Hearst audience segments through the Amazon DSP. AURA builds segments by combining behavioral browsing signals with contextual cues from consumed content. Early tests show stronger completion and click-through rates for Hearst inventory bought via the DSP, offering a directional read on audience performance. Individual identities remain hidden; only aggregated audience interests are exposed. Hearst controls audience granularity, limits access to private marketplace deals, and explores ways to protect anonymity while providing advertisers more targeting precision.

Read at Digiday