The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) is set to launch Audience Unlimited, a major upgrade to its third-party data marketplace designed to make audience targeting more precise, accessible, and cost-efficient for advertisers. The platform leverages AI to score data segments for relevance, allowing brands to deploy multiple trusted data sources at a consistent, inclusive cost—removing traditional barriers like unpredictable pricing and integration complexity.
Turning Third-Party Data into a Growth Engine
Third-party data has long been essential for advertisers seeking precision targeting, yet cost concerns and complexity have limited adoption. Advertisers typically spend nearly 20% of media budgets on third-party data, often without confidence in its effectiveness. Audience Unlimited aims to solve these challenges by providing AI-driven recommendations across thousands of curated segments from hundreds of privacy-conscious providers.
Samantha Jacobson, Chief Strategy Officer at The Trade Desk, explained: “By securing bulk pricing for data and leveraging AI to assess relevance, advertisers can now layer in as much data as needed to optimize performance—without the friction of traditional marketplaces.”
Introducing Koa Adaptive Trading Modes
To maximize Audience Unlimited’s potential, The Trade Desk is rolling out Koa Adaptive Trading Modes, offering two distinct AI-powered options for campaign management:
- Performance Mode: Koa acts as a co-pilot, dynamically optimizing bids and allocations to maximize efficiency. Advertisers retain full transparency and control over strategy, with AI continuously identifying opportunities across Audience Unlimited, Predictive Clearing, Identity Alliance, Prism, and free measurement tools.
- Control Mode: Advertisers manually manage bids and optimizations while receiving AI-driven recommendations. Features and data are available a la carte, giving teams flexibility to meet strict campaign requirements.
In Performance Mode, Audience Unlimited is included at no additional cost. In Control Mode, tiered rates of 3.3% and 4.4% of impression costs apply, with traditional a la carte pricing still available for those who prefer it.
Industry Impact and Expert Views
Michael Beebe, CEO of Dstillery, called the launch “a fundamental shift in how advertisers approach targeting,” emphasizing that AI-powered audience selection transforms third-party data from an afterthought into a core performance driver. Anne Acker, SVP at LiveRamp, added that the solution “paves the way for the future of media buying, taking the guesswork out of finding high-quality segments.”
Audience Unlimited and Koa Adaptive Trading Modes will roll out for select agencies on The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform in late 2025, with general availability expected in early 2026. The launch positions The Trade Desk at the forefront of AI-driven audience activation, streamlining data integration while improving campaign outcomes for digital advertisers.
