Targeting Verification profiles the accuracy of a tactic or campaign in reaching a demographic or behavioral trait as a percentage, called the % In-Cut. This profile is available across all TV and digital channels, as well as cross-channel, and is updated daily. 

Most campaigns are intended to reach personas that are more specific to a brand than age and gender, which is why Targeting Verification includes all of the demographic and behavioral traits being targeted. Advertisers and publishers use Targeting Verification to ensure campaigns and media tactics are reaching the desired audiences, and to make adjustments mid-flight.

By hovering over any % In-Cut, you will see a confidence interval for that measurement. You can be 95% confident that the % In-Cut is within this range. That means that, if you were to look at 100 cuts, the true % In-Cut would be within this range in at least 95 of the 100 cuts. As more data is collected, this range will narrow, and the measurement will grow more precise.

You can compare this percentage to the Overall Campaign and to the Census Baseline:

• Overall Campaign: The percentage of persons in the campaign as a whole with a targeted trait. By comparing a tactic's % In-Cut with the Overall Campaign, you can see whether a tactic's targeting accuracy is currently above-average or below-average for a campaign. This makes it a good comparison for making optimization decisions. Be sure to compare the Overall Campaign to the full confidence interval of the tactic's % In-Cut.

• Census Baseline: The percentage of persons in the general population with a trait, as well as the 95% confidence interval for this percentage. By comparing a tactic's % In-Cut with the Census Baseline, you can compare the targeting accuracy of this tactic to what you would expect by targeting people randomly. Sometimes a % In-Cut for a niche audience can appear small, but the Census Baseline shows that the tactic is actually over-indexing relative to the general population by a lot. This Census Baseline is calculated for each campaign, and typically grows more precise as the campaign proceeds.

Targeting Verification uses self-reported data from interviews, as well as third party data, such as device and location data. 

The Upwave digital network, because it does not use cash-incentivized panelists, has a small demographic skew relative to the census. Upwave monitors this skew on a quarterly basis and updates sample weights accordingly to correct for it.