Most CTV targeting isn’t exclusive. Multiple advertisers buy the same behavioral segments, target the same zip codes, reach the same households. You’re competing with competitors for your own audience at auction.
It doesn’t have to work that way.
The Standard Model Problem
Build Audience
You build an audience (auto loan holders, motorcycle owners, specific zip codes)
Competitor Copies
Your competitor builds the same audience using identical criteria
Bidding War
Both campaigns compete for the same households, CPMs increase
Nobody Wins
Neither has an advantage. DSP and publishers benefit, you don’t
The Exclusive Audience Model
Build Custom Audience
Build audience based on your firm’s data and strategy
Lock to Your Account
That audience is locked to your campaigns exclusively
Competitors Blocked
Competitors cannot access or bid on those exact segments
Defensible Position
You reach households others can’t. No competitive bidding for your audience
This is what “exclusive audiences” means. Targeting that belongs to you alone. Competitors can copy your creative and match your budget. They can’t access your audience.
How Exclusivity Works
First-Party Data Exclusivity
Your client list creates a lookalike model. That model, trained on YOUR clients’ characteristics, is unique to you. Competitors don’t have your client data, so they can’t replicate your lookalike.
Custom Segment Combinations
Specific combinations of targeting criteria can be reserved. “Auto loan holders + motorcycle owners + specific zip codes + HHI $75K+” as a combined segment, locked to your account.
Partner Exclusivity
Some partners offer market exclusivity by category. One PI firm per DMA. If you’re in, competitors are out. They literally cannot access that partner’s targeting in your market.
Why Exclusivity Matters for PI Firms
Option A
Option B
Reduced Competition
When all PI firms bid on “adults 25-54 interested in legal services,” you drive up each other’s costs. Exclusive audiences remove that competition entirely.
Targeting Quality
First-party lookalikes are built on YOUR actual clients, people who became cases. Your data is more predictive than generic third-party segments.
Option A
Option B
Defensible Position
Competitors can copy your creative and match your budget. They cannot access your exclusive audiences. The advantage persists.
Efficiency Gains
Without competitive bidding, CPMs stay lower. You’re not paying the “competitor tax” from auction competition.
Building Exclusive Audiences
From Client Data
Your best source: past clients who became cases.
- Export client list from CRM (anonymized appropriately)
- Match to household identifiers
- Build lookalike model (households similar to your clients)
- Deploy as exclusive targeting segment
This creates a segment only you can use. Only you have the underlying data.
From Website Visitors
Your website visitors represent expressed interest:
- Pixel your website for visitor tracking
- Build audience of visitors
- Create lookalike from visitor pool
- Retarget actual visitors
- Prospect to visitor-like households
Competitors don’t know who visited your site. This data is yours.
From Conversion Data
Go beyond visits to actual conversions:
- Track who called or submitted forms
- Identify household-level conversion signals
- Model “converter lookalikes”
- Target households that look like people who took action
Through Partner Exclusivity
Work with partners offering market exclusivity:
- Partner reserves your category in your DMA
- Competitors in your practice area cannot access that partner
- All targeting through that partner is effectively exclusive
- Applies to standard and custom segments alike
The Taqtics Approach
We offer true market exclusivity:
One firm per market. If we work with you in Philadelphia, we don’t work with other PI firms in Philadelphia. Period.
Your audiences are yours. Custom segments built for your campaign aren’t shared, resold, or accessible to competitors.
First-party integration. Your client data creates lookalikes only you can access.
This is what “cap the market” means. Own the targeting. Prevent competitor access.
Questions to Ask CTV Partners
Before signing with any CTV partner, ask:
-
“Do other PI firms in my market use your platform?” (Honest answer tells you about competition)
-
“Can I have exclusive access to my custom audiences?” (Custom segments shouldn’t be shared)
-
“Will competitors be able to target the same segments I build?” (Standard segments are typically open)
-
“Do you offer category exclusivity by market?” (Some partners do, most don’t)
-
“How is my first-party data protected?” (Lookalikes should be proprietary)
If the answers suggest shared access, you’re paying for targeting competitors can copy.
Exclusivity vs. Scale Trade-offs
Exclusive audiences may be smaller than broad targeting:
| Approach | Audience Size | Competition | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad targeting | Large | High | Lower |
| Exclusive custom | Smaller | None | Higher |
| Partner exclusivity | Varies | None in category | High |
Smaller exclusive audiences often outperform larger competitive audiences because:
- Higher relevance (modeled on your data)
- Lower CPMs (no bidding competition)
- Better conversion (more qualified households)
Combining Approaches
Optimal strategy uses both:
Exclusive layer: First-party lookalikes, custom segments, partner exclusivity Competitive layer: Broader behavioral targeting where exclusivity isn’t available
The exclusive layer gets priority budget. Highest efficiency. The competitive layer extends reach where needed.
For complete targeting strategy, see the CTV advertising guide.
References
- Southern California News Group. (2025). Connected TV marketing stats 2025. https://www.socalnewsgroup.com/2025/05/06/connected-tv-marketing-stats-2025/