Configure Custom Traits: IAB Taxonomy

Feature Overview

The IAB Content Taxonomy feature allows you to target users based on the specific categories of content they consume. Covatic utilises its proprietary embeddings technology to contextually categorise a publisher’s content into any of the standard IAB content taxonomy segmentations.

Prerequisites

• A registered Covatic
• Access to the Audiences or Advertising

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the Custom Trait Selector

From Step 2 of the audience-building process (“Build your audience”):

• Locate the Traits
• Click the + Custom Trait

2. Navigate to IAB Content Taxonomy

In the Select Traits modal:

• Click on the IAB Audiences
• Select IAB Content Taxonomy 2.2 (or the latest version available).

3. Browse or Search for Content Categories

You can navigate the taxonomy in two ways:

• Manual Browse: Click through the folders to find specific niches (e.g., “Business and Finance” → “Economy”).
• Search: Use the “Type to search” bar at the top of the modal to find specific topics quickly. For example, typing “Finance” will reveal all related IAB sub-categories.

4. Select and Apply Traits

• Click the + (Plus) icon next to each category you wish to include in your audience segment.
• Review your selected categories in the purple breadcrumb bar at the top.
• Click the Select Traits button at the bottom right.

5. Review Audience Metrics

• The selected IAB categories will now appear as purple tags in your builder.
• Check the Reach and Inventory numbers on the right. Because these traits are contextually mapped using embeddings technology, they provide a sophisticated way to scale your reach while maintaining topical relevance.

Success Verification

• Builder View: Your chosen IAB categories (e.g., “IAB Content Taxonomy 2.2: Business and Finance”) are visible in the Traits section.
• Summary Page: Click Next: Summary to see the AI-generated description, which will now highlight that the audience is defined by their engagement with specific IAB-categorised content.

Pro-Tip: Combining IAB Content Taxonomy traits with Custom Traits (like Age and Gender) or Standard Traits allows you to target both who the person is and the context of what they are currently reading or listening to for maximum impact.