In the current episode of Datalicious, we meet Lars Hilsebein, CEO of Cynapsis Media, who explains his revolutionary approach to situational targeting. Instead of tracking user profiles, his platform, Programmatiq, optimizes advertising campaigns based on real-world situations such as weather, events, or traffic. Carsten Sander and Hilsebein discuss how this approach is not only privacy-compliant and ROAS-efficient (an average of +12% compared to traditional targeting), but also provides access to users who refuse to give consent. This episode explores the technical implementation, use cases in DOOH and other channels, and offers a glimpse into 2029, when situational targeting could become the standard in media planning.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Situational targeting as an alternative to behavioral advertising: How does an approach that optimizes moments differ from traditional targeting, which analyzes user profiles – and why doesn’t relevance need personal data?
- Technical implementation and practical application: How are situational targeting segments created by combining real-time signals such as weather, pollen counts, traffic, and events, and how are these segments managed dynamically by geographic area in campaigns?
- Data protection and regulatory benefits: Why does situational targeting describe spaces and situations rather than individuals – and how does this create a fundamentally different privacy framework than traditional tracking?
- Market potential and international expansion: What role does situational targeting play in a post-cookie world, which product categories benefit the most, and how does the Programmatiq solution scale internationally?
Takeaways from this episode
- Moments instead of people: Situational targeting optimizes relevant purchasing moments based on real-world signals – such as rising temperatures for ice cream, or high pollen counts for allergy medication – rather than analyzing historical user profiles. This approach makes it possible to reach even those users who have not given consent.
- Measurable performance boost: Tests using real customer data show an average ROAS improvement of 12 percent compared to traditional online behavioral advertising (OBA) campaigns.
- Privacy-compliant innovation: Situational targeting doesn’t need individual user profiles; instead, it uses public data such as weather, events, or traffic. This reduces privacy risks and lessens users’ skepticism toward tracking-based advertising campaigns.
- Complexity needs to disappear: For situational targeting to become the norm, situational signals must become just as easy to book as traditional target audiences. The automated platform Programmatiq demonstrates how technical complexity is hidden behind simple interfaces.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Seize the moment
04:02 – Guest Lars Hilsebein introduces himself
05:14 – The eureka moment
08:13 – Definition: situational vs. behavioral targeting
09:50 – How are situational targeting segments created?
14:21 – Combining sales data with situational signals
17:58 – Campaign successes and performance metrics
20:42 – OBA and situational targeting: complementary, not competing
23:09 – The cookie debate and its opportunities
26:08 – Use in DOOH and other channels
28:20 – Localization and quality of IP addresses
30:19 – Barriers to growth
32:53 – Data protection and regulation
40:39 – Scenario: What if behavioral targeting were to disappear?
42:19 – Suitable product categories and use cases
44:50 – Datalicious time machine: Looking ahead to 2029
46:22 – Role of situational targeting in 2029
49:27 – Future of devices and wearables
52:08 – HbbTV 2.0 and the technology’s limits
54:06 – Next steps and international expansion
55:17 – Favorite device and technological neutrality
56:36 – Outro