Non-addressable media refers to any media that cannot be tied to a unique user because no unique identifier can be extracted when the ad is delivered. For instance, when an ad is delivered through traditional TV, Radio, or when an ad is printed on a newspaper or on a billboard, that ad is generally classified as non-addressable. This is in contrast to addressable media, which CAN be tied to an individual user, either through a probabilistic or deterministic identifier. For instance, a display ad served in-app can be tied to the user’s device id, making it addressable.
It’s easy to assume that all offline channels are non-addressable. But once more, this is actually not accurate. Direct mail is very addressable, and the cable companies have been rolling out addressable TV to better compete against IP-enabled digital TV (Connected TV and OTT)
Likewise, It’s easy to assume that all digital channels are addressable, but this is actually not accurate. Most marketers cannot retrieve specific identifiers from the Walled Gardens, leading to large sections of the digital marketing universe that remain non-addressable.
