StackAdapt and Experian Forge UK Alliance to Tackle Data Privacy Puzzle

LONDON, UK – February 17, 2026 – In a significant move set to reshape the UK's digital advertising landscape, AI advertising platform StackAdapt has announced a strategic partnership with global data giant Experian. The collaboration aims to provide UK marketers with a powerful new toolkit for activating their first-party data, addressing the dual challenges of tightening privacy regulations and the impending demise of third-party cookies.

This alliance integrates Experian’s extensive UK consumer data, including its advanced ID Resolution technology and renowned Mosaic audience segments, directly into the StackAdapt platform. For brands and agencies grappling with how to reach consumers effectively in a privacy-first era, this partnership promises higher match rates, richer audience insights, and more impactful campaigns without compromising user privacy.

A New Lifeline in a Privacy-First World

The UK's advertising industry is at a critical juncture. Governed by a stringent regulatory framework that includes the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), marketers face immense pressure to ensure their data practices are transparent and compliant. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has demonstrated its willingness to enforce these rules, making privacy-aware solutions not just a preference, but a necessity.

Compounding this challenge is the long-anticipated deprecation of third-party cookies, which has forced a fundamental shift away from traditional tracking methods. In this new reality, first-party data—information collected directly from a brand's own customers and audience—has become the most valuable asset in a marketer's arsenal. The primary challenge, however, has been activating this data at scale in a compliant and effective manner.

The StackAdapt and Experian partnership is engineered to solve this very problem. By providing a privacy-conscious pathway to connect first-party data with high-quality, third-party datasets, it allows advertisers to enhance their understanding of their own customers and find look-alike audiences with greater precision. This move is a direct response to the market's demand for solutions that respect consumer privacy while still delivering the performance and ROI that businesses require.

Unpacking the Tech: AI Meets Big Data

The power of this collaboration lies in the synergy between two distinct but complementary technologies. StackAdapt brings its sophisticated AI-driven advertising and orchestration platform, which unifies programmatic channels like connected TV (CTV), display, and audio into a single, easy-to-use interface. The platform is known for its ability to optimize campaigns in real-time to drive brand growth and revenue.

Experian, on the other hand, contributes its formidable data infrastructure. Central to this is its signal-agnostic ID resolution service, which boasts an impressive 80% coverage of UK households. This technology enables advertisers to securely match their own customer lists against Experian's database, significantly increasing the reach of their campaigns. Because the process is designed with privacy at its core, it helps brands translate their customer knowledge into precise targeting without exposing sensitive personal information.

Furthermore, advertisers on the StackAdapt platform now gain access to Experian’s comprehensive suite of UK audience segments, including its flagship Mosaic framework. Mosaic classifies the UK population into detailed groups based on demographics, lifestyles, and behaviors, offering a granular level of insight that goes far beyond basic targeting. By layering these segments onto their campaigns, marketers can enrich their own first-party audiences, build more personalized creative, and measure campaign effectiveness with greater accuracy.

“This marks a major milestone for our UK growth strategy,” said Michael Shang, SVP, Advertising Technologies at StackAdapt. “Combining Experian’s unmatched consumer data footprint with StackAdapt’s programmatic capabilities gives our clients a powerful advantage in reaching and engaging their most valuable audiences with precision and accountability.”

A Strategic Play in a Crowded Market

This partnership is not just a product enhancement; it's a calculated strategic maneuver in the highly competitive UK adtech sector. StackAdapt, which already has a significant customer base in the UK, is positioning itself as a formidable alternative to established giants like Google's DV360 and The Trade Desk. By offering a deeply integrated, data-rich solution, the company aims to differentiate itself and capture a larger share of the programmatic advertising market.

For Experian, the alliance reinforces its commitment to providing privacy-compliant data solutions for the marketing industry. The company has been under the regulatory microscope in the past, with a 2020 ICO enforcement notice highlighting the complexities of using credit reference data for marketing. This partnership with a leading AI platform underscores a strategic focus on enabling data use in a transparent and ethical framework, aligning with current market expectations and regulatory demands.

Colin Grieves, Managing Director at Experian Marketing Services, UK&I, noted the success of the existing North American relationship. “By combining our powerful audience database—which reaches the vast majority of UK households—with StackAdapt’s innovative platform, we’re enabling advertisers to harness both first-party and third-party data to deliver smarter, more personalised campaigns at scale,” he stated.

From North America to Global Ambition

This UK launch is a logical and ambitious extension of an already successful relationship between the two companies in the US and Canada. By replicating a proven model, StackAdapt is signaling its intent to become a global leader in first-party data activation. The move is a key part of the company's broader international growth strategy, which has been recently bolstered by significant funding aimed at expanding its global footprint and R&D capabilities.

The timing aligns with StackAdapt's other strategic initiatives in the UK, including a recent collaboration with broadcaster Channel 4 to open up premium advertising inventory. Together, these moves paint a picture of a company aggressively building a comprehensive and competitive ecosystem for UK advertisers.

The integration is available immediately for UK-based brands and agencies. This allows them to promptly begin onboarding their first-party data and leveraging the combined power of the two platforms to navigate the complexities of modern digital advertising, drive more efficient media activations, and ultimately achieve stronger business outcomes in a rapidly evolving market.