GumGum has launched Mindset Agent, with The Trade Desk as the first platform to support activation of the tool.
The product turns campaign briefs into custom audience segments that brands and agencies can review, adjust and activate in The Trade Desk through GumGum's Mindset Portal.
It is intended to shift campaign targeting from a manual workflow to a more automated process based on signals drawn from online environments. The product sits within a redesigned version of GumGum's client platform, which also includes predictive attention tools, contextual analysis, creative insights and performance reporting.
Platform update
At the centre of the system is GumGum's Mindset Graph, which the company describes as an engine that assesses when audiences may be most receptive to a brand message. It draws on billions of contextual, creative, attention, environmental and historical signals to map content against advertiser objectives.
According to GumGum, this goes beyond conventional contextual categorisation by ranking environments against the specific goals in a campaign brief rather than matching content to broad subject areas. Users upload a brief or request for proposal, assess AI-generated targeting queries, review explanations for why environments fit the campaign, refine the balance between reach and relevance, and then activate the resulting segment in The Trade Desk.
The launch builds on an existing relationship between the two companies. GumGum's contextual segments have been available through The Trade Desk for several years, but the new arrangement gives advertisers access to custom segments built from the broader Mindset Graph system.
For ad buyers, the announcement reflects a wider shift in advertising technology towards generative AI and automated decision tools in media planning and activation. It also highlights growing competition among ad tech companies to offer alternatives to static audience targeting models as marketers face tighter scrutiny over data use and campaign effectiveness.
Partnership focus
Jay Goebel, Vice President of Data Partnerships at The Trade Desk, outlined how the company views the partnership.
"AI is creating an opportunity for advertisers to move beyond static assumptions and make decisions based on real-time signals and business objectives," said Jay Goebel, Vice President of Data Partnerships, The Trade Desk.
"By combining GumGum's Mindset Graph with our data marketplace, advertisers can transform campaign strategy into actionable insights and identify the moments where their message is most likely to resonate. This partnership helps marketers unlock more value from data by making activation more intelligent, dynamic and aligned to consumer receptivity," added Goebel.
Customer adoption
GumGum has framed the product around the concept of "mindset", which it defines as the set of signals indicating when and why a consumer may be open to a brand message. It argues this offers a more precise way to determine relevance than relying only on demographics, broad audience segments or page-level context.
Early users cited by GumGum include The HEINEKEN Company, e.l.f. Cosmetics and the BBC. They are described as among the first to use GumGum's mindset products, although no detailed performance figures were disclosed.
"Understanding mindset, the signals that indicate when and why someone is actually open to a brand's message, is a more honest way to think about relevance, and AI is finally making it actionable at scale," said Daniel Glynn, Media Buying Lead, The HEINEKEN Company.
Marcus Startzel, Chief Executive Officer of GumGum, said the company sees AI as a way to improve media decisions rather than simply automate existing practices.
"AI should not just automate old targeting models. It should help brands make better decisions about where, when and how to show up," said Marcus Startzel, Chief Executive Officer, GumGum.
"This partnership with The Trade Desk brings that belief to life by making it easier for advertisers to turn strategic intent into custom mindset segments that prioritise receptivity, not just reach. When brands understand mindset, they can deliver advertising that drives results and is more relevant for consumers," added Startzel.
GumGum was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Santa Monica. It says it operates in more than 19 markets across North America, Europe, Japan and Australia.