Three-Layer Personalization Framework

1
User Awareness
Adapt based on who the user is — their profile, preferences, and behavioral signals.
Profile signals (demographics, location, language)
Preference signals (product interests, brand affinity, price sensitivity)
Behavioral signals (browsing patterns, past engagement)
2
Context Awareness
Adapt based on the surrounding context — what content they're reading and where the ad appears.
Content context (article topic, sentiment, reading depth)
Query context (search intent, information vs. transactional)
Placement context (in-stream, sidebar, card format)
3
Ad Awareness
Adapt the ad creative itself — which assets to show and how to present them.
Creative asset selection (which image, which headline)
Format adaptation (card, banner, or native unit)
Rendering optimization (layout, typography, hierarchy)
These layers compose independently
The system adapts based on available signals — it doesn't require all three layers to deliver a better experience than a static ad.
Context Only
Context Ad
Even without knowing the user, ads can adapt format and creative to match the article topic and placement
User + Context
User Context
Combine personal preferences with content context to show relevant ads with basic creative
All Three Layers
User Context Ad
Full personalization: user-relevant, contextually adapted, with optimized creative presentation