Q+A: How Quizlet is Helping Advertisers Reach Gen Z programmatically

As artificial intelligence continues proliferating our daily lives, companies such as global learning platform Quizlet are harnessing its power to improve user experience. Quizlet has leveraged AI in its platform since the beginning but is now also using machine learning to improve its ad experiences. We recently spoke to Amit Grover, head of Programmatic Partnerships at Quizlet, and the wider Quizlet team to learn more about their learning platform, use of artificial intelligence, and how they’re integrating advertising into their user experience.

Can you tell us a bit about what Quizlet is and how you’re leading the way in AI-driven learning?

Quizlet is a global learning platform that provides engaging AI-enhanced study tools to help people practice and master whatever they are learning. In the US, 2 in 3 high school students and 1 in 2 college students use Quizlet every month. Over 60 million students, teachers, and everyday people use Quizlet to study any subject imaginable for school, work, or personal interests. 

Quizlet has been at the forefront of AI in learning for several years, leveraging the power of AI since 2017 with the introduction of Learn mode. Recent advancements in generative AI have allowed us to launch even more AI-powered experiences, leveraging student and teacher inputs to enhance what users already provide and make studying more effective and efficient for students.

Given those credentials, what impact is AI having on the business?

Quizlet has long recognized the potential of AI to enhance studying and learning by personalizing the student experience. AI is deeply integrated into the product experience and underpins our ability to provide students with smarter, more adaptive study tools to help them in everything from learning a new language to mastering the concepts behind organic chemistry.

In a 2023 study, we found that almost half (47%) of students say AI technologies have positively impacted their learning experience.

We’ve also integrated ads in a way that brings value to our users and advertisers trying to reach our unique audience. This is another area where we use advanced machine learning and data science to create contextual audiences.

How does Quizlet help advertisers reach their target audiences?

Many brands turn to social media to reach Gen Z (specifically the 18-24 age range), but if you’re a programmatic buyer, there aren’t a lot of places to reach this audience at scale and in a more engaged environment. By analyzing first-party data, Quizlet can identify and segment users based on major life stages, educational needs, and professional fields such as military, medical/nursing, and small business ownership. This approach allows advertisers to tailor their messaging to highly specific, niche audiences, ensuring that their ads are not only seen but are also relevant and engaging to Quizlet’s users. Using contextual targeting, powered by machine learning, ensures that ads are placed in the most appropriate and effective contexts, maximizing the impact and efficiency of advertising campaigns on the platform.

What does Quizlet’s ad offering look like?

Quizlet’s advertising offerings are designed to provide a variety of solutions to meet the needs of a diverse range of advertisers. We provide many ways to buy and deliver ad campaigns on Quizlet to ensure campaigns achieve marketing objectives. Our ad suite includes an open auction, Private Marketplace (PMP), and Direct sales offerings. This multifaceted approach ensures that we can offer scalable, flexible advertising solutions that allow advertisers to seamlessly integrate into the user experience. For instance, PMPs allow advertisers to connect with Quizlet’s unique user base, including students and professionals at critical stages of their educational and career journeys, within a high-quality environment.

How is Quizlet leveraging Magnite’s tech to maximize the value of its ad offering?

While buyers can tap into Quizlet via other SSPs, Magnite offers unique audiences that can be layered onto our inventory via PMP. For instance, we’ve onboarded both age and grade-level first-party data audience segments into Magnite, allowing advertisers to reach our unique audiences in the most granular capacity possible.

By harnessing Magnite’s technology, we can optimize our entire PMP workflow, gaining enhanced control and access to demand to maximize our inventory yields. Magnite’s advanced troubleshooting tools, transparency features, and robust buyer relationships ensure that our PMPs can scale effectively. For example, by analyzing bid requests across various integrations, we’ve identified and corrected missing parameters, leading to increased deal scalability through each integration path. PMPs play a vital role in our programmatic strategy, and our ability to swiftly monetize these opportunities with precise audience parameters for our buyers is essential.

How is Quizlet leveraging data to provide buyers with a quality ad product?

Quizlet leverages its rich data – from its array of content-related signals and logged-in users (that make up a majority of the user base) to offer advertisers a quality ad product that stands out in a crowded marketplace. With 70% of PMP buyers leveraging first-party targeting, Quizlet demonstrates the effectiveness of using proprietary data to reach specific audiences. This approach is increasingly important in a cookieless world, where traditional third-party data sources are becoming less viable. For instance, our contextual segments are based on studied content to place users into grade level/life stage audiences.