• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 31, 2014

Media audience researcher GfK MRI has struck deals with three of the online industry’s biggest data management platforms (DMP) -- BlueKai, eXelate and Lotame -- enabling their customers to target 44 unique consumer segments, including one targeting people who say they are willing to receive ads in exchange for services or lower costs.

MRI historically has been used mainly by advertisers and agencies planning print media buys such as consumer magazines, or as part of multimedia campaign strategies, but the deal with the DMPs will enable them to plan and target online users with key MRI audience segments, including their offline attitudes and self-reported behaviors.

The segments are culled from MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer, a highly regarded single-source database used for U.S. media planning. Updated each year from more than 25,000 in-person interviews with adults, the survey provides insights into consumer demographics, media choices, attitudes and lifestyles, along with consumption of approximately 6,000 products in 550 categories.

Among the other unique segments available to the DMP customers are:

* “Purchase Researchers,” people who research electronic products before purchasing.

* “Use Mobile Phone for Entertainment,” people who view their phones as a source of entertainment.

* “Internet Banking,” people willing to use the Internet for daily banking transactions.

* “Prefer Local and Nutritious Foods,” people who evaluate nutrition information at restaurants and prefer to buy foods grown locally.