The Trade Desk Introduces Kokai Zuma, the Latest Release of Kokai

New release brings agentic AI, simplified measurement and a more intuitive user experience to The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform

Users will be able to prioritize campaign outcomes and move faster by automating campaign changes

The Trade Desk, a leading global advertising technology company, introduced Kokai Zuma, the new release of its Kokai platform. Introduced in 2023, Kokai is The Trade Desk’s platform for planning, buying and measuring advertising across the open internet. The Zuma release makes Kokai easier to navigate, learn and use, bringing together new agentic AI capabilities and a simpler measurement framework.

As advertising becomes increasingly fragmented across channels, formats and devices, media buyers face more complexity in managing campaigns and understanding what drives performance. Zuma is designed to remove that friction, helping traders find what they need faster, make changes with greater confidence, and spend less time managing workflows so they can focus on optimizing campaigns and driving better results. Additionally, the update builds on the AI forecasting engine that has been at the heart of Kokai.

While the redesigned interface is the most visible change, the larger resource investment has gone into upgrading the platform’s forecasting engine and the AI infrastructure underneath the platform – predicting available inventory, modeling campaign outcomes and powering Koa’s agentic capabilities in real time. Initial results of Zuma’s improved modeling and forecasting capabilities have seen an average 32% improvement in CPA performance. These backend investments are what make the workflow – and campaign – improvements possible, and they mark a strategic shift in how The Trade Desk is investing in the platform going forward, making it foundational to everything clients see within their experience.

“Kokai changed the way digital media is bought and sold programmatically, and Zuma builds on that foundation, making our platform faster, simpler and smarter,” said Jeff Green, founder and CEO, The Trade Desk. “AI is helping our customers move faster than ever, while making measurement more intuitive and actionable. We’ve listened closely to our users about what they need to navigate an increasingly fragmented digital media ecosystem, and Zuma brings those learnings into Kokai. We’re continuing to build the platform that advertisers deserve – one that removes friction from the work, puts agentic AI to practical use and gives them a clearer view of the outcomes their media dollars are driving.”

Agentic AI Powered by Koa

Koa is the artificial intelligence that powers The Trade Desk, helping advertisers make smarter decisions and improve campaign performance through real-time analysis of more than 20 million ad impressions every second. Introduced in 2018, Koa has continuously evolved as The Trade Desk has expanded the use of AI across its platform. Today, Koa powers a growing set of agentic capabilities within Kokai, including a new conversational experience and specialized Koa Agents that help users automate tasks, uncover opportunities, and take action faster.

• Koa Assistant: A conversational AI assistant powered by a growing set of specialized Koa Agents that support campaign creation, audience building, troubleshooting, performance analysis, and more.
• Audience Creation: Koa identifies previously untapped and highly relevant audiences to expand campaign reach at scale. This is especially relevant for advertisers using Audience Unlimited, which is available across over 70% of global data providers from The Trade Desk Data Marketplace.
• Frequency Optimization: Koa uses AI to optimize frequency settings based on campaign objectives and performance, helping advertisers reduce manual effort while improving campaign delivery.

Simplified Measurement and Reporting

Zuma makes it easier for advertisers to measure campaign impact and access the insights they need to optimize performance.

• Conversion Lift: Conversion Lift enhancements simplify the process of launching lift studies and introduce new reporting dimensions for deeper campaign planning insights.
• Improved Reporting: The improved reporting homepage directs users to frequently used reports, saved templates, and generated reports, streamlining day-to-day analysis.
• Report Builder: The Report Builder offers greater flexibility and transparency, making it easier to customize reports and explore the full depth of included dimensions.

A Simpler, More Intuitive Kokai Experience

Zuma incorporates feedback from The Trade Desk’s users to make common workflows easier to understand and manage, while surfacing the information traders need to make decisions quickly.

• Refreshed Page Design: Zuma provides greater clarity to advertiser, campaign, and ad group views, surfacing key metrics and trends so users can spot what matters and quickly find where to focus.
• Applied Settings View: The Applied Settings View gives a single, consolidated view of targeting parameters, making it easier to understand what’s driving or restricting spend.
• Bulk Edits: Upgraded bulk editing lets users preview the potential impact of changes before they’re applied, for greater confidence when adjusting campaign strategy at scale.

“This is impressive,” said Karsten Weide, Principal and Chief Analyst, W Media Research. “It’s great to see The Trade Desk go full-bore on agentic, and the performance gains are real numbers. That’s encouraging – this is real change.”

Zuma is rolling out to Kokai clients globally beginning today, with additional capabilities and enhancements expected over time. The capabilities described here are either generally available or available through open or closed beta. References to upcoming capabilities are for informational purposes only and subject to change.