The RFIS Scoring Model
RFIS is BIGDBM's behavioral signal scoring framework. It measures how recently, how often, and how intensely a consumer has shown intent, combining them into a single Strength score that surfaces the highest-quality in-market audiences.
Each behavioral signal in BIGDBM's data is tagged with three individual metrics: Recency, Frequency, and Intensity, combined into a single Strength score. Higher positive Strength values indicate consumers who are actively in-market right now. Negative values indicate suppression or disqualification signals.
RFIS scores are not computed in isolation; they are calculated for specific pairings between identity signals. Each association type tells you something different: intent category interest, household linkage, device linkage, or the full cross-device graph. Every pairing gets its own independent R, F, I, and S values.
Links a consumer identity to a specific intent category. This is the primary association for building in-market audiences. An RFIS score is computed for each unique HEM–IAB pair observed, so a single HEM can have dozens of independent RFIS scores across different IAB categories (e.g. a high Strength score in Automotive > Trucks and a separate one in Financial Services > Mortgages).
Links a consumer to a household or network location. The RFIS score here indicates how reliably and how recently a given HEM has been observed at a particular IP address, useful for household graph construction, co-op targeting, and IP-based audience extension. A high Strength score means the consumer was consistently observed at that IP address recently; a decaying score suggests the association may no longer be current.
Links a consumer's email identity to a mobile device. The RFIS score reflects how recently and frequently the HEM and MAID were co-observed, indicating how confident we are that this device still belongs to this person. A strong, recent association is suitable for mobile campaign targeting and cross-device attribution. An aged association (high Recency) may indicate the consumer has upgraded devices or reset their advertising ID.
The richest association: a three-way linkage between a consumer's email, their mobile device, and a household IP address. When all three are co-observed, the RFIS score reflects the strength of the complete identity cluster: person + device + location. This is the highest-confidence signal for omnichannel targeting, frequency capping across channels, and measurement. A high Strength score here means all three identifiers were recently and repeatedly seen together, producing a highly reliable identity match.
Recency is the number of days since the consumer signal was last observed.
It answers the question: "How fresh is this intent?"
A signal seen today has a Recency of 1; a signal seen a week ago has a Recency of 7.
1The minimum value is always
1, never 0, to keep the Strength formula mathematically stable.
NFor example, a signal last seen 5 days ago → Recency =
5.
Frequency is a directional multiplier that determines whether the signal
represents positive intent (the consumer is in-market) or a negative / suppression
signal (the consumer should be excluded). It is always either +1 or -1.
The consumer demonstrated positive intent: browsing, clicking, researching, or engaging with category-relevant content within the last day. Their Strength score will be positive.
The consumer expressed disinterest, opted out, or triggered a suppression event. Their Strength score will be negative, flagging them for exclusion.
+1 preserves the score's direction; multiplying by -1 flips it. This is what makes Strength capable of expressing both in-market and suppression signals in a single number.
Intensity is the raw count of signal appearances within the last 24 hours, measured at 30-minute intervals. It captures how deeply engaged or how persistently active a consumer is within a category.
Signals are counted in discrete 30-minute slots over the last 24 hours. A consumer can register at most
48 appearances in a single day
(one per half-hour slot). In practice, most active signals fall in the 1–10 range.
A consumer who triggered the same behavioral signal 8 times today is far more engaged than one who triggered it once. Intensity captures that depth before Recency discounts it.
Strength is the final computed score: a single number that combines all three signals into a prioritizable, sortable value that answers: "How likely is this consumer to convert right now, and in which direction?"
Consumer is actively in-market. The higher the value, the more recent, intense, and positive the behavioral signal. Prioritize these consumers for outreach.
Signal exists but is fading; the consumer was in-market several days or weeks ago. May still be relevant depending on sales cycle length.
Suppression signal. This consumer should be excluded from targeting. The magnitude indicates how strongly the suppression signal was observed.
The following scenarios show how different combinations of R, F, and I produce different Strength scores and what they mean for targeting decisions.
| Scenario | R Recency |
F Frequency |
I Intensity |
Strength = I÷R×F | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🚗 Hot auto shopper Visited dealer site 8× today |
1 | +1 | 8 | +8.00 | |
| 🏡 Active home buyer Browsed listings 5× today |
1 | +1 | 5 | +5.00 | |
| 📱 Mild tech interest 1 product page view today |
1 | +1 | 1 | +1.00 | |
| ⏳ Fading auto intent 8 visits but 3 weeks ago |
21 | +1 | 8 | +0.38 | |
| 📅 Distant signal Researched a month ago |
30 | +1 | 4 | +0.13 | |
| 🚫 Recent opt-out Suppression event today, 3× |
1 | −1 | 3 | −3.00 | |
| 🔕 Strong suppression Multiple opt-outs today |
1 | −1 | 8 | −8.00 |
+5 today means the same behavioural weight as
5 same-day appearances, regardless of whether they happened in one burst or across multiple days.