Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
We’ll take that as a ‘yes’
The age of email-based identifiers is nigh. But are these cookie replacements actually as transparent about consent as promised? Digiday’s Kate Kaye says mebbe not. “Because many identity technologies, including Unified ID 2.0, use email addresses and other information gathered when people interact directly with a brand or publisher to build encrypted IDs, the companies that make and use them suggest they are created with people’s knowledge and consent,” Kaye writes. “Although these companies are modernizing their means of tracking people online, they have yet to update their methods of notifying them when these systems capture individuals’ email addresses to transform them into identifiers that can be passed throughout the ad tech ecosystem.” So basically, the age-old problem continues its aged oldness: Consumers have no idea how their data is being used. For instance, some publishers aren’t specifically notifying people that their personal info will be used to power an identifier that will be shunted into an ad marketplace. Why? Publishers are reluctant to create too many barriers to consent.
Who’s next?
Ad tech stocks surged over the last year, and going public via SPAC has proven to be an enticing option. And why not? You get to go public faster with less scrutiny, taking advantage of the immediate public market fervor. Business Insider’s Lara O’Reilly speculates on who might go next. Top of the list is DoubleVerify, which filed its S-1 just last week. “Experts described DoubleVerify as a solid business with room to grow,” O’Reilly writes. Another is ad tech OG IPONWEB, though the company’s VP of global marketing Michael Rasmussen told O’Reilly an IPO ain’t happening. IronSource, whose in-app solutions focused on gaming could make it a hot ticket in the public markets, could also go SPAC, as well as the DSP MediaMath. Industry leaders like Mediaocean CEO Bill Wise believe the DSP is a “great candidate to go through a SPAC.” And lest we forget about Wise, Mediaocean could also be in the mix to IPO – though as one would expect, the company declined to comment about IPO plans.
Oh great.
Donald Trump and social media. Name a more iconic pair. (Donald Trump and incitement to violence. Donald Trump and thinly-veiled racist rhetoric. Donald Trump and bankruptcy. Donald Trump and… nevermind). In any event, Trump 2020 campaign spokesperson Jason Miller told Fox that the ex-pres will launch a social media platform in two to three months, and will attract “tens of millions” of suckers users. “It’s going to completely redefine the game, and everybody is going to be waiting and watching to see what President Trump does, but it will be his own platform,” Miller said. Will Trump’s new social media platform be a legitimate right-wing rival to Twitter and Facebook? Or will it go the way of Parler and Gab?
Shooting The Moonton
ByteDance purchased Shanghai-based gaming company Moonton Technology, sending the TikTok owner deeper into the video game industry. No financial terms, but Reuters reports the deal values Moonton at $4 billion. Tencent was also reportedly in the mix for Moonton, but ByteDance ultimately matched the offer last week. The CEO of Moonton Yuan Jing said the gaming company, which is most famous for its multiplayer battle arena game Mobile Legends, will largely operate independently from ByteDance. That game gives ByteDance some ammo to compete with Tencent’s own cash cows, Honor of Kings and League of Legends.
But Wait, There’s More!
Optimizely has acquired Zaius Inc., the startup behind an artificial intelligence-powered customer data platform of the same name. [Silicon Angle]
Google and Facebook are undertaking an appeasement campaign before Thursday’s CEO showdown in the House. [MarketWatch]
Kenshoo is significantly expanding its retail media reach and providing access to seven new national retailers including Shipt, Macy’s, Ulta, Meijer, CVS, Staples, and FreshDirect. [release]
Agencies show solidarity with AAPI employees as anti-Asian hate crimes rise. [CampaignUS]
Caesar Sengupta, Google exec who led payments, ChromeOS and user growth is leaving. [CNBC]
You’re Hired
Brand Metrics has hired Dhruv Roy as integrations manager and Sumran Kaul as client lead as part of a UK expansion. [EIN Technology Today]
