Pritchard Hands Out Report Cards; Verizon Changes Its Subscriber Data 'Ask'

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.

Progress Report

It’s been a busy eight months since P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard mandated a major cleanup across the digital ad ecosystem. That effort is now is 50-60% complete, with agency transparency at 80% completion, fraud elimination almost halfway there and third-party verification on major platforms 60% finished, Pritchard tells Adweek. But “[b]rand safety is the one that still needs a lot of work,” Pritchard said, and he’ll broach the issue during his keynote at Dmexco next week. Other CMOs agree. “What’s changed over the last six months is the agenda item that’s been added around brand safety and brand measurement,” said Alison Lewis, CMO of Johnson & Johnson. “I’d say measurement was always there. Safety was not.” Most brands are taking the brand safety issue into their own hands, rather than relegating it to their agencies or external partners. “It’s absolutely incumbent on the marketer to tell [the agency] what to measure for,” said Kristin Lemkau, CMO at JPMorgan Chase. More.

Verizon Value Exchange?

Verizon doesn’t have the best track record with loyalty programs, but the telco is taking another stab with Verizon Up. Subscribers who sign up to let Verizon track their web browsing data, app usage and location can earn credits redeemable for perks like Lady Gaga tickets. The Wall Street Journal has more. Although it remains to be seen whether consumers will go Gaga over Verizon’s latest stab at loyalty – credits expire after 60 days and the more plum rewards like concert tickets are first come, first serve – Oath is motivated to collect as much data as possible to fuel its digital advertising ambitions. Verizon Up replaces Smart Rewards, the telco’s ham-fisted previous attempt at launching a loyalty program, which one consumer called a “con.” AdExchanger coverage.

Reg-U-Later

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), regulatory standards for digital media and advertising that come into effect next May, could be a seismic reset for the data-driven ecosystem in the world’s largest market. And regardless of the pending Brexit, the UK will be incorporating the law into domestic legislation. One major pothole: The UK information commission responsible for enforcing the law is woefully short of staff and resources. Implementing the law is like “changing tires on a moving car,” Commissioner Elizabeth Denham tells the Financial Times. The commission is short on prosecutors and up against some of the most deep-pocketed legal teams on earth. On top of that, Denham says some of the “data heavy companies” put on the hotseat by GDPR are poaching her staff members and their niche expertise. More.

The Alternative Crowd

The British startup AppScatter, which extends mobile developers’ reach into app stores beyond Google and Apple, saw a 16% gain in share price after a Tuesday IPO. Almost half of global app downloads take place outside of the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, AppScatter CEO Philip Marcella tells Bloomberg. The company’s client roster is heavy on banks and insurance companies, and its app stores include Tencent’s MyApp, the largest app store in China, Mexican app store Appsmania and some 300 others. More.

But Wait, There’s More!