Data-Driven Thinking

Marketers will soon be unable to rely on third-party data to understand customers at scale, and the jury is still out on how first-party data can power measurement. In an ID-free world, there are three ways partnerships can help marketers achieve holistic measurement to drive business outcomes and ROI: enhanced data, expedited insights and enablement of scale, writes Susan Tillou, SVP, global head of partnerships at Analytic Partners.

Advertisers in the U.S. are missing out on 46% of their addressable mobile audience. And desktop doesn’t fall behind. 40% of the audience is currently not reachable if you rely on IDs. Instead of opting for solutions that only get you halfway to your goals, keep three main points in mind: scale, accurate targeting and sustainability, writes Aaron McKee, CTO at Blis.

Many brands, startups and well-known CPGs are missing the more effective retailer data sets at their disposal: loyalty programs, writes Lauren Littlejohn, director of data science and research at 84.51°.

To make the most of AI, advertisers must diversify data analytics teams to bring varied perspectives and talents to data collection and decision-making, writes Ashley Tsai, head of analytics at mSix&Partners.

Marketers today have many data sources available to them, giving them the option to tailor data sets based on their specific needs. Whether it’s for audience segmentation or business operations, it can be tempting to buy the biggest data set available. However, it’s important that marketers think twice before diving in, especially when it comes to location data, writes Jeff White, CEO of Gravy Analytics.

It’s no secret that, even in a perfect world, the “rules” of marketing are constantly changing. A recession is only going to exacerbate the inconsistency tenfold. You’ll do yourself a favor if you understand now that there is no blanket strategy, writes Tom Shea, co-founder and CRO of Adgile Media Group.

The release of Google’s Imagen tool has certainly made news feeds more entertaining in recent months. Who doesn’t want to see pictures of a raccoon dressed as an astronaut or a corgi cycling through Times Square? But while Google’s new text-to-image generator is a really interesting development that illustrates the potential of AI, this type of technology can’t replace human creatives in the advertising industry, writes Graham Wilkinson, chief innovation officer at Kinesso and Matterkind Global.

Looks like Apple wants to launch a DSP. With Google’s recent (and second) third-party cookie delay, maybe it’s going to take a company like Apple, with a track record of technical innovation, to develop the next privacy-centered targeting solutions for digital advertising, writes Nico Neumann.

A YouGov study found that people are more likely to sign up for an online platform if they can see how their information will be used. This presents a trust opportunity for marketers, writes Lauren Wetzel, COO of InfoSum.

At this year’s WWDC, Apple announced updates to SKAdNetwork, its privacy-adjusted mobile measurement framework. For marketers, embracing, understanding and developing a robust strategy for SKAdNetwork is essential for user engagement and measurement on iOS. From there, the key will be maximizing the value of first-party data and designing long-term acquisition and measurement strategies – based on user consent for targeted advertising, writes Katie Madding, chief product officer at Adjust.

Google launched Google Analytics 4 (GA4) back in October 2020 to unify digital web and app analytics. Its push toward the new solution underscores the need for advertisers to implement a data strategy built on first-party data. But now the question is whether brands should prioritize the switch to GA4 before the sunsetting of Universal Analytics (UA) in July 2023 and what this transition means, writes Jessica Jacobs, global director of partnerships and growth at Incubeta.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is coming to the European Union. But rest assured – it will have implications for United States brands, too. The DMA will implement a clear set of rules prohibiting tech giants, including Google, Meta, Amazon and Apple, from engaging in specific practices that might be viewed as “anti-competitive.” While it seems that the act aims to create a fair playing field, the actual outcomes may be more nuanced, writes Chris Comstock, chief product officer of Claravine.

Meta lost in court against French ad-tech champion Criteo, and it will now have to grant better access to its inventory. Meanwhile, France’s data protection watchdog, the CNIL, just deemed Google Analytics illegal – a move that the Italian data privacy authority has just followed as well. What happens now? It turns out there may be a server-side solution, writes Hugo Loriot, partner at fifty-five.

While programmatic advertising has its faults, it is still evolving. And as it has matured it has become a powerful, efficient and effective tool for brands to surgically disseminate their commercial messages to highly targeted consumers. But that doesn’t mean there’s no work to be done, writes Eric Warburton, SVP of technical account management and platform partnership success at Horizon Media.

Working closely with creators and influencers – can be less expensive than traditional media and can afford agencies and brands a much more targeted avenue for building trust and loyalty. How can brands get it right? Jason Chitwood, general manager of MarketerHire for Agencies, offers three recommendations to keep in mind.

With more eyes on consumer privacy than ever before, data clean rooms have become one of the hottest technologies in marketing when it comes to secure, modern data collection. But as clean rooms come to the forefront, many brands are finding that building and working with this technology requires a little acumen and a lot of planning. St.Clair McLean, VP of infrastructure and security at Alliant, shares three clean room approaches to consider as brands look to align the right capabilities with their needs.

Instead of a funnel that slows traffic, we need to create a ubiquitous, always-accessible “sales superhighway” that provides countless on-ramps. This change of perspective will impact both how we define our potential audiences and the speed with which we have meaningful interactions with them, writes Lance Porigow, EVP of growth at The Shipyard.

Do you have a metaverse strategy yet? If not, you‘re in good company. Most marketers don’t even know what the metaverse is, let alone why their brand needs it. But that doesn’t mean you can sit this one out or wait until the metaverse matures to start experimenting, writes Brian Ko, chief commercial officer and chief revenue officer, AudienceX.

Apple has stated, and in no uncertain terms, that it wants to kill fingerprinting with fire: But no one knows how and when Apple is going to move from an honor system to actual policy enforcement.

Two years of sweeping disruptions – supply-chain shortages, staffing challenges, fluctuating COVID regulations and looming inflation – were tough on consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers and retailers. But consumers are eager to shop in stores again. As data across touch points converge, marketers have the power to elevate customer experience and increase conversions, writes Gila Wilensky, president of Xaxis US.

While the seemingly relentless passage of state data privacy legislation may seem daunting, most of these laws follow patterns. In short, if you’re gearing up for compliance with the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, the Colorado Privacy Act or the California Privacy Rights Act, you’ll be well-positioned for the new Utah and Connecticut laws, too, according to Davis+Gilbert lawyers Richard Eisert and Zachary Klein.

Personalization – paired with effective measurement – has enabled marketers to see and understand results, ultimately driving them to spend more. Madan Sundararaju, vice president of the M&E sector at Capgemini Americas, writes on how traditional media platforms can adapt to these trends and increase their share of ad revenue.

The advertising industry is taking a few hits these days. Legislators are looking hard at treating ad platforms like utilities. Nefarious state actors have hacked our political discourse and even our understanding of facts. But this isn’t the first time the ad industry is facing choppy waters. The ad world is in desperate need of a new position: the Chief Morality Officer, writes Marilois Snowman, CEO and founder of Mediastruction.

Taking the “room” metaphor literally, the current clean room system is akin to a collection of stand-alone rooms existing outside the form and function of a house. That’s why the next level must look beyond clean rooms. It’s time to build a clean house using a method called distributed analytics, writes Marc Rossen, SVP investment and activation analytics at Omnicom Media Group.

You get what you pay for. This adage is considered way too infrequently in the world of digital advertising, especially programmatic. There is so much pressure placed on gaining efficiency, both in execution and cost, that marketers have begun to prioritize “added value” impressions over meaningful business results, writes Elise Stieferman, director of marketing and business strategy at Coegi.

The potential of data-driven marketing is entering a brave new world. But as complexity increases, marketers must look toward a solution that simplifies data-driven marketing: agile intelligence, writes Neej Gore, chief data officer of Zeta Global.

As brands build out their first-party data strategies and work to assemble post-cookie capabilities, many are “in-housing” to remain in control of their data. But to ensure success, they need to accomplish a few important tasks, writes Nancy Marzouk, CEO of MediaWallah.

We need to find a balance between privacy and sustaining an ad-supported digital media ecosystem, writes Anthony Katsur, CEO of the IAB Tech Lab. But no one will tolerate half measures going forward. To that end, IAB Tech Lab and its members are developing a portfolio of practical technical standards meant to help the ad industry adapt to evolving consumer expectations, regulations and related browser and OS changes.

The moment you entrust some or all of your digital advertising strategy to an agency is the moment you make yourself vulnerable to the pains of “red tape.” Simple tasks take too long, and you’re beholden to a third party’s business priorities in order to execute on your business objectives, says Rob Beeler, founder of Beeler.Tech.

Elon Musk has expressed that his goal for Twitter is to create a safe platform for free speech that supports a democratic civilization. However, what does that really mean for Twitter’s advertisers and users, and how do we get there? It comes down to two factors, writes Sarah Rose, the SVP of international digital advertising at IPG’s Kinesso.