Data Privacy

Nielsen’s specialty is media measurement, not mar tech. But a slew of new Nielsen Marketing Cloud wins may help change that perception. Despite the presence of data management platforms from Salesforce, Adobe and Oracle, Nielsen Marketing Cloud just had its largest-ever quarter for new DMP client wins since it acquired eXelate in 2015. CPG marketers […]

Winter is coming – for companies that aren’t taking the new EU privacy regime seriously. Ad tech players are particularly vulnerable, said Todd Ruback, chief privacy officer at digital governance company Evidon, which sold its consumer-facing privacy extension, Ghostery, in February in order to dedicate itself to enterprise compliance. “The ad tech industry is the weak […]

Location policy changes for Apple’s iOS 11 update coming in September and Android O, which is still in developer preview, will alter the way consumers dole out location data and have ripple effects for mobile marketing. The most consequential new policy will be on iPhones and iPads, where a blue bar at the top of […]

Broadcast radio is getting a data-driven boost with the help of Nielsen Marketing Cloud. Nielsen announced on Wednesday that broadcast radio network Westwood One will use Nielsen’s data-management platform (DMP) to segment audiences across its broadcast and digital inventory. That makes Nielsen Marketing Cloud the first exclusively audio DMP on the market, said Damian Garbaccio, […]

Microsoft is beta testing a feature on its Bing search engine called Custom Audiences. It is designed to improve targeting by letting advertisers upload first-party files like CRM, purchase history and subscription data. If advertisers want to participate in the beta test, which has been underway for several months, advertisers must upload their data via […]

Apple’s announcement on Monday that its Safari desktop browser would block third-party tracking information by default worries the ad tech industry – even though Safari represents less than 5% of paid search clicks, according to data from performance marketing agency Merkle. But not everyone is alarmed. The change is likely just another stepping stone in […]

Kelly Liyakasa contributed The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will become law in May 2018. Think it won’t affect you? Think again. “This kind of legislation impacts every company in the world,” said Acxiom CEO Scott Howe. “Very few companies aren’t collecting or utilizing information to improve their decision making.” But how the […]

Regulators will always be playing catch-up with technology. Is self-regulation the answer? By the time regulators do act to protect consumers, it’s generally more reactive than proactive. “The pace of change is much quicker than it used to be,” Martha Coakley, the former attorney general of Massachusetts, said Wednesday at an event hosted by marketing […]

Forrester’s latest evaluation of standalone data management platforms (DMPs), released Thursday, arrives one week after its assessment of demand-side platforms (DSPs). While DMPs originated as audience segmentation tools to enhance media buying, the value prop of a standalone DMP is very different from one tied to a DSP, said Forrester’s senior analyst Susan Bidel. Forrester reviewed […]

Keary Phillips spearheaded the tech stack behind Allstate’s programmatic in-house strategy. Now he’s at it again at Angie’s List – the digital reviews site for local service providers he joined as senior director of digital marketing last August. Although Angie’s List was founded in the mid-’90s during the peak of web 1.0 portals, ironically it […]

Net neutrality is not long for this world. In a 2-1 party-line vote Thursday, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal Title II, the regulatory framework used by the former regime to reclassify broadband providers as common carriers. The proposed rule, part of the FCC’s effort at “restoring internet freedom,” will be subject […]

Agencies want to take advantage of location data, but roadblocks still stand in the way. For Mobext, the mobile arm of Havas Media Group, fragmentation and quality-control issues top the list. “A lot of companies have hopped on the bandwagon in the location space, and that’s created a lot of clutter in the offerings available […]

When it comes to location-based based data, targeting is the low-hanging fruit. The ripe opportunities center on using location to enhance behavioral profiles and connect online ad exposure with real-world activities. Easier said than done, however. Advertisers and agencies are interested, but the technology is still developing and there’s a fair amount of BS flying […]

Ajit Pai is waging war against net neutrality. On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai laid out his plan for dismantling net neutrality regulations with a proposal to reverse Title II. Title II is the regulatory framework the previous FCC, led by former Chairman and Democrat Tom Wheeler, used to reclassify broadband providers as common […]

When it comes to how buyers perceive the data management platform (DMP) market, it’s Oracle BlueKai’s game to lose, according to a new Advertiser Perceptions report. The research firm’s Programmatic Intelligence Report for Q1 2017 surveyed more than 1,000 decision-makers from agencies, advertisers, publishers and tech providers. Oracle BlueKai led the pack in brand recognition: […]

Dr. Martens, the iconic British boot maker popularized in ’80s and ’90s subculture, is adding a new sheen to its customer data strategy. Although each of Dr. Martens’ regional businesses in the UK, Americas, Europe/Africa and Asia is responsible for its own marketing, development and IP, the company’s digital efforts are converging as it eyes […]

As consumers went mobile, cookie-based data management platforms (DMP) like BlueKai – now Oracle Data Cloud – had to figure out a new data strategy. Oracle Data Cloud, which employs 1,000 people, hooks into multiple digital and TV platforms to differentiate its DMP offering. “We’ve really worked to have reach and meaningful scale through partnerships […]

Stick a fork in the Federal Communication Commission’s Obama-era privacy rules. As promised, President Trump signed a bill Monday to repeal the ISP privacy regulation passed last year under former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The repeal follows Republican-led Senate and House votes to kill the regs in late March. The rules would have required broadband […]

The Republican-led House voted Tuesday to kill the Federal Communication Commission’s ISP privacy rules. All it needs now is the president’s signature, and that is all but assured. The White House issued a statement earlier in the day to say that President Trump strongly supports repealing the rules. Ad trade orgs rejoice. The House’s decision […]

While Nordstrom’s digital subsidiaries include Trunk Club, HauteLook, Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com, the retailer is trying to align around the concept of “one Nordstrom.” Initially, each property had its own data stash, which kept Nordstrom from doing cross-device targeting and comprehensive attribution. “We also didn’t have a good way to connect our online data to our […]

The US Senate on Thursday voted down Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations that would have required internet service providers to get users to consent to be targeted by advertisers. The law would have required the providers (ISPs) to get explicit consent from users before allowing advertisers to buy or target against web browsing histories, geolocation, […]

Until late 2016, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group had partnered with an agency to manage most of its programmatic and data capabilities. But like many marketers, the beverage brand sees value in making media its own remit. “It made more sense to pull that in-house so we’d have more transparency into how everything was working, what […]

Foursquare debuted a foot-traffic measurement tool called Foursquare Analytics on Monday. Foursquare Analytics, which uses opted-in users to measure in-store traffic, began in private beta last year with brands like TGI Fridays, Equinox and Taco Bell. Brands that pay a monthly subscription fee to use the SaaS product. TGI Fridays matches customers from its CRM […]

XAd only wants advertisers to get paid if someone actually walks in the door. On Thursday, the location-based mobile ad network said it would allow brands to transact on a cost-per-visit (CPV) basis. Advertisers will be able to make media buys based on foot traffic-related KPIs and only pay for performance. It’s an appealing proposition […]

The fallout from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) litigation against smart TV manufacturer Vizio for “unfair and deceptive data-collection” practices didn’t end with its $2.2 million settlement in February. Separately, Vizio is also embroiled in a class-action lawsuit that industry insiders predict is far from over. These allegations stem from claims the smart TV manufacturer […]

This post is not sponsored. Thirty-seven percent of publishers fail to properly label their sponsored content to comply with the FTC enforcement policy issued in December 2015, according to MediaRadar. The ad sales intelligence firm scanned sponsored content ads from 12,000 brands over the course of 2016. The numbers may look bad, but they actually […]

The other shoe has dropped: Newly minted Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on Friday moved to block the implementation of the ISP privacy rules passed under former Commissioner Tom Wheeler. Pai was acting on a request by trade groups to stay the rule rollout, which was scheduled to take effect March 2. “All […]

The ad tech ecosystem keeps Jessica Rich up at night. “The current models just aren’t working,” said Rich, who until recently sat on the front lines of advertising regulation and enforcement as director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Rich resigned her post last week after a 26-year career at the commission […]

There’s a new top cop on the advertising regulation beat. Attorney Thomas Pahl will fill Jessica Rich’s shoes as acting director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Acting FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen named Pahl to his new post on Wednesday, the day after it was announced Rich would be stepping down. Pahl […]

The sea change at the Federal Trade Commission continues. On Tuesday, Jessica Rich, the FTC’s director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, exited the commission after 26 years of service. Rich led the bureau since 2013, when she was appointed by then-FTC Chair Edith Ramirez. The announcement comes on the heels of Ramirez’s planned departure […]