Publishers have historically been viewed as a means to an end in the ad industry.
But with continuous changes in privacy laws and upcoming third-party cookie deprecation, publishers have finally gained more influence over the ad industry supply chain.
This is because they have something that advertisers want: a direct relationship with consumers that enables them to collect and manage first-party data in a privacy-compliant way.
These relationships are critical for the future of ad targeting.
They are changing how publisher data is packaged and delivered, especially programmatically. Deal IDs are helping publishers package their audience data while providing advertisers the flexibility and transparency that they’ve desired for so long.
Not only do SSPs get access to a curated selection of inventory, but they also get preferred, first-look privileges. Publishers can even add specific audience data within the deal to provide buyers access to more refined targeting.
However, in order to take advantage of these benefits, advertisers may need to reevaluate how they run their programmatic campaigns.
A new way to deliver audiences
Publishers have traditionally connected to programmatic demand via supply-side platforms (SSPs). These SSPs are evolving beyond packaging up publisher sites to meet demand so they have a more visible role in the supply chain. As a result, agencies are deepening their direct relationships with SSPs to inform their media-buying strategies.
The benefit is that these buyers now have fewer intermediaries between them and the publisher, which aligns with the wider industry trend of supply-path optimization. When buyers can easily trace performance and outcomes back to specific suppliers, optimizing toward the strategic partners that align with their needs is much easier. Deal IDs play a huge part in this progression.
Traditionally, buyers and sellers would sign a deal that is transacted on the open exchange while guaranteeing a set amount of spend. Now, deal IDs can create a targeted audience that is used within that campaign and provide flexibility to target inventory at an invite-only auction at a set CPM price.
Buyers can then select the inventory that converts best for their campaigns.
SSPs can use deal IDs to package and deliver audience segment data from publishers to brands and agencies buying programmatically. Multiple kinds of data sources – ranging from audience behavior and demographics to firmographic data – can be aggregated to build segments for both B2C and B2B targeting.
This can include everything from product affinities and purchase intent on the consumer side to company size or industry for B2B marketers.
Benefits all around
One of the biggest benefits of using deal IDs is that they use match keys across multiple platforms in addition to the cookie, preparing ad buyers for the cookieless world. Curation technology can combine several seller deal IDs into one single deal for buyers and their platforms.
This blending of supply- and demand-side targeting achieves greater reach while allowing buyers to target one or all of the IDs in their campaign. The result? More efficient targeting thanks to a complete view of publisher inventory with brand and third-party insights.
The empowerment of publishers and SSPs, along with new ways of utilizing deal IDs, will have a massive influence on the supply chain.
Deal IDs provide the transparency and faster time-to-market big agencies need to assess performance across all programmatic buying platforms. This efficient access to data, insight and engagement measurement can finally put an end to any form of “black box” that prevents advertisers from truly understanding how their spending affects performance.
This is essential as the industry recalibrates for efficient growth.
“The Sell Sider” is a column written by the sell side of the digital media community.
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