Online readership has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and alongside conflicting and ever-changing guidance for its audience, publishers are also faced with the challenge of how to better monetise this increase in traffic. When the obstacle of Apple’s changes to its IDFA permissions, which mean publishers must obtain permission to track users using the IDFA, is added to the fact that there are less than 15 months to go until Google deprecates third-party cookies, it’s easy to see why publishers find the landscape confusing to navigate.
While the needs of each publisher will be different, there are some questions they should be asking when evaluating which cookieless solution is right for them. Ultimately, if it can fulfill the below criteria, publishers will be able to sustain and grow ad revenue while improving the trust of both their audience and partners.
1. Is it privacy-first?
Publishers have worked hard to improve upon and develop first-party relationships with their users. Often, building trust is achieved by positively communicating the value exchange through various authentication methods and allaying any potential concerns around consumer privacy. Thus, if the solution being considered uses fingerprinting, passes hashed emails or personal data in the bidstream, or stores it in any way, the risk of data leakage is too great and publishers should avoid it as an option. Instead, they should look for a solution that provides end-to-end and platform-specific encryption to safeguard against data leakage and re-identification, and where they maintain control over their data.
2. Does it offer addressable reach across multiple channels?
To-date, consumer data has been fragmented across the ecosystem. Publishers now have the opportunity to employ a solution that offers addressable reach at both the user and household level, and is able to work simultaneously across a number of channels including digital, mobile and connected TV (CTV). It should also offer durability by being a workable solution now and adaptable enough for future regulatory and industry changes.
3. Can it connect offline and online data?
Data-driven marketing is far more impactful than a ‘spray-and-pray’ approach. A solution that enables personalised targeting based on behavioural data and audience segments will be crucial. True success lies in the ability to connect offline and online data seamlessly.
4. Does it enable global frequency capping?
One of the reasons the walled gardens are so successful is that they can prevent banner burnout by being able to limit the number of times a unique visitor is shown a specific ad. That’s why it’s imperative that any cookieless solution can prove it is effective across the open Internet. By fulfilling this criterion, publishers will enable better, more effective performance for their advertisers, which will make its inventory more attractive.
5. Can it improve the ability to measure CTV campaigns?
Consumers are spending more time at home than ever before, resulting in an increase in CTV viewership. According to eMarketer, the number of CTV users in the UK is expected to reach 40.9 million — a meaningful increase from January’s forecast of 38.6 million. Advertisers are consequently looking to reach individuals through CTV, furthering emphasizing the importance of selecting a solution that enables accurate targeting and measurement on CTV.
6. Is it a global player with the right partners?
With anyone around the world able to access content, publishers should think about monetisation efforts from a global perspective;their cookieless solution should boast an international footprint, as well as a substantial number of connections with recognised and well-established partners. Partnerships with the major SSPs, DSPs, exchanges and other demand sources attract high advertiser demand and will ensure publishers attain a global reach. Without a credible network in place, publishers won’t be able to maximise CPMs or sell all of their inventory.
A cookieless solution that can provide all of the above will be the one that helps publishers discover new revenue opportunities and grow their audience. For any publishers choosing a solution, it’s worth noting not all cookieless solutions are equal, and it’s important to do the homework first, using the pointers above as a guide.
To learn more about how LiveRamp solves for cookieless addressability with the Authenticated Traffic Solution, contact us at [email protected].