The value of aligning advertiser and publisher objectives in a post-cookie world
With the demise of the third-party cookie nearing, advertisers and publishers have an opportunity to synchronize around a set of approaches that will enable them to achieve their respective goals, writes DoubleVerify’s Mimi Wotring as part of The Drum’s Data Deep Dive.
DoubleVerify hosted an anonymous roundtable with 12 advertisers and publishers to discuss what the cookieless future holds
As we gaze into the bottom of the cookie jar, advertisers and publishers continue to innovate solutions in order to succeed in a post-cookie media landscape. And, as the industry at large scrambles to redefine its relationship with third-party data, advertisers and publishers have a unique opportunity to redefine their relationship as well, collaborating to achieve a common goal.
So, what does the cookieless future hold? We hosted an anonymous roundtable with 12 top-tier advertisers and publishers to hash it out. Here’s what they shared:
What the data says
While many studies have shown that the industry almost unanimously agrees that first-party data is key to the cookieless future, the question remains on how each side approaches that solution.
When asked about how publisher first-party data can best benefit all parties, publishers noted that, above all else, it has to be aligned with privacy best practices. Subsequently, when discussing the process of making such data usable for buyers, advertisers have said that it’s all about scale, whether in open exchange or directly through a discreet list of top publishers.
As for buyers, they want to lean on their own first-party data and transparent measurement. Obtained directly from consumers within a brand’s audience, first-party data is often described as having heightened accuracy and consumer behavior prediction capabilities. In tandem, advertisers require the measurement of such data – and question what they will be able to see independent of cookies.
However, it’s not that simple. Some publishers, especially those who don’t have subscription models, struggle to provide additional insight to advertisers, utilizing surveys and business operations experts to help gather, and/or scale their existing, first-party data. Additionally, accuracy is another predicament: one publisher expressed concern that “self-declared information is not always trustworthy.” These are issues that still need to be hammered out in the post-cookie era and, as a result, measurement will play a critical role in understanding what tactics are working.
The publisher divide
There is a sizable divide between bigger and smaller publishers surrounding what tactics will work for them in a post-cookie era. Larger publishers have the ability to engage directly with buyers, while small publishers generally use bidding in order to entice and intrigue. In turn, large publishers are able to employ direct marketing tactics, while smaller, local publishers must execute programmatically. It’s worth noting that there are potential gaps in measurement when it comes to direct v programmatic, which makes it more likely that programmatic guaranteed deals and direct relationships will become more of a focus for publishers in the near-future.
Despite these differences, there are benefits for advertisers in working with both large and small publishers. Smart advertisers will have nimble approaches when it comes to ad buying to take advantage of the audiences that both types of publishers can deliver.
Peering into the future
While multiple alternatives exist, contextual advertising has been brought to the forefront. The cookieless matching of web page content with the content of the advertisement facilitates simplified but effective targeting – benefiting all parties involved in its execution. Nevertheless, in order for effective advertising to succeed, there must also be effective measurement and – ultimately – concrete consumer trust.
Driven by a desire to build a better ecosystem, consumer trust and measurability is paramount for both buyers and sellers. User concerns regarding data handling resulted in the deprecation of third-party cookies – the industry must execute a different approach in order to ensure consumer trust.
In order to substantiate such an approach, there must be an appropriate means of measurement in place to analyze its efficiency. However, while measurability is important, brands and publishers are hesitant to have “their homework graded by each other,” as one publisher noted. Clearly, more conversation is warranted regarding the need and benefits of neutral measurement.
As publishers strive to bring context, publisher first-party data and identity solutions to market, the time to align their efforts with what buyers need is now. In the end, the most profitable ecosystem will be one that is collaborative and transparent.
Mimi Wotring is senior vice-president of publisher sales and client services at DoubleVerify.