Adform – the integrated advertising platform (IAP) – has launched the first demand-side solution that unlocks the power of personalised advertising and data in a world without third-party cookies. The demise of third-party cookies is already a headache for advertisers and publishers on some browsers, and all players in the ecosystem are looking to future-proof their offering and tech stacks. Adform says its success in switching to first-party IDs is an important step forward for the industry.
A joint collaboration between Adform, the European publishing group Sanoma, marketing agency Dagmar, and global group IPG MediaBrands, is demonstrating how the advertising eco-system is moving ahead and levelling the playing field with walled gardens. By sharing first-party data and IDs with Adform, the participating agencies have the power to personalise advertising, target specific audiences, and report results – all without the use of any third-party cookies.
The move to first-party based data not only provides a safeguard for the future but also presents the opportunity for improved personalised advertising in cookie-less environments, like Firefox and Safari browsers, says the company. It adds that publishers are particularly eager to secure ad revenue, and advertisers are primarily looking to better target and frequency cap their ad buying.
Without the need for hundreds of third-party cookies, compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA will be easier, while also offering a better user experience. In addition, first-party IDs and data live longer than third-party cookies, providing significant advantages for most brands and the quality of data in general.
With first-party IDs from publishers and advertisers forming the transactional backbone of the supply chain, impressions and data use become fully traceable which increases transparency – helping issues with discrepancies, accountability, hidden fees, arbitrage, and ad fraud, while significantly decreasing the risk of data leakage.
Adform is uniquely well-placed to drive the switch from third to first-party data, thanks to its integrated advertising platform (IAP). With its end-to-end stack built from the ground up — including a supply-side platform (SSP), demand-side platform (DSP), data-management platform (DMP) and ad server — Adform has a complete digital marketing infrastructure that has allowed it to rebuild the entire supply and demand path around first-party IDs.
“We have proved that it is possible to switch from third-party cookies to first-party IDs and, as such, have provided a leap into the future of digital marketing. The industry is on an inevitable road to life without third-party cookies and ongoing success for the open ecosystem will depend on collaboration. So far, publisher announcements around first-party data have represented positive yet individual approaches, now it’s clear that working together presents a more powerful way to ensure profitability for independent publishers. In fact, the evidence of how impactful shared first-party IDs can be has already led to many agencies and sales houses to express interest in moving spend away from media giants,” comments Jakob Bak (pictured), CTO, Adform.
“Finland is an established hotbed for innovation, but there is a huge opportunity for wider global progression. This venture is a great example of what can be achieved when publishers and technology companies come together. Working as one, we can be consistently at the forefront of industry development; and effectively preparing for the coming demise of third-party cookies with first-party centric digital advertising,” comments Jaakko Kuivalainen, Director, Digital Advertising Business, at Sanoma.
