Navigating the Shift to First-Party Audience Data: Opportunities and Challenges

Publishers and vendors face new challenges and opportunities as the advertising industry shifts from third-party cookies to first-party data. This article outlines key strategies to empower them in this evolving landscape.

Challenges

Scaling Challenges in First-Party Data Utilization

A significant challenge in leveraging first-party audience data is its scale. Many publishers don't have the necessary size to meet advertisers' reach requirements. Third-party data historically filled this gap, but now, even high-traffic publishers need help to meet the needs of SSPs, DSPs, and advertisers.

Publisher Action Plan

• Collaborate with Other Publishers: Form alliances or networks to aggregate audiences, increasing reach and data scale. This is generally accomplished by leveraging adtech partners, publisher collectives, and other tools to aggregate audiences.  
• Utilize Data Enrichment Techniques: Enhance your first-party data with additional insights to increase its value to advertisers.
• Diversify Content and Audience Reach: Expand into new content areas or platforms to attract a broader audience.

Risks: 

• Dependence on External Partners: Ensure balanced collaborations to avoid over-reliance on a single partner.  Also, ensure your partners can shield your data from other co-op members.
• Data Privacy Concerns: Employing data enrichment techniques could raise privacy concerns, especially when third-party data is involved. Partner with companies that prioritize data safety and compliance. Work with partners who understand your data, what can be done, and the best way to keep your data compliant and safe.

In the past, publishers tended to jump into bed with any adtech vendor that delivered some promise of incremental revenue.  However, historically, this has led to giving away audience data and allowing others to disintermediate the relationship with your audience.  So, in this new world, publishers must be more circumspect about who they partner with. Most importantly, choose partners who operate fully transparently regarding how data is used and monetized. Ensure you can reclaim all your data, and your past partner will not simply steal your data after you sever the relationship. 

It's also worth reminding you again: If you can't understand what your partners are doing with the data and aren't 100% transparent on what's happening, you shouldn't be working with them as they open you up to potential liability and brand risk to your publication. No one wants to be the person who suggested using a fraudulent vendor. It can cost you your job and professional reputation.

Audience Definition and Standards Challenges

Different publishers have varying criteria for segment classification, leading to advertiser confusion.. For instance, two publishers focusing on entertainment might each have a segment for movie enthusiasts, but their criteria for inclusion in this segment could differ significantly. This discrepancy poses a challenge for advertisers who need a uniform understanding of audience segments for effective campaign planning. To address this, collaborate with the right partner, who can provide standardized taxonomies and conform to buyers' needs. 

Publisher Action Plan

• Standardize Audience Segments: Work towards adopting industry-standard definitions for audience segments. Examples are IAB, Google, etc.
• Educate Advertisers: Provide clear documentation and case studies explaining your audience segmentation methodology to advertisers.
• Leverage Technology for Precision: Invest in analytics and AI to refine audience segmentation and provide more targeted data to advertisers.

Risks: 

• Misalignment with Industry Trends: Standardizing audience segments without aligning with industry trends might reduce competitiveness.
• Over-complication for Advertisers: More detailed segment definitions may need to be clarified for advertisers, leading to reduced interest.
• Inaccuracy in Audience Data: Reliance on technology for audience segmentation could result in inaccuracies if not correctly calibrated.

Opportunities

Opportunity: Aggregators and Standardization

In the emerging trend of standardization, partnering with aggregators offers a solution. These partnerships can yield more significant, more standardized audiences.  One solution gaining traction is using aggregators who partner with multiple publishers. These aggregators can offer a more significant, combined audience and bring standardization to segment definitions. Adopting frameworks like the IAB’s Seller Defined Audience (SDA) structure is anticipated to provide more explicit guidelines and transparency in creating segments.

Publisher Action Plan

• Partner with Aggregators: Engage with aggregators to benefit from larger, standardized audience pools.
• Adopt and Promote new audience curation opportunities (e.g. Xandr Curate, OpenX-Open Audiences, etc.). You can think of all of these solutions as custom Seller Defined Audiences. Embrace Seller-Defined Audience structures and educate your team on their implementation and advantages.  
• Contribute to Industry Standards: Actively participate in industry discussions to shape and adapt to evolving standards.

Risks: 

• Loss of Control over Data: Working with aggregators might lead to reduced control over how audience data is used and monetized. Pay attention to the fine print.
• Overdependence on Industry Standards: Adopting SDA structures without flexibility could hinder innovation in audience segmentation—balance standards with innovation.
• Potential for Standardization Conflicts: Active participation in industry standards might lead to conflicts with existing data practices

Opportunity: Data Integration and Partnerships

In response to these challenges, many publishers collaborate with intermediaries and data providers to align their audience data effectively. For example, tools like Xandr’s Curate are being used to map publisher data to consumer IDs, enabling advertisers to leverage comprehensive data sets. However, this approach demands investment in integrating data and promoting first-party data, particularly for smaller publishers. Companies like GrowthCode are emerging to support publishers in these efforts, providing necessary services and technologies.

Publisher Action Plan

• Invest in Integration Technologies: Allocate resources to build, acquire, or license the necessary technology for effective data integration.
• Form Strategic Partnerships: Identify and collaborate with data providers and intermediaries that complement your data assets.
• Promote First-Party Data Advantages: Market the uniqueness and quality of your first-party data to potential partners and advertisers.

Risks: 

• Technological Challenges: Integration of diverse data systems can be complex and resource-intensive.Invest in user-friendly integration solutions.
• Risk of Data Breaches: Collaborating with external partners increases the risk of data breaches and security incidents.
• Misalignment with Partner Objectives: Partnerships only succeed if the objectives of the involved parties are well-aligned.

Opportunity: Define Your Publisher Strategies Based on Your Size 

Larger publishers may opt to manage these solutions in-house. Conversely, mid-tier and smaller publishers find working with existing monetization partners or other service providers more practical. This collaborative approach allows them to leverage the technical infrastructure and a broader audience base.

Publisher Action Plan

• Tailored Solutions for Size: Smaller publishers should focus on niche markets and unique audience insights, while larger publishers can explore in-house comprehensive data solutions.
• Utilize Monetization Partners: Leverage relationships with monetization partners for technical support and access to broader data sets.
• Continuous Innovation and Adaptation: Stay agile and continuously adapt strategies based on market changes and technological advancements.

Risks: 

• Resource Constraints for Smaller Publishers: Smaller publishers may struggle with the resource demands of niche marketing and technological investments.
• Potential for Market Oversaturation: Focusing on niche markets might lead to oversaturation if many publishers follow the same strategy and niches.
• Adaptability to Market Changes: Continuous innovation demands resources and may strain smaller publishers' operational capacities.

Opportunity: The Role of Universal Identifiers

Understanding universal IDs is crucial in this context. These IDs come in two forms: unsalted IDs, which provide a consistent user record across platforms, and salted IDs, which offer unique identifiers for each user-site interaction. The choice of ID types and their integration is often a strategic decision for SSPs and DSPs, influenced by campaign needs and provider preferences.

Publisher Action Plan

• Educate yourself on ID Options: Stay informed about the different types of universal IDs and their applications, features, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Strategically Select ID Types: Choose IDs that align with your data strategy and advertiser needs. 
• Monitor Industry Trends: Stay updated on developments in ID technology to ensure your approach remains relevant.

Unfortunately, with the beginning of cookie deprecation on January 4, 2024, publishers must hedge their bets and ensure that they are broadly deploying Universal/Electronic IDs across all programmatic offerings. Simply working with the two most popular means that any advertiser utilizing one of the other two dozen EIDs/UIDs will only target that publisher's inventory if those IDs are available. Therefore, we recommend working with a partner who seamlessly integrates 5 to 10 of the ID offerings (over two dozen) and ensures maximum coverage as the market settles. 

Risks: 

• Complexity in ID Management: Navigating various ID options can be complex, especially for publishers with limited technical resources and expertise.
• Privacy Compliance Issues: Different ID types may pose varying challenges in compliance with data privacy regulations.
• Dependency on External ID Providers: Relying on external ID providers might lead to challenges if provider policies or technologies change.

Conclusion: Embrace the Change and Plan Ahead

In conclusion, publishers and advertisers should adapt to meet the industry's transformation now. Begin by defining your existing data, identifying enrichment needs, and selecting ID partners that respect data integrity. Prioritize testing on channels that promise immediate returns, and consider your unique business model when choosing further investment areas.

As we approach critical deadlines, like the one on January 4th, staying informed and prepared is vital. Look out for our upcoming whitepaper on this date for deeper insights and strategies to thrive in this evolving landscape.