Articles by: "Travis Clinger, SVP, Head of Addressability And Ecosystem – LiveRamp"

As one of the world’s oldest and most respected publishers, the Associated Press (AP) knows the importance of preparing for changing times. Amidst the deprecation of third-party cookies, publishers are challenged with gaining control of their content to optimize yield and ultimately drive revenue. After seeing positive results leveraging an alternative to third-party cookies, the AP wanted to extend these capabilities to authenticate its audience across multiple channels.

Recently, I chatted with Brian Barth, Global Director of Digital Marketing Strategy at the AP, on why it was so important for the publisher to extend their solutions to mobile, and what advice he had for other publishers:

With the industry prioritizing first-party data, what are some of the strategies and tactics Associated Press is using to grow its first-party relationships?

We’re exploring all options. But right now our first-party strategy focuses almost exclusively on our newsletter offerings. We’re looking to grow subscribers and readers for our flagship daily Morning Wire, as well as for the new categories and editions of our newsletters we’re introducing — like the AP College Football Poll newsletter, The Huddle. Expanding into other newsletter titles allows us to build-on and develop new relationships, offer the reader unique experiences, and deliver the individualized content we know subscribers want through this meaningful value exchange.

What sell-side challenges does AP face, specific to mobile?

We are very much at the infancy of what we want our app to be. The audience and engagement are so very different then our desktop /mobile web reader. We understand that the experience has to align with their specific needs.The end of third-party cookies has given us an opportunity to re-evaluate our strategy and look for a solution that enables us to reach our audience and engage them more effectively, while also developing that first-party relationship that all publishers desire.

We’ve seen early success using LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) on our desktop and mobile web property. With the results we’ve seen thus far on desktop and mobile web, it was a no-brainer to open up the conversation and piggyback on that success to our mobile app.

We see an opportunity to drive a larger portion of our overall ad revenue through our own-and-operated AP app. We’ve considered that it would be the next phase of implementation. But we wanted to nail down the basics first — activating on our desktop and mobile web experiences first — before we extended activating ATS to our mobile app.

How have authenticated solutions proven to be effective for the AP and its mobile advertisers? Can you give an example(s) or share any initial results at this point?

Partnering with an authenticated solution provided us the ability to be an early adopter in the identity solution space. It’s given us the opportunity to get a glimpse into what our future state needs to be and what results we can expect, without the inherent risks of doing it in real time when Google does deprecate the cookie.

The ability to have our first-party data work for us to improve value to our advertisers is a huge win for us. We’re still early in this process, but so far, seeing a tremendous percentage increase in CPMs after deploying on ATS—we’re seeing about 15,000 envelopes per day that are being deployed through PubMatic. These envelopes indicate users logging into the site experience or clicking through via a newsletter, showcasing the user’s willingness and understanding of the proposition of the value exchange. These authenticated users allow our advertisers to more smartly target these audiences more smartly for greater ROAS. We also have more authenticated volume, enabling us to create a deeper user experience, as well as revenue gains.

Anything else that you’d like to highlight from AP that could help other publishers in their goals to optimize yield, increase revenue, and/or create a 1:1 relationship with readers/users/viewers?

Don’t wait! Take the opportunity of “time” that Google provided to start building your first party data strategy if you haven’t already. The sooner you begin those conversations the sooner you’ll be able to start seeing the near term benefits of your first party data and begin future-proofing your advertising revenue.

Advertising | Perspectives | Supporter Spotlight

Newsweek and Discovery are ready for the cookieless web. Are you?

August 23, 2021 Travis Clinger, SVP, Head of Addressability And Ecosystem – LiveRamp

We all know that the days of the cookie as the primary means to ad targeting and personalization are coming to an end. From increased legislation to ongoing browser updates, the time has come to put the cookie behind us and move forward. The good news is that there are tried and true methods that ensure the free flow of information and effective advertising.

While brands, publishers, and platforms are likely to leverage cookies for as long as they can, the industry has viable solutions and advertisers should take advantage of them. Those who have gotten a head start already see the benefits of an addressable, cookieless solution that enables authenticated user experiences. Brands and publishers that have already made the transition should use this time to establish stronger relationships based on trust through first-party data strategies. Those who haven’t yet started the journey away from third-party cookies should get started right away by leveraging a trusted, first-party authenticated solution.

Authenticated audiences

Previously, brands looking to reach their audiences have been overcompensating for the lack of a transparent, authenticated solution. Data-driven publishers, with established, first-party relationships can leverage their authenticated data so marketers can target audiences and measure campaign outcomes with people-based identity.

In the past, marketers looking for a measurable solution had to turn to social platforms’ walled gardens, which have enjoyed the benefits of disproportionate media investments. Historically, advertisers spent 60% of their digital advertising budget on reaching audiences in walled gardens, allotting only 40% of the budget to the open web. Yet, consumers spent more than half of their time on the open web (66%), compared to just 34% on closed platforms.

As independent publishers embrace the tactics of walled gardens, they leverage first-party authentications to deliver better, more targeted advertising. Initial campaign results from two publishers, Newsweek and Discovery, illustrate that an authenticated, cookieless solution has proven effective.

People-based solutions

Publishers and brands can now connect identities without the use of cookies or compromising data. For example, Newsweek was able to better plan and execute on advertisers’ marketing campaigns by leveraging a people-based, privacy-safe, cookieless solution that enabled publishers and brands to match identities.

Leveraging solutions independent of third-party cookies, the Newsweek team saw a total lift in eCPM as high as 224%, with an average lift of 52% across all web browsers. The lift in specific browsers — a CPM lift of 55% on Google Chrome, and a 93% and 60% CPM lift on Firefox and Safari, respectively — indicates the significant impact the new, cookieless solution can drive as an alternative to third-party cookies and in cookieless environments.

Although third-party cookies are still a capability in Chrome, Newsweek benefited from an audience lift on the browser by activating on the new cookieless solution. Because both Firefox and Safari no longer enable audience reach with third-party cookies, the lift on both browsers demonstrates how the cookieless solution enables a new, more premium channel based on authentications where marketers and advertisers can reach an audience they were not previously able to.

Newsweek’s COO Alvaro Palacios said, “Newsweek has proven through testing that digital media does not need third-party cookies to increase yields and the value of our inventory. This ID solution provides the infrastructure to match our readers with a brand’s customers, for marketing that could be more effective than with third-party cookies.”

On mobile devices, publishers are also seeing a higher CPM than on cookieless mobile web inventory. Through their new ID solution, Newsweek also achieved a CPM lift of 53% on iOS, compared to those that did not activate on this ID. Discovery Inc., a publisher with sites including HGTV.com, TravelChannel.com, FoodNetwork.com and DIYNetwork.com, also saw an average eCPM increase of 44% when enabling activation on the same ID solution on their cookieless inventory.

A new ecosystem where publishers and brands win

The CPM improvements that benefit Newsweek and Discovery are just an example of the incremental revenue opportunities achieved by leveraging an authenticated solution. As publishers continue to grow their addressable inventory, their revenue will also flourish. Brand marketers can now buy inventory activated by authenticated, first-party data. This enables them to reach more consumers on more channels than ever before. And that’s something third-party cookies were never able to achieve.

While third-party cookies may still exist in the near-term, advertisers should take advantage of the proven, more viable solution already available. Consider the cellular network transition from 4G to 5G. With speeds 100 times faster than 4G and better connectivity for seamless user experiences, 5G is the clear winner for a preferred connection. Yet, 4G still exists. In this same way, having already proven themselves to be more effective, authenticated cookieless solutions have also become the preferred solution while third-party cookies remain.

The digital advertising industry is constantly balancing the interests of publishers, brands, and browsers. The sometimes-competing interests may feel like a three-way tug-of-war at times. However, there are proven viable alternatives to third-party cookies that benefit brands and publishers equally.

To get ahead of impending browser changes, publishers must own their trusted first-party consumer relationships through authenticated solutions. Once publishers succeed in establishing trust with their consumers, they will then be able to develop a relationship that’s independent of cookies. And that will improve the user experience and increase yield for publishers and the brands that work for them.

Advertising | Industry-Research | Perspectives | Revenue

Audience trust means authentication – and revenue

May 12, 2021 Travis Clinger, SVP, Head of Addressability And Ecosystem – LiveRamp

In business, sometimes incremental improvements are the right course of action. Small steps allow companies to maintain stability and balance while testing out new protocols and procedures. The advertising industry, however, can no longer take such an incremental approach. It’s time for a complete reimagining. After many years of gradual change, advertising is at a critical inflection point. It must enact a completely new and transformational strategy to restore the ecosystem and drive better business outcomes.

What will be the key to a successful reimagining? A clear vision that offers a view — not just of what could be — but of what should be. We must reframe past and pending changes from browsers, device manufacturers and regulators. They offer a massive opportunity to build a modern system that prioritizes consumer trust and transparency, gives publishers control, and delivers high performance for advertisers.

Remember: Consumers love transparent brands they can trust

First, we should recognize that a system that prioritizes people is one that reevaluates the whole experience, not just the moments when data and consent are collected. A study conducted by Microsoft Advertising, tells us 87% of consumers believe data privacy is a human right, not a privilege. Microsoft Advertising also conducted a series of research studies on the importance of trust to brand love and loyalty. The research showed that 85% of consumers will only consider a brand if they trust it. As trust in a brand increases, so does people’s expression of love for that brand, and their loyalty.

When consumers trust the intentions of advertisers and publishers, they are more willing to authenticate themselves. They will actively share their identity and provide other information, which can be used to deliver more value.

Building that trust requires a commitment to developing great customer experiences. This includes guiding language that clearly explains the value exchange. People must be allowed to signal both what they want and what they don’t want from a publisher or a brand. In the digital and mobile worlds, a strong CX capability that enables dynamic personalization serves as a more effective test for finding different ways to engage consumers and uncovering best practices for how and when to request authentication.

Avoid unsavory shortcuts when building new customer relationships

Consumers clearly want a say in how their data is collected and used. True innovators view consumer privacy as the foundation for building the future we all want. Publishers must embrace consumer control of their data and focus on delivering a trusted value exchange that delivers a great user experience. This way, we enable consumers to share their data and identity in exchange for valued content.

It’s time to debunk solutions that bypass direct consent. They are unlikely to stand the test of time. The practice of fingerprinting, for example, creates a synthetic ID in place of a cookie by aggregating signals not meant for creating identifiers. Yet again, such off-label data collection is not transparent to the consumer. Therefore, it can quickly erode consumer trust, resulting in serious reputational risk.

Take control of data to maximize revenue

Results don’t lie. Publishers that lean into the consumer value exchange authenticate more users. People who trust a publisher enough to provide an email or mobile number tend to be more engaged. The impact can be disproportionately valuable to publishers even with authentication rates as low as five, 10 or 30%.

Authenticated users consume more content on average. Therefore, they can deliver more page views. As just one example, the initial results of Microsoft Advertising and LiveRamp enabling brands to buy authenticated inventory show that Microsoft Advertising CPMs alone increased by over 40%.

This is not an either/or scenario. Even before cookies are officially deprecated, publishers can begin to attract more demand. They can also create multiple paths to stable revenue while still running traditional campaigns. This allows them to learn which strategies work best before they are forced to decide on one path or another. Publishers should layer in authentication capabilities now. This lets them use the next few months leading into this year’s holiday season to experiment with multiple, secure solutions that put them control. These experiments should be addressable, contextual, and cohort based. This will allow them to understand the value each approach can generate for their business.

Underscoring the importance of coalescing addressability and authentications, our collective goal should be to increase trust and accountability. We must first focus on authenticated experiences that deliver real value for consumers and marketers alike via permissioned data sets.

Publishers of all sizes need to be single-minded about maximizing their margins. The global ecosystem benefits when we have a diverse landscape of publishers who can cater to the broad and unique interests of individuals. They must also have flexibility and control over their revenue streams, without fear of pricing changes or other potential taxes.

With clarity of vision, our industry can ensure a win-win-win situation

Publishers must not become reliant on single solutions that come with additional expenses based on volume. They risk giving away yield they can’t invest back into their content or their user experience. The only way for advertising to thrive is when publishers have the power to alternate between effective monetization solutions. They must reduce dependence on any one, especially those with the power to squeeze those margins unpredictably. This is exemplified by the recent changes with IDFA. This seismic shift in inhibiting mobile in-app advertising will have far reaching implications, when 80% of app users may suddenly become unrecognizable to mobile publishers.

It is important to recognize the long-term, commercial impact of creating a more sustainable, healthy, and competitive web that works better for everyone. Prioritizing consumer trust and transparency is ethically the right thing to do. However, it turns out it helps the bottom line too —for publishers, advertisers, and their partners. And it’s impossible to overlook the tangible business impact and the halo effect this imparts on enhancing the holistic consumer experience. The fundamental shift toward a more trusted ecosystem is not an incremental approach, it’s a visionary one.

About the authors

Travis Clinger is the senior vice president of addressability and ecosystem at LiveRamp and serves as a IAB Tech Lab board member.

As senior director of global audience ads at Microsoft, Jeff Nienaber supports the native programmatic marketplace and video advertising business as well as data and identity assets.