Digital Advertising in a Privacy-First World: Strategies to Succeed

Consumers care about their privacy. With data and targeting in the digital advertising industry more obliquitous, the consumer and their data privacy concerns must be accounted for

Recent data shows that 86% of US consumers are concerned about data privacy, with a full 3 in 10 unwilling to share their personal data for any reason. With widespread consumer disapproval of targeting tools such as third-party cookies, and government privacy regulations and changing policies from tech giants like Apple and Google, advertisers must find new ways to market relevant content to willing audience segments.

In this privacy-first future, it is crucial that marketers understand and implement privacy-centric approaches to targeting, here are a few strategies to succeed in a privacy-first future.

Avoid One-Size-Fits-All Promises: Creating a cookieless new normal is not an easy task. It is important to remember that this is a marathon, not a race. A “one-size-fits-all” solution is unlikely to address each marketer’s unique concerns, from media placement options to audience targeting to conversion tracking. The key here is to test a variety of solutions to evaluate what mix of available alternatives will work for you.

Test Privacy-Centric Approaches to Targeting: Marketers can leverage targeting options like contextual, semantic, and machine learning without worrying about consumer privacy concerns. Geo-based targeting is another option that’s often privacy-friendly, as is buying via PMPs, which won’t be affected by cookie deprecation.

Leverage Consented First-Party Data: Collecting and leveraging first-party data from consumers will be key moving forward. Since users give this information freely, it’s privacy-compliant. Plus, personalization and targeting efforts fueled by first-party data are more likely to resonate and yield positive campaign results. If you have access to email addresses, phone numbers, or any other consented data from your consumer base, you can layer that data into other types of targeting to differentiate audience groups.

Stay Up to Date on Innovations in Cookieless Solutions: Digital marketers should stay informed on how heavy hitters in the ad industry are developing identity solutions that are both high-performing and privacy compliant. There’s the International Advertising Bureau’s Project Rearc with its encrypted identifiers and consumer controls, for example, or LiveRamp’s RampID and its ability to resolve hundreds of identifiers into one unique ID.

Clearly State Your Intended Data: Use The more integrity with which you use your consumers’ data, the sturdier your overall relationship will be—before, during, and after your campaigns. The customer-centricity of a clearly crafted data usage policy won’t go unnoticed. So, while ensuring data security through the right partnerships and infrastructure is necessary, leveraging opted-in data and privacy-first media is a smart use of your available tools.

The digital advertising industry is built on consumers' trust and their consent to use their data to deliver more relevant advertising. For this to continue, more privacy-centered targeting must be innovated, adjusted, and implemented. This will build consumer confidence and help the industry continue to thrive in today's privacy-first world.