Identity and Privacy in Advertising in 2024

Featuring:

Shiv Gupta, Founder U of Digital

Paul Knegren, Former CMO of Outbrain and Marketing Guru

Josh Mortensen, Post Cookie Prodigy.

The esteemed panelists discuss the challenges and strategies for marketers in navigating the changing landscape of identity marketing and ad tech. They emphasize the importance of understanding the forces of regulation and platform changes, and the need for marketers to take a step back, learn, and evaluate the potential impact on their business. The panelists also discuss the balance between precision in advertising and safeguarding user privacy, and the need for industry-specific best practices. They explore the role of first-party data, the potential of contextual advertising, and the emerging opportunities in local and geo-targeting. The conversation explores various aspects of data collection, ownership of targeting and measurement, collaboration among walled gardens, the role of AI in the privacy identity debate, the creepy factor and user perception, and the key to identity in 2024. The participants also discuss the impact of government regulation and the importance of education in the industry.

Takeaways

• Marketers need to stay informed about the forces of regulation and platform changes to proactively prepare for potential shifts in identity marketing.
• Experimentation with low-lift solutions and spreading bets across different strategies can help marketers navigate the uncertainty of the post-cookie era.
• Privacy-respecting alternatives to identity tracking, such as contextual advertising and local/geo-targeting, offer opportunities for effective and privacy-conscious marketing.
• Marketers should focus on creating compelling creative and storytelling to engage audiences, rather than solely relying on granular targeting and tracking. Data collection has evolved over the years, with a shift towards registration and the use of portals to gather user data.
• Companies like Google and Facebook have a significant advantage in owning the targeting and measurement capabilities.
• Collaboration among walled gardens, such as publishers forming consortia, can help leverage first-party data.
• AI plays a crucial role in modeling user behavior and making predictions, but its effectiveness depends on the quality of data.
• User perception of targeted advertising as creepy is influenced by Apple's marketing strategy and privacy-focused messaging.
• The key to identity in 2024 is to let go of traditional approaches and find new models and approaches.
• Government regulation and education are important factors in shaping the future of privacy and identity in advertising.