Here’s today’s roundup of AdExchanger.com news… Want it by email? Register here.
Improved transparency (Of course…)
The Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) has launched a certification program for Addressable Media Identifiers (AMIs), which have become super important since ATT.
If you haven’t heard of AMIs, don’t worry. It’s not a common term, at least not yet, although you might know them by a different name. Google UIDs and PPIDs are AMIs. I guess we just don’t have enough three-letter acronyms (TLAs) in ad tech.
Hold on to your hat: PRAM, the “Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media,” which is supported by the IAB, WFA, ANA, and a few other TLAs, transitioned governance on AMIs at the DAA in February.
What are the other AMIs? Well, LiveRamp leverages the largest graph in AMI with its RampID (formerly IdentityLink, which went through IDL… a tough loss for TLAs).
And, wouldn’t you know, LiveRamp is the first provider to accept DAA AMI certification. The exam will cover RampID and LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS), vendors of products used to collect email and PPIDs…I mean UIDs…or wait, AMIs. Anyway.
“DAA certification is an important step in improving the transparency and accountability of digital advertising,” according to a statement from Criteo’s Chief Product Officer, Todd Parsons, in the Release. Parsons is also cited as “PMC Chair of the Pre-Submission Addressability Framework”. (Call it PAF, come on.) PMC stands for “project management committee.”
It’s time for a drink.
A license for swill
One of the main EU antitrust arguments against Google is that it deliberately undercuts the value of its commercial technology to customers in order to improve its own products by comparison. Last year, Google lost an appeal and was hit with a $2.8 billion fine for self-preferring its own comparison shopping search results.
A take on this strategy could work again in a new combination targeting the search engine licensing businesses of Google and Microsoft, Politics reports.
Google licenses search ads to online marketplaces and retailers, other search engines, such as Startpage, and mobile phone manufacturers. Microsoft Bing is the white label search ad marketer for DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Qwant and other engines.
Data compiled by ad tech researchers – who are unnamed “for fear of harming commercial relations between Microsoft or Google” – would prove that the big platforms are siphoning off quality ads for themselves and sending crude spam to incumbents of license. Interesting searches such as “buy sofa online” generate relevant and rich media placements on the home search page, while a licensed service may not be able to serve an ad at all.
A Google spokesperson says advertisers choose to target only Google or the partner network. So guess it’s up to them to fix Google’s licensed search?
I see you cd
The CDC has been tracking millions of phone locations while monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and people’s movements through various stages of quarantine.
This is not news. The center’s relationship with location data vendor SafeGraph for access to pandemic-related data was previously reported two years ago. The data was used to track the impact of border closures on coronavirus rates, Vice reports and to evaluate political programs with the Navajo Nation.
Even so, the report is sure to ignite, although there is little substance.
The CDC monitored curfews and attendance, but not to track people who broke the rules. He monitored aggregate data to see if shopping or travel had an impact on the spread of the disease.
Vice says the revelations are “likely to be controversial” even if the use of the data itself is a trifle. Either way, proponents of the truth about the vaccine mandate and conspiracy theorists hounding the government will no doubt benefit from the report.
This is not a valid reason against the CDC’s use of location data to track the spread of COVID-19.
But this is this: the same data could also be used for nefarious purposes. For example, SafeGraph data could be used to track where people came from on their way or where they went after visiting a family planning clinic.
But wait, there’s more!
Vice Media has hired financial advisers to seek a buyer and may sell in pieces. [CNBC]
Lightshed Partners: Why did Charter choose Comcast’s Flex over Google TV in the tvOS war? [blog]
Speaking of which, Comcast Technology Solutions has launched a dynamic linear addressable ad insertion product. [release]
How the Coke and Pepsi rivalry has shaped marketing – and where it’s going next. [Marketing Dive]
Publicis Groupe acquires software startup ecomm Profitero for $200 million. [WSJ]
You are engaged!
Frank Einecke, former managing director of global marketing partners at Google, is the new CEO of ad blocker operator eyeo. [release]
Sarah Van Mosel joins iHeartMedia as Executive Vice President of the iHeart Audience Network. [release]