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In this time of third-party cookie deprecation, future-proof publisher identity solutions are crucial.
Knowing this, we made the exciting decision to transfer ownership of our PubCommon ID’s technology to Prebid.org—an open-source community that helps publishers implement header bidding and other products on their websites and apps—to establish the industry’s first universal ID, SharedID: a common ID that publishers, exchanges and buyers can all use to increase identity consistency.
In a landscape with many identity solutions, we are honored that Prebid.org selected PubCommon ID to bring the industry’s first community-driven approach to identity, and are proud to be a part of a solution mutually beneficial to publishers, buyers and users alike in a privacy centric way.
As the industry debates what the world will look like post third-party cookies, universal IDs like SharedID address both the first-party identifier and third-party cookie hurdles that face digital advertising. This article outlines the key benefits of using a publisher identity solution in today’s changing landscape.
Modern consumers value personalized brand experiences. Our research shows that 80% of consumers are more willing to do business with a company that provides personalized experiences, and 90% find personalization appealing.
If advertisers who have historically heavily relied on third-party cookies don’t adjust their identity strategies now, consumers will be met with repetitive, irrelevant advertisements. And these aren’t just minor annoyances: Our study indicates that 68% of consumers think it’s worth sharing personal information in exchange for relevant offers, recommendations and discounts.
When we built PubCommon ID in 2018, our aim was to give publishers more control over their data, creating better experiences for publishers and consumers alike. We wanted to offer publishers an open-source, identity solution that improves matching and increases revenue, while not impacting latency. Apple ITP was being released at the time of
PubCommon ID’s creation, which started the browser restrictions trends that impact publishers’ monetization with partners like Epsilon. It is designed to be compliant with Apple ITP guidelines, and as a result to be compliant with other browser restrictions in the future. PubCommon ID has already achieved widespread adoption and driven positive results since its inception. Those who have implemented have seen a 23% increase in revenue and a 30% increase in filled impressions, and sometimes higher.
And, when more publishers can individually ID consumers, more consumers can experience the personalized content they prefer. For SharedID, Prebid sought to create a consistent, widespread solution within the marketplace to help with scalability. Open-source identity solutions, like PubCommon ID and now SharedID, help expand the scope of publishers who can implement ID solutions and free publishers from relying on hundreds of cookies, greatly reducing the overall identifier footprint.
In addition to preferring personalized experiences, consumers want privacy. Consumers are increasingly aware of how their data is collected, and want full transparency into how it’s used. There’s even a new group of consumers emerging: one willing to act on their vocalized concern related to the management (or mismanagement) of their data. According to Cisco, 32% of consumers have gone so far as to switch companies or providers over data or data-sharing policies.
What we see with publisher identity solutions like SharedID and PubCommon ID is a distinct respect for privacy. SharedID has a single-point opt-out to give consumers full control over their privacy and advertising preferences. SharedID shares the vision of Epsilon and our PubCommon ID to monetize, fill ad space and improve user experience in a privacy-centric way. We decided to help power SharedID, as it has the ability to scale PubCommon ID’s vision based on Prebid’s marketeshare and trusted presence.
SharedID includes both first- and third-party components. This supports both today’s marketplace, which relies on third-party cookies, and the future marketplace, which will rely on first-party cookies. Having both first- and third-party cookie support within one solution provides a more complete identity solution and makes the transition into the third-party-cookieless world easier for all parties. SharedID also puts control back in the hands of publishers, allowing publishers to drive a truly transparent solution for identity. The solution embraces the open-source and community-driven approach that allows the open internet and ad tech at large to embrace a common, transparent namespace.
We’re excited to be on the ground floor of industry change. SharedID builds on the vision of PubCommon ID to introduce an industry-wide improvement of publishers’ ability to identify their audience and monetize their websites, while keeping user privacy and experience at the forefront. Since SharedID is a community-owned solution, there is input from multiple companies in the ecosystem and therefore will offer more broad-based benefits and wider adoption than a solution built by one company looking to benefit themselves first.
This transfer gives us an opportunity to provide input into future changes with PubCommon ID and other Prebid product solutions, and is a validation of Epsilon as a leader in identity solutions. We look forward to being a part of the new digital advertising landscape.
To learn more, read the announcement here.
Heather Swarens is a Senior Vice President of Media Development at Epsilon.
