Building first-party data assets and investing in alternative ID solutions were revealed as key strategies for senior media and publishing execs.

A recent survey conducted by BlueConic in collaboration with WBR Insights sheds light on the strategies employed by top publishers to address the impending challenges of third-party cookie deprecation. With insights gathered from 100 senior revenue leaders across B2C and B2B publishers, including renowned companies like Hearst, Fast Company, and The Boston Globe, the survey offers valuable insights into the future of the media industry.

Key Findings:

1. Lukewarm Preparedness: While only 13% of respondents strongly agree that their organizations are prepared for media challenges, 55% somewhat agree, reflecting a mixed sentiment about the future readiness of publishers.

2. First-Party Data Vitality: A significant 38% of respondents acknowledge the fundamental role of first-party data in their revenue strategy, emphasizing its importance in revenue generation and audience engagement.

3. Diversification of Revenue Models: Publishers are exploring diverse revenue streams, with advertising remaining dominant (92%) and growing adoption of events (61%), subscriptions (54%), ecommerce (39%), and other models to bolster revenue.

4. Investment Priorities: Top investment areas for publishers include advanced data collection and analytics (69%), enhanced direct audience relationships (48%), and improved digital user experiences (47%) to drive advertising revenue growth.

5. Varied Cookie-Deprecation Strategies: While most publishers (78%) are building their first-party data assets, 66% are investing in alternative identity providers, and 60% are leveraging data clean rooms. Surprisingly, cookie deprecation didn't rank among the top three challenges, with social media algorithms, privacy regulations, and economic fluctuations taking precedence.

6. Market Confusion: Despite 85% of respondents claiming to use a Customer Data Platform (CDP), 25% cited platforms that don't align with CDP functionality, indicating market confusion and overstated capabilities by some vendors.

Insights and Recommendations:

Patrick Crane, Enterprise Account Executive at BlueConic, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and advises caution when selecting CDP solutions, urging buyers to prioritize platforms that enable seamless transformation and activation of customer data.

To delve deeper into these findings, BlueConic will host a webinar titled "Charting a First-Party Future: What's Next for the Media and Publishing Industry," offering discussions on first-party data utilization and the industry sentiment regarding third-party data deprecation.

GumGum, a contextual-first, global digital advertising platform, in partnership with TVision, the company measuring every second of TV and CTV viewer engagement, has released new data around superior attention measurement and engagement across GumGum's Connected TV (CTV) ad unit, In-Video.

GumGum, a leading contextual-first digital advertising platform, partnered with TVision, a company specializing in measuring TV and CTV viewer engagement, to unveil groundbreaking insights into the effectiveness of In-Video Connected TV (CTV) ads.

Key Findings:

1. Enhanced Viewer Attention: GumGum's In-Video units demonstrate a remarkable 30% higher attention percentage compared to traditional CTV ads, indicating superior engagement and effectiveness in maintaining viewer attention.

2. Gender-Specific Engagement: Female viewers exhibit a notable 28% higher engagement with In-Video units than standard CTV ads, underscoring the relevance and appeal of this format across diverse audience segments.

3. Attention to Visible Index: In scenarios where other individuals are present in the viewing environment, viewers allocate 23% more time to In-Video units, emphasizing the non-disruptive nature of this ad format and its ability to capture attention even in communal viewing settings.

Ken Weiner, Chief Technology Officer of GumGum, highlights the significance of prioritizing attention and adopting non-disruptive ad formats like In-Video to maximize brand visibility and impact in the increasingly competitive CTV landscape.

TVision's demographically representative TV measurement panel provides valuable insights into viewer behavior, allowing for accurate assessment of engagement with GumGum's In-Video units. By integrating GumGum's data with TVision's second-by-second attention metrics, the study offers comprehensive insights into the effectiveness of In-Video ads.

Hassan Babajane, SVP of Commercial at TVision, emphasizes the importance of innovative strategies like In-Video ads in enhancing the effectiveness of ad spend and maximizing viewer engagement in the evolving CTV space.

As brands navigate the challenges of attention fatigue and ad saturation in streaming environments, adopting attention-driven ad formats such as In-Video presents a strategic opportunity to optimize ad performance and drive meaningful audience engagement.

New capabilities enable salons, spas, medspas, and barbershops to reach clients instantly and directly with targeted SMS campaigns

Boulevard, a leading provider of client experience platforms tailored for appointment-based self-care businesses, has announced the launch of its new text marketing feature. This innovative tool is designed to help salons, spas, medspas, and barbershops enhance client engagement, increase bookings, and drive revenue through targeted SMS campaigns. Integrated seamlessly into the Boulevard platform, this feature aims to enrich the comprehensive client experience that self-care businesses rely on.

The Importance of Text Marketing

In the competitive landscape of self-care services, staying connected with clients is crucial for growth. Traditional marketing methods are no longer sufficient, and businesses need dynamic strategies to thrive. Jozlyn Miller, senior education manager at Boulevard, emphasizes the necessity of modern marketing approaches: "Businesses can't be passive or rely on legacy marketing tactics designed for a bygone era. Text marketing with Boulevard helps self-care businesses improve their overall marketing strategy with a powerful tool to get more clients in the door."

Benefits of Text Marketing

Text marketing has become indispensable for contemporary salons and medspas. Key benefits include:

• Instant Communication: Quickly reach clients with booking links, making it easy for them to schedule appointments.
• High Engagement: Text messages boast high open and click-through rates, ensuring your marketing efforts are seen and acted upon.
• Two-Way Interaction: Clients can respond to marketing texts, facilitating real-time conversations and improving engagement.

Unique Features of Boulevard's Text Marketing

Boulevard's text marketing stands out with several unique features:

• Dedicated Phone Numbers: Each business location uses a unique phone number for all text communications, enhancing client recognition and response rates.
• Seamless Integration: Text marketing integrates with Boulevard Messages, allowing staff to manage client interactions within the platform.
• Custom Campaigns: Easily create tailored campaigns using Boulevard's audience builder and filter capabilities, and track their success with detailed metrics and reports.

Enhancing Client Communication

Boulevard's text marketing is part of a broader suite of SMS communication tools that includes automated notification texts. These features help businesses:

• Reduce No-Shows: Automated confirmation and reminder texts keep clients informed and engaged.
• Save Time: Automated notifications decrease the time spent on manual appointment confirmations, allowing staff to focus on delivering exceptional client service.
• Personalize Messages: Businesses can customize text language to reflect their brand's unique tone and style.

Since 2016, Boulevard has been at the forefront of innovation in the self-care industry, empowering business owners and professionals to redefine the client experience. With the introduction of text marketing, Boulevard continues to support over 30,000 professionals across 3,000+ self-care establishments in booking millions of appointments monthly. This new feature is set to revolutionize how self-care businesses communicate with their clients, fostering stronger relationships and driving sustained growth.

Boulevard’s commitment to delivering industry-first capabilities, such as Precision Scheduling™ and advanced SMS tools, underscores its role as a trusted partner for self-care businesses aiming to elevate their client experience and operational efficiency.

DanAds will use SAS 360 Match to enhance advertising opportunities within the retail sector, providing a complete, effective offering designed to meet the unique needs of retailers and their advertisers.

DanAds, a global leader in advertising technology, has partnered with SAS® advertising and marketing technology to revolutionize advertising within the retail sector. This collaboration merges the strengths of SAS' powerful ad server, SAS 360 Match, with DanAds' self-service platform, delivering a comprehensive, market-ready solution tailored for retailers. SAS, renowned for its data and AI capabilities, offers a suite of solutions that empower organizations to transform data into trusted decisions, including its fully independent, first-party ad server.

The Retail Advertising Landscape

In the ever-evolving retail advertising landscape, the need for efficient and effective ad monetization is paramount. This new offering from DanAds and SAS introduces a robust platform that enables retailers to sell advertising inventory directly and seamlessly. By combining DanAds' expertise in streamlined sales and order intake with SAS' advanced ad decisioning and delivery engine, the platform addresses the unique challenges of the retail industry.

Benefits of the DanAds and SAS Collaboration

The collaboration between DanAds and SAS brings several key benefits to the retail sector:

• Advanced Ad Decisioning: SAS 360 Match enhances ad delivery with sophisticated decision-making capabilities.
• Streamlined Sales Process: DanAds' self-service platform simplifies the sales and order intake process, making it more efficient for retailers.
• Data-Driven Insights: Retailers can leverage deeper insights and predictive analytics provided by SAS to refine their advertising strategies and improve ROI.

Key Features of the New Platform

The new ad monetization platform offers a range of features designed to boost productivity and innovation:

• Comprehensive Ad Management: Seamless management and optimization of ad campaigns, tailored specifically for the retail sector.
• Automated Operations: Retailers gain tools for automating advertising operations, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.
• Enhanced Predictive Analytics: Access to SAS' advanced decision engine allows retailers to utilize predictive analytics, driving better advertising outcomes.

Industry Impact

Scott Briggs, Commercial Strategy Manager at SAS, highlights the transformative potential of this collaboration: "The powerful capabilities of SAS 360 Match combined with DanAds' platform will set an exciting new precedent for what is possible in retail media, empowering retailers to unlock the full potential of their data and digital touchpoints."

Johan Liljelund, Chief Information Officer of DanAds, adds, "The collaboration utilizes DanAds' innovative technology to equip retailers with the tools needed for automating and optimizing advertising operations. With SAS' advanced decision engine, retailers will be able to access deeper insights and predictive analytics to refine their advertising strategies, ultimately driving better results and higher returns on investment."

The partnership between DanAds and SAS represents a significant advancement in retail advertising technology. By combining DanAds' streamlined self-service capabilities with SAS' powerful ad decisioning and analytics engine, this new platform offers retailers a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing their ad campaigns. This collaboration is set to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and deliver superior advertising results, positioning retailers to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

First of its kind integration simplifies vendor due diligence for the digital advertising industry

OneTrust, the market-defining leader in trust intelligence, has announced its integration with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Diligence Platform, powered by SafeGuard Privacy. This marks a significant milestone as OneTrust becomes the first company to integrate with this platform. The integration allows OneTrust users to incorporate IAB Diligence Platform vendor assessments into their existing workflows, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and accountability in digital advertising while ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.

The IAB Diligence Platform

Launched in January, the IAB Diligence Platform is a SaaS-based compliance tool developed by IAB and SafeGuard Privacy. It serves publishers, agencies, brands, data providers, and tech platforms by enabling them to assess partner compliance with global privacy laws. By promoting interoperability, the platform facilitates the dynamic and secure sharing of critical diligence information among companies, thereby fostering collaboration and enhancing regulatory adherence across the digital landscape.

Benefits of Integration

The integration of OneTrust with the IAB Diligence Platform offers numerous benefits:

• Efficiency: Streamlines the process of managing vendor assessments by integrating them directly into the OneTrust platform.
• Accuracy: Enhances the precision of compliance efforts by providing reliable, up-to-date information on vendor compliance.
• Accountability: Strengthens accountability by ensuring that all parties involved in digital advertising adhere to data privacy regulations.

Blake Brannon, Chief Product & Strategy Officer at OneTrust, highlights the significance of this development: "The continued expansion of state privacy laws in the US is creating an increasingly fractured regulatory landscape. New requirements around vendor due diligence are especially difficult for digital advertising companies who often work with thousands of partners. We're proud to lead the way as the first company integrating with the IAB Diligence Platform, powered by SafeGuard Privacy. Amid growing regulatory complexity, we're helping our customers meet compliance requirements with efficiency and at scale."

Enhancing Compliance with TCF 2.2

In addition to the IAB Diligence Platform integration, OneTrust aids companies in complying with IAB Europe's Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) 2.2. OneTrust's consent management platform supports an advertising ecosystem where consumers, publishers, and vendors interact transparently. This platform enables users to manage consent choices, respect privacy rights, oversee vendor interactions, and meet interface requirements.

Industry Impact

Michael Hahn, EVP & General Counsel at IAB, underscores the importance of this partnership: "OneTrust is a leader in privacy and compliance, and we're excited to have it as the first IAB Diligence Platform partner integration. The partnership makes it easier for OneTrust's clients to use both compliance platforms seamlessly. In doing so, it is helping to raise the bar for industry-wide diligence standards and showing that industry tools and privacy tools can—and should—work together to make diligence more efficient and effective for both sides of the ad transaction."

The integration of OneTrust with the IAB Diligence Platform marks a significant advancement in digital advertising privacy compliance. By combining OneTrust's robust trust intelligence capabilities with the comprehensive compliance features of the IAB Diligence Platform, this collaboration enhances the efficiency, accuracy, and accountability of compliance efforts in the digital advertising industry. As regulatory landscapes continue to evolve, OneTrust remains committed to providing innovative solutions that help its customers navigate and meet complex compliance requirements with ease.

Audience Addressable is now available for marketers to harness authenticated audiences to better plan, activate, and measure multiscreen campaigns and drive incremental reach regardless of their footprint

This capability is especially valuable for political and auto advertisers looking to reach local, regional, and market specific audiences

Effectv, the sales division of Comcast Advertising, has announced the expansion of its Audience Addressable solution to cater to regional and local advertisers. This initiative aims to democratize the power of addressable advertising, enabling advertisers of all sizes to deliver highly impactful multiscreen TV campaigns and extend their reach across Comcast’s extensive household footprint of over 28 million homes.

Addressing Signal Quality Challenges

Amidst concerns over signal quality impacting advertisers' ability to accurately identify and target their desired audiences, Effectv's solution leverages Comcast's deterministic data and authenticated audiences. This ensures reliable identity matching and precise campaign delivery across linear, video on demand (VOD), and streaming platforms. By offering a single buy option, advertisers can confidently reach their precise audiences wherever they consume premium TV content.

Empowering Regional and Local Advertisers

Pooja Midha, EVP and GM at Effectv, emphasizes the importance of addressing data quality concerns in today's fragmented advertising landscape: "We've seen a surge in national advertisers embracing addressable TV. Now, we're excited to extend our Audience Addressable solution to regional and local advertisers, empowering them to reach strategic audiences with heightened precision, efficiency, and scale."

Features and Benefits

With Audience Addressable, advertisers gain access to:

• Comprehensive Reach: Deliver impressions across linear and streaming platforms, including cable and broadband-only homes, ensuring coverage across diverse viewing habits.
• Transparent Reporting: Receive reliable reporting on campaign performance against key performance indicators (KPIs), enabling informed decision-making and optimization.
• Efficiency and Cost Savings: Achieve more efficient campaigns with limited wasted impressions and ad spend, as evidenced by the higher efficiency of addressable campaigns compared to linear alternatives.

Impact on Specific Industries

Effectv's Audience Addressable solution is particularly beneficial for industries such as political and automotive advertising, where granular targeting and localized messaging are crucial. Chris Vail, VP of Political Sales at Effectv, highlights its significance for political advertisers seeking to engage with voters on a local level ahead of upcoming elections.

Positive Feedback from Media Agencies

Media agencies, including The Tolland Group, have reported impressive results from incorporating Effectv's Audience Addressable solution into their media plans. Scott Tolland, Founder of The Tolland Group, emphasizes the effectiveness of addressability in the automotive sector, citing its ability to deliver personalized messaging and enhance customer-centric approaches.

Collaboration with FreeWheel

Effectv is collaborating with FreeWheel, its sister company and a leading technology platform for the TV ad industry, to introduce this expanded offering on a larger scale. This partnership aims to further enhance the accessibility and impact of addressable advertising for advertisers across various industries and markets.

Effectv's expansion of its Audience Addressable solution marks a significant step towards democratizing addressable advertising and empowering regional and local advertisers to maximize the impact of their TV campaigns. By leveraging Comcast's robust data capabilities and partnering with FreeWheel, Effectv is committed to delivering innovative solutions that drive results and enhance the efficiency of TV advertising in today's dynamic media landscape.

Leading Visual Content Licensing Marketplace Unveils Innovative "Storyboards" Feature for Creative Teams to Build Out Production Scenes As They Consider Visual Licensing Options

Catch+Release, the leading content licensing marketplace, has unveiled its latest platform innovation: "Storyboards." This revolutionary feature redefines the creative production process by enabling creative and production teams to seamlessly organize visual assets and develop compelling narratives right from the outset of campaign production.

Redefining Creative Workflow

The concept of storyboarding has long been a staple in creative production, traditionally reserved for film directors to visualize scenes in advance of production shoots. However, Catch+Release's Storyboards feature expands this concept to a broader spectrum of use cases, including pitch decks, media research, and early-stage ideation. Designed to support creative teams in developing production scenes from scratch, Storyboards facilitates the exploration of visual options and the crafting of cohesive narratives.

How Storyboards Works

Storyboards streamlines production workflows by introducing visual licensing options early in the conception phase. This allows creatives to develop a cohesive narrative, stay within budget, and avoid last-minute scrambles. On the Catch+Release platform, teams can easily build storyboards by creating scene blocks, each containing visual assets, sound cues, and production notes. Importantly, scenes can be added to storyboards even if specific visual options have not yet been finalized, enabling teams to identify gaps and shape the story effectively.

Key Features and Benefits

Storyboards offers several key features and benefits:

• Scene-Based Story Blocking: Identify and address visual and script gaps within your story.
• Source Visuals Easily: Find visuals from the internet or the Creator Community and assign them to scenes.
• Sequential Shot Layout: Make informed decisions about visual selections and licensing.
• Alternate Visual Options: Attach multiple visual options to scenes for consideration.
• Integrated Production and VO Notes: Keep all creative concepts in view to map out scenes effectively.

Empowering Creative Teams

Lauren Kostka, Senior Product Manager at Catch+Release, emphasizes the impact of Storyboards on creative teams: "With Storyboards, we’re empowering creative teams to review visual options within the context of the story itself. Our platform allows teams to fill in missing pieces by searching for content from our Creator Community and assigning them to scenes. By adding alternates, we make it easier to pick visual selections while scanning the entire story at-a-glance."

Catch+Release's Storyboards feature represents a significant leap forward in creative production, enabling teams to organize visual assets, craft compelling narratives, and streamline workflows with unparalleled efficiency. By integrating visual licensing options early in the production process, Catch+Release empowers creative teams to bring their ideas to life seamlessly, from conception to execution.

This partnership allows AdLib's clients to convert social media content into dynamic ads, enhancing ad efficiency and performance across multiple formats, including CTV, video, display, and DOOH.

AdLib Media Group, a leading provider of DSP solutions for independent agencies and in-house programmatic teams, has announced a strategic partnership with Airtory, a leading creative management platform. This collaboration aims to empower AdLib's clients with advanced tools for creating and deploying high-performing rich media and CTV ad units, enhancing advertising efficiency and creativity.

Revolutionizing Ad Creation

Through the partnership with Airtory, AdLib users gain access to innovative tools for creating dynamic programmatic ads across multiple formats, including CTV, video, display, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). Airtory's suite of products enables users to instantly convert top social media content into compelling ads, seamlessly integrating with AdLib's user-friendly platform.

Boosting Engagement with CTV Ads

Airtory's ADCTV tool allows users to transform video ads into interactive CTV-ready ads, including personalized and shoppable units. This capability enhances viewer engagement, drives sales, and maximizes return on ad spend (ROAS), providing AdLib clients with a competitive edge in the digital advertising landscape.

Enhancing HTML5-Rich Media Ad Units

The partnership also focuses on enhancing the creation of HTML5-rich media ad units, known for their high performance and seamless compatibility across all DSPs. Airtory's platform ensures that these ads can be crafted with ease and precision, further boosting campaign performance and effectiveness.

Empowering Advertisers

Mike Hauptman, Founder and CEO of AdLib, emphasizes the significance of the partnership in empowering advertisers: "Airtory's suite of products complements our existing offerings perfectly, providing our clients with a comprehensive toolset for creating compelling and effective advertising campaigns. This partnership reflects our commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology with our easy-to-use platform, setting a new standard for advertising efficiency and creativity."

Julian Frachtman, Co-Founder and CEO of Airtory, shares his excitement about the partnership: "We are thrilled to partner with AdLib, as it aligns with our mission to streamline the ad creation process while enhancing ad performance across diverse channels. Our tools are designed to empower advertisers to capture attention and drive meaningful engagement and results."

AdLib Media Group's partnership with Airtory marks a significant milestone in the evolution of ad creation and deployment. By combining AdLib's user-friendly DSP platform with Airtory's innovative creative management tools, advertisers can now produce premium, high-impact ad experiences effortlessly. This collaboration sets a new standard for advertising efficiency, creativity, and effectiveness, empowering advertisers to achieve their digital advertising goals with confidence.