Beyond the 3rd-party cookie: The future of ad targeting

So, how exactly is Invibes able to continue targeting users after the end of third-party cookies?

Where third-party cookies have been the backbone of the programmatic industry, Invibes has been focusing on contextual information to display in-feed ads since our launch in 2013. This data has been one of several different sources of information that Invibes uses to target campaigns. As our ad formats sit within high-quality articles, it has always been important to guarantee that we display our clients content in relevant contexts with appropriate audiences.

Owing to the fundamental strategy that was implemented at the company's inception, Invibes has always sought technological independence. This is why we’re able to integrate the full campaign flow between clients (advertisers and agencies) and publishers without depending on any external technology or by positioning ourselves solely in the IAB programmatic ecosystem.

As a result, two years ago, Invibes started working on two new major innovations around user data:

• Invibes ID Network
  
• Invibes Data Cloud

The Invibes ID Network is the result of setting up millions of Invibes identifiers thanks to first-party cookies (that do and will continue to exist).

So, how does the Invibes ID Network actually work? Well, the network is created by obtaining the hashed emails of our publishers’ partners and linking them to an Invibes Identifier for each specific user, made possible by direct partnerships with the publishers. Each time two hashed emails are similar, we link them to the same unique user identifier. This allows Invibes to target the user (provided consent has been given) among different devices, domains, and browsers, providing the same advantages that GAFA players have with their user logs.

Alongside the Invibes ID Network, Invibes has also launched the Invibes Data Cloud. Invibes Data Cloud regroups various types of data (socio-demographic, purchase history, etc.) from data partners who own declarative data from their clients, and with whom Invibes has signed a data agreement. These partners also provide hashed emails from the user (again, only with consent) so that Invibes is able to make the link between data received and our identifiers within the ID Network.

The ID Network allows Invibes to target an internet user based on the declarative data coming from their accounts such as mobile subscriptions, ecommerce companies, and so on. This form of data collection is also GDPR compliant because it can only be gathered with full user consent. The combined Invibes ID Network and Invibes Data cloud also feeds into Invibes’ intelligent, multilevel targeting solution, which allows advertisers to target creatively beyond the realms standard demographics like age, gender and interests. Additionally, the network enables us to work more closely with our clients to provide data insights and attribution for campaigns.

Harnessing hashed emails with the Invibes ID Network and Invibes Data Cloud enables more accurate targeting that benefits not only advertisers, but publishers too. The use of hashed emails will be key for publishers in particular after the final demise of the third-party cookie. Rather than solely relying on contextual data, publishers will have the opportunity to increase their revenue uptake by providing a fuller targeting picture to advertisers. Invibes has already signed with several major publishers to obtain hashed emails, along with numerous data partners from within the e-commerce industry.

The Invibes ID Network and Invibes Data Cloud have been live and running for over a year, with current results being very encouraging and exceeding market benchmarks. Looking to the future, we aim to scale this strategy and continue to develop our solutions including the ID Network and Data Cloud as technology evolves – so, watch this space!

Want more information on these innovations? Get in touch.