Blazing a Trail in the New Data Frontier: Takeaways from a pioneering event

The world of digital advertising is a vast, uncharted territory. As third-party cookies fade into the sunset, pioneers from across the industry gathered at the New Data Frontier event to share maps and survival tactics. Here are four key takeaways that underscore the need for creativity, collaboration, and a multidisciplinary approach to thrive in this evolving landscape.
 

1: The market isn't going anywhere

While the industry grapples with a changing landscape, one thing remains clear: brands are still investing in digital advertising. Sam Tomlinson, Partner at PwC and James Chandler, CMO of IAB UK highlighted the resilience of the market. The deprecation of cookies should be viewed as a catalyst for fresh approaches and publishers should take the time to take stock of their first-party data, evaluate their vendors, and keep having conversations with the industry.
 

2: Creativity & collaboration forge the path forward

James Fleetham, Director at The Guardian and Chris Lehane, VP at EssenceMediacomX showcased the power of collaboration. By leveraging contextual data, they created a groundbreaking campaign that proves programmatic advertising can still thrive in a privacy-focused future. This is a testament to the power of creative thinking and working together. Though contextual data delivered value in this scenario, both Chris and James emphasised that to get value, you have to use this data with a clear purpose.
 

3:  United we stand, divided we fall

In a cross-ecosystem panel moderated by Richard Reeves of AOP, Elias Selman of Criteo, Jo Holdaway of The Independent, and Arturo Pizano of PM Dragonfly - the message was unanimous: a multidisciplinary approach is essential. Publishers, advertisers, and technology providers need to break down silos and work together to navigate the changing landscape. Open communication, collaboration, and a shared vision of a privacy-centric future will be the pillars of success. In that process, Jo shared that publishers should proactively engage with buyers about their strategies and carefully vet their third-party partners.
 

4: A variety of solutions will yield better results

Ad Manager features and solutions are ever-evolving, and the future holds even more change. Rahul Kooverjee, a PM on Google Ad Manager, shared that Ad Manager is carefully approaching the cookieless future and investing in a variety of solutions of which the Privacy Sandbox is one component. Beyond cookie deprecation, Rahul emphasised that current solutions are building blocks and Ad Manager will continue to build and invest on top of them to deliver value for publishers.

The New Data Frontier may seem daunting, but with a focus on innovation, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt, the industry can not only survive but thrive in this exciting new era.