After Identifiers, Identity: Acxiom’s Hollaway On The Value Exchange Imperative
After Identifiers, Identity: Acxiom’s Hollaway On The Value Exchange Imperative

LITTLE ROCK -  Third-party cookies' disappearance act and the tightening controls on mobile identifiers pose a threat to the traditional way in which digital ads have bene targeted.

So brands and publishers alike are having to pivot to gaining first-party data on audiences.

In this video interview with Beet.TV, Kyle Hollaway, Acxiom VP and head of global identity, says that means they are going to have to learn to deliver attractive value to users, if those users are to hand over personal information.

Value exchange "It's really about the value exchange," Hollaway says.

"Previously, consumers were left out of the value exchange.

Their information was being shared directly between advertisers and platforms. And now there's this injection of the consumer into the middle of that.

"In other words, for you as a consumer, what are you going to get in return for sharing some of your personal information?

"Now, in many cases that is still about getting contextualised or personalised, offers or information.

I think everyone still has that desire to be known and appreciates being known and having more of a one-to-one relationship, but it actually puts more power in the consumer's hands to really evaluate that value exchange and say, is this worth it to me?" After the cookie Google plans to sunset third-party cookies, which help marketers swap parts of users' profiles, by 2022.

Apple has turned location tracking and its IDFA opt-in by default.

Those moves follow GDPR and CCPA.

All of which poses a challenge - but also an opportunity.

Many believe such technologies were never really foolproof ways of understanding audience identity.

Moving forward, if they can successfully develop a relationship, they can also capture a real identity, something which can move with users across platforms. "With these new events coming to play within the market, the need to really master your own data, understand your consumers (and) prospects and have data that is in a brand's control," Hollaway adds.

The year ahead He sees 2021 as embedding a prior year that was all about learnings.

Indeed, 2020 felt like a year when many companies got to grips with the emerging identity challenge.

"Everyone has this anticipation that it's time to act," Hollaway says.

"In 2021, you're going to see people taking a lot more active role now that they've educated, really evaluated the market and understand what options they have." You are watching “First Party Data: Driving Media Investment and Accountability,” a Beet.TV leadership video series presented by Target's Roundel  For more videos, please visit this page.

The views shared on this series do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Target and Roundel.