On May 7, Google announced new privacy features for Chrome. These changes were not unexpected. Ever since Safari began blocking third-party cookies by default in late 2017, industry pundits have predicted this move—and with it, doom and gloom for advertisers leveraging programmatic technologies.
We don’t subscribe to this point of view. In fact, we see these changes as an opportunity for our advertising partners: an opportunity to reach consumers with relevant advertising they want to see, as expressed through control of their data.
Programmatic advertising has always been about reaching the right consumer at the right time in the right place with the right message. The Chrome privacy updates won’t change that.
Advertisers want to target with and without cookies. There are two ways to accomplish this: working with first-party data partners and building audiences through engaging, contextually relevant content. Sovrn specializes in both.
Sovrn is more than just an exchange. It’s a publisher-first platform. Our goal is to help interest-based publishers grow and thrive, often acting as an extension of the publishers themselves. That doesn’t mean we ignore our advertising partners—far from it.
The intimacy we have with our publishers combined with their topically diverse inventory and our advanced technology gives our advertising partners a distinct advantage in a privacy-focused environment. Advertisers working with Sovrn power their campaigns with first-party data signals that other exchanges don’t offer—purchase intent data, engagement data through our Signal technology, and advanced contextual targeting.
All of this means we are well positioned to help brands and agencies build audience segments of deeply engaged consumers across a plethora of contexts. And because we sit much closer to the publisher, we also sit closer to the user. This means we can help respect consumer privacy and data control while still serving relevant ads.
Programmatic may have been built on the cookie, and for now it’s still the best way to do business. But this industry was also built on constant change. Moving away from the cookie will give intelligent advertisers the chance to transact in new ways, put their ad dollars behind valuable, engaging content, and respect the privacy wishes of consumers throughout the process.
