The importance of interoperable identity in reaching key audiences for high-impact, revenue-generating convergent TV campaigns
This blog is written in conjunction with Kailey Hoo, Vice President of Product Development at OpenAP.
With connected TV (CTV) poised to grow by more than 14% in 2023, to a total share of nearly a quarter of all ad spend this year (according to the IAB), solving for complexities and fragmentation is critical to mastering a convergent approach to TV that’s inclusive of CTV. And fragmentation is rife in this sector: from buying process, to viewership, to measurement, the industry is building silos – in part influenced by the siloed linear and digital processes, as well as silos within companies from budgets, to planning, to teams. Breaking down these silos is a commonly-held goal: in a recent survey, 92% of senior brand and agency execs felt that a unified view of reach and performance across convergent TV – that is, encompassing linear, CTV, and digital video – was key for the industry.
How can advertisers and publishers solve for fragmentation and complexity to maximise spend, and create convergent TV strategies that lead to higher consumer engagement and campaign yield?
Partnering with cross-publisher solutions
Many of today’s savvy advertisers are investing in convergent TV, whether it’s a data-driven linear (DDL), CTV, or Over-The-Top (OTT) campaign. Identity fragmentation is at the heart of convergent TV’s growing pains, from new walled gardens that are forming, while the scale and reliability of historically relied-upon identifiers like IP addresses are called into question.
Advertisers are starting to realise they must work through a common identity framework in order to unlock the full benefits of convergent TV. For buyers looking to simplify and strengthen cross-platform data-driven video campaigns, activating an audience with an interoperable and centralised identity cuts through the complexity to deliver a unified approach, even across multiple platforms. For example, OpenAP’s OpenID identity spine centralises audience activation and enables consistent audience sharing and measurement across all premium national TV publishers, including their digital and OTT properties.
To continue delivering on the promise of consistent targeting and insights that both sides can trust, OpenID is interoperable with multiple identity frameworks, including LiveRamp’s RampID, for efficient, privacy-conscious data collaboration across platforms and channels.
“A centralised audience built on an interoperable identity spine is the tool that unlocks unified audience activation, reach, and measurement, no matter where your campaign runs,” said Kailey Hoo, Vice President of Product Development at OpenAP. “With OpenID, advertisers can see not only how many people were reached, but exactly who was reached across a campaign.”
Improving targeting with a pseudonymous ID
LiveRamp and OpenAP are working together to make it easier for advertisers to plan, execute, and measure the effectiveness of their TV advertising campaigns. Interoperability between RampID and OpenID allows advertisers to seamlessly activate first- and third-party audiences and use those audiences for targeting and measurement at scale across the entire long-form video ecosystem.
LiveRamp clients can now see campaign deduplicated reach and frequency, and use OpenID Audience Insights to reach a larger share of the target audience on future campaigns. Identity unlocks not only how many people a campaign reached, but who was reached across screens.
“In today’s TV world, interoperable identity is a must-have for any successful convergent TV strategy,” said Adam Paul, Managing Director Media & Publishers LiveRamp. “As the TV world continues to evolve and reimagine itself, identity will be the guiding light that helps marketers reshape and shift their strategies for the future. Identity is a fundamental requirement that will enable marketers to transform their strategies to keep pace with the monumental developments in the marketplace.”
Next steps for your TV strategy
Deploying an interoperable and centralised identity is critical to working cross-platform and taking advantage of the best that TV can offer. When evaluating potential ID partners, ensure they can deliver:
- Scale with high match rates
- Accurate individual and household-level matching
- A deterministic approach to known data that delivers better quality and accuracy
- Built-in partnerships to enable rapid collaboration and activation
- Flexible applications of the data
Leading identity partners, like LiveRamp and OpenAP, address all of these needs. By enabling identity to target and measure TV and streaming advertising accurately, advertisers can reduce waste, optimise reach and frequency, maximise yield, and ultimately achieve better business outcomes.