New Research Encourages Businesses to Revisit Their Practices Regarding Identity Consolidation

In a recent study titled "Identity Resolution for Advanced TV and Video Advertising: A Case for Durability and Transparency," CIMM and OpenAP have urged the video advertising industry to re-evaluate its current approaches to identity and identity resolution (IDR). The report, which was developed collaboratively with an advisory group of CIMM members, OpenAP, ThinkMedium, and industry participants from across the U.S. media and advertising industries, was undertaken during Q2 and Q3 2024.

The study found that misaligned industry incentives have led to opaque solutions and inconsistent methodologies in the IDR ecosystem. This lack of transparency and consistency, according to the report, is costly for the industry. ThinkMedium CEO Dennis Buchheim emphasized the need for industry-wide solutions, stating that incentives are not always aligned, creating a negative feedback loop.

OpenAP CEO David Levy believes that Identity Resolution will be the most important focus for the industry in building new standards over the next year for the sustainability of TV advertising. He stated that inconsistency in householding leads to increased audience fragmentation and waste. Levy further emphasized the need for increased transparency surrounding identity-related data inputs/outputs, practices, and processes related to data onboarding, matching, modeling, and more.

Data translation is often a black box for advertisers, as stated by OpenAP CEO David Levy. The study suggests solutions and technologies that enable IDR as a means to improve the IDR ecosystem. To achieve this, the study proposes a two-pronged, collaborative approach: providing buyer education guides and defining taxonomies and templates for providers to communicate about definitions and methodologies for how data is sourced, matched, aggregated, and validated.

The report suggests streamlining transparency and standardizing communication among buyers, sellers, and ID providers to establish a solid foundation for increased efficiency and effectiveness. CIMM's Watts states that standardizing communication can help the industry collaboratively address ongoing and new IDR-related challenges within advanced TV and video advertising.

The time is now, according to Levy, for building a foundation that prioritizes consistency and transparency across all steps from campaign start to end. The study provides a detailed analysis of the IDR landscape for the Advanced TV and Video Advertising marketplace. The findings and recommendations of the study aim to pave the way for a more transparent and efficient IDR ecosystem in the future.