Newswire - March 2022

When it comes to selecting an audience for digital campaigns, marketers care more about data quality (60%) over other factors like cost (56%) or even past success using a particular segment (49%). A push for increased transparency and accountability has been taking place for years across the programmatic industry, so it's no surprise that advertisers have also begun to value data quality and customization over a segment's price or ease of implementation. (Digiday)

Regulators have brought forth new allegations against Google's advertising practices, citing bidding irregularities and a lack of transparency that may have stifled competition in ad auctions. This investigation has renewed interest in a longer-standing conflict of interest: Google has maintained control of both supply and demand in their ecosystem, with ad platforms and services designed to represent publishers and advertisers alike. (Adweek)

While first-, third-, and even second-party data are relatively well-known, what is zero-party data — and is it real? Zero-party data or "customer-first data," is defined as information a consumer volunteers to a brand in order to improve their experience (e.g., a user entering their content preferences in a streaming account), and has been growing in popularity as advertisers continue to seek alternative targeting options in preparation for the death of third-party cookies. (Morning Brew)