In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, the role of first-party data has become increasingly paramount. With the impending demise of third-party cookies and the growing emphasis on privacy, organizations are seeking new ways to leverage data for targeted advertising while respecting consumer privacy. 

In the absence of third-party identifiers that have previously provided the connective tissue between various parties and technologies, organizations are turning to data collaboration to facilitate the data-driven advertising use cases that have become commonplace. One solution that has emerged as a cornerstone of the modern technology stack to enable this seamless data collaboration is the data clean room.

The rise of data clean rooms

Data clean rooms serve as secure environments where organizations can collaborate across first-, second-, and third-party data sets without compromising individual privacy or data security. In a world where data privacy regulations are tightening and consumer expectations for privacy are higher than ever, data clean rooms offer a way forward for advertisers, media owners, and data providers alike.

Traditionally, data clean rooms have been owned by the organizations that own the data, such as brands, media owners, or data providers. However, in recent years, we've witnessed a significant shift, with media agencies stepping into the spotlight as key facilitators of data collaboration and innovation.

The role of media agencies to drive innovation

Media agencies have long played a pivotal role in the advertising ecosystem, acting as intermediaries between advertisers and media owners. They possess the expertise to navigate the complex landscape of media channels and maximize the impact of advertising investments. As the industry evolves, media agencies are adapting to meet the changing needs of their clients, particularly in the realm of data collaboration.

In the current landscape, where collaboration is becoming increasingly essential, media agencies are leveraging their unique position at the intersection of buyers, sellers, and technology providers to drive greater marketing performance and ROI for their clients. Beyond traditional media planning and buying, agencies are now deeply involved in all aspects of the data clean room and first-party data journey.

One key way media agencies are driving greater marketing performance is by helping brands develop robust first-party data strategies. In addition, in an increasingly competitive market, many agencies are also building their own first-party data assets and partnerships to complement their clients' data strategies and differentiate their offerings. 

Moreover, agencies provide a neutral perspective on the technology underpinning data collaboration efforts, ensuring that clients have access to the most effective tools and platforms available. As the world moves towards a more decentralized data ecosystem, data clean rooms have become invaluable tools for media agencies seeking to access the richness of their clients' first-party data, intersected with their own assets or that of media owners. Data clean rooms ensure that agencies never take on ownership, control, or liability for accessing their clients' raw data. A true win-win, as advertisers no longer wish to give up control of their data, and agencies are no longer willing to take on privacy risks.

The modern data clean room is powering all the media use cases that the industry has become accustomed to having at their fingertips. As Anita Klinkosz, Audience Architect at Havas Media Group, pointed out on Identity Architects last year:

“We tend to focus a lot on the activation side of marketing on advertising when it comes to first-party data, but it is actually becoming critical in campaign planning. [...] Data clean rooms allow you to work directly with data providers to first gain deeper insights on your audiences by enriching your first-party data and tapping into data attributes that you wouldn't normally collect or have access to directly from your consumers. So I think it’s an extremely powerful solution for that campaign planning. Enriching and refining your audience segments with someone else's first-party data. And then secondly, matching those refined segments directly with media partners to understand the opportunity. [...] So it's great to be able to, you know, understand those match rates between your first-party data and a publisher's first-party data within seconds and to use it.”

InfoSum: The data clean room of choice for agencies

InfoSum has emerged as the preferred data clean room for agencies due to its speed, ease of use, commitment to consumer privacy and security and ability to drive high-performing marketing and delivers results. It is the total package that agencies dream of. As Therran Oliphant, VP, Head of Data & Technology NA at EssenceMediacom, said on a recent episode of Identity Architects:

“If I put a technology in front of one of my brands, they could care less how cool it is. Their first question is, will this beat my benchmarks? Will this meet the KPIs I have set? Can this help me extend the objectives of this particular campaign or larger marketing capability that I'm trying to drive? And we oftentimes will have to try to figure out how to communicate that. But if it comes as part of the package, it's not just the technology, it's not just the coolness of the wiz-bang, but it's also the capability to meet the business needs of our marketing partners.”

InfoSum provides the end-to-end functionality, performance, and protection that brands and their agencies require in the modern ecosystem. Many traditional solutions continue to act as a data intermediary, offering a managed service. InfoSum equips agencies with hands-on capabilities without any data being shared, which crucially relieving them of the burden of data processing responsibilities. With InfoSum's data clean room, media agencies can generate insights for brands, plan campaigns with media owners, measure success, and facilitate transactions for media activation—all within a secure and privacy-preserving environment.

The proof of InfoSum's effectiveness lies in its widespread adoption by leading agency holding companies and independent agencies alike. Case studies demonstrate the tangible impact of data collaboration facilitated by InfoSum, with campaigns consistently outperforming traditional cookie-based targeting methods.

For example, in Germany, Renault partnered with Omnicom and Annalect to run a campaign across Axel Springer All Media’s assets that compared the performance of a first-party data strategy versus traditional third-party cookie targeting. The results were staggering. The first-party data campaign significantly outperformed cookie-based targeting, with an 18% increase in conversion rates, 38% improved target profiles, 15% lower cost per action and 19% lower cost per click. 

In the UK, we have become the data clean room of choice within highly regulated industries such as financial services due to our unrivaled data privacy and security. As such, an early adopter of data clean rooms was the UK high street bank, TSB. Working with their agency the7Stars, TSB seamlessly matched its 5 million UK customers against Global’s audience of 51.7 million to unlock sharper insights and pinpoint targeting capabilities. The innovative data partnership enabled TSB to increase applications to its Spend and Save account by 31%, increase the likelihood of switching banks or building societies by 31%, and increase the number of those considering switching to TSB by 38%.

Finally, working with Omnicom Media Group in the USA, InfoSum enables its clients to securely and safely onboard their first-party assets to the Omni data spine while remaining in complete control of their data assets - never sharing or commingling their proprietary data with the agency. As a result, the brand receives end-to-end protection and transparency, while the agency is able to execute smarter data-driven strategies without ever touching sensitive customer data.

Unlocking ROI with InfoSum

Perhaps most compellingly, adopting InfoSum's data clean room has been shown to deliver substantial ROI for agencies, brands, and media owners alike. On average, users of InfoSum's platform have achieved a 3x return on investment within just three months of implementation, underscoring the platform's effectiveness in driving tangible business outcomes.

As we navigate the cookieless future of advertising, the role of data collaboration and privacy-enhancing technologies like InfoSum will only continue to grow in importance. Brands and agencies alike must embrace these innovations to stay ahead of the curve and unlock the full potential of their data assets.

If you're a brand looking to harness the power of data collaboration, contact your agency for guidance and support. And if you're an agency preparing for the cookieless future, don't hesitate to explore how InfoSum can help you drive greater marketing performance and ROI for your clients. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can support your data-driven advertising initiatives.