We Call Them Biscuits Anyway 🍪

Dear smartclippers,

The cookieless future is looming upon us but before you conjure up thoughts of sugar-free doom and gloom, our friendly neighbourhood Product Team is here to save the day! The adtech industry is going through a massive shift as we lose our reliance on cookies and move towards more reliable tracking methods such as first-party data.

We are continuously preparing for the cookieless future. When all is said and done, you can be rest assured that smartclip will be more prepared than toilet paper hoarders on the first day of lockdown.

Introducing content information in bid requests

Saying bon voyage to third-party cookies requires cooperation with other players in the industry like DSPs. Part of the DSP cookieless transition is to shift towards providing buyers with reports that detail the content of a site via the content object. The content object, which is passed through the bid request, gives insight into what can be expected in the content, such as the title, genre, duration, or whether the content is live or not. Content targeting is especially useful for ATV, CTV, and online video as an alternative to traditional targeting which focuses on user data.

To assist in this initiative, we’ve introduced new URL parameters that will feed the content object in outgoing bid requests to relevant DSPs. This feature lays the foundation for enriching our CTV offering, making it more desirable for the demand side of the business. Additionally, it’s now possible to target content object information as a Custom Key Value when setting up campaigns and deals in smartx. TheTradeDesk is the first DSP that the feature is enabled for, but all other major DSPs will soon follow.

Introducing ifa_type in bid requests

The post-apocal-cookie world also brings enhanced openRTB guidelines to ensure that device information is passed through CTV and mobile-app bid requests where cookie availability is not guaranteed. To adhere to these guidelines set by the IAB, we introduced two new URL parameters: IFA Type (ifa_type=) and Limit Ad Tracking (lmt=). These parameters are provided by our publisher partners and add on to our existing Identifier for Advertising (IFA) feature. For more information on what values may be passed, check out the official IAB guidelines here.

In addition to aiding with content targeting for CTV, these parameters also help us address the issue caused by Apple’s upcoming release that allows iOS app users to opt out of passing their Identifier for Advertising (IDFA). DSPs cannot recognize users without an IDFA in these non-cookie environments, making this type of inventory less attractive for buyers. To work around the IDFA, publishers are able to provide another IFA which can now be flagged accordingly with the IFA Type. Though this will not be as effective as having an IDFA, it will mitigate the loss of most IDFAs, making this parameter critical for mobile app publishers.

Yours in smartclip updates and looking for any opportunity to indulge in the circular-shaped chocolate-chip bliss 🤤🍪,

smartclip Product Marketing Team