Cookieless in Singapore: only 1 in 10 marketers and publishers have adopted an ID solution

The deadline for the removal of third-party cookies as a measurement and targeting tool is less than one year away, yet identity solutions remain nascent in Singapore—only one in ten (11.5%) marketers and publishers currently have an identity solution in place, according to a survey.

Lotame, a data management platform (DMP), polled 200 senior decision-makers in digital media and marketing in Singapore in December 2020 to examine how the industry is preparing for the post-cookie landscape.

Developing a universal online identity is one of the most cited solutions to targeting and measurement across devices, platforms and browsers in a privacy-conscious way, but such solutions, such as The Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0 and Lotame's own Panorama ID, are yet to reach critical mass, as this survey confirms.

While a small proportion of respondents claimed they already use an ID solution, 58% of marketers and publishers said they planned to adopt a solution within the next year. Two in ten (19.4%), however, claimed they do not have budget for a solution. A minor 4% said they did not see a need for an identity solution, and 7% said they did not plan to adopt one directly but would work with partners that use one.

More than half (59%) of marketers surveyed said that multiple interoperable ID solutions are needed, and there are certainly plenty for them to choose from. The word "interoperable" is key here—having a range of solutions rather than one commonly-agreed one works so long as they can communicate with one another, otherwise cross-campaign measurement becomes a nightmare.

Publishers are much further ahead in adopting ID solutions—according to the survey, almost a third (32%) already have a solution in place.

The survey also examined sentiment towards contextual targeting, another oft-cited cookie-less solution in which marketers target consumers based on contextual signals provided by publishers rather than individual identifiers.

But marketers and publishers have widely different opinions on the efficacy of contextual targeting, according to the survey. When asked about contextual targeting’s ability to replace audience targeting, two-thirds of publishers said they were confident it can act as a replacement, as 71% of marketers said they lacked confidence in the strategy when used on its own.

Lotame Asia managing director Fred Marthoz said this demonstrates "a real disconnect between what marketers want and what publishers are investing in".

"Contextual targeting is one of many useful tools for marketers but as we’ve seen and heard marketers want and need choices in how to reach consumers across their journey," he added.

Elsewhere, the survey found that whilst first-party data strategies are important, the accuracy of those assets post-Covid is a key concern for marketers. Nearly half of marketers (47%) reported a lack of data profile accuracy post-Covid while almost 45% said they rely on data enrichment to find new audiences. Half of marketers reported first-party data being hard to collect as they aren't privy to the POS (point of sale) and 35% pointed to scale as an issue.

Furthermore, 45% of marketers were unable to agree or disagree if relying on publisher first-party data assets is a good solution to third-party cookie depreciation.

Publishers, too, are embracing data enrichment methods for first-party data. Over a third (34%) said they were using survey and panel data and nearly a quarter (23%) said they were using marketer data. A smaller proportion (17%) said they needed help in finding quality data partners.

“In today’s privacy-centric, consumer-driven world, first-party data is a priority,” said Marthoz. “But to scale, marketers need to go beyond, and our study asserts that. Data enrichment enables marketers to draw a panoramic view of evolving consumers while also allowing publishers to monetise more of their rich inventory and customer base."