First-party data and customer trust

Through interviewing and surveying publishers and app developers (the “sell-side”) across APAC, we have developed a report about the landscape of and the keys to succeed in APAC’s new privacy era; first-party data and customer trust.

This report is commissioned by Google, and builds on our research in Europe and the Americas, which aims to provide a qualitative summary of:

• The privacy state of play across the APAC advertising ecosystem and the sell-side perspectives on it.
• An articulation of the implications of existing and upcoming privacy changes for sell-side players.
• Tangible steps which sell-side players can draw inspiration from as they face a more privacy-centric future.
  

Key findings

• Lower focus on privacy in APAC
  Despite strong support for recent privacy changes, privacy is yet to become as much of a focus for sell-side players in APAC as it is in Europe or the Americas. This is due to both the nature of the APAC market (e.g., a predominantly mobile market forecast to grow faster than global average with resilient traditional media), and the fact that privacy impacts sell-side players very differently across the region.

• Differing approaches to privacy
  Sell-side players are responding to the rise of privacy in starkly different ways, depending on their appetite to invest ahead of the market, as well as their ability and willingness to embrace first-party data-based solutions.

• Though market leaders are seeking to differentiate through trust and first-party data, the relative lack of action remains a source of concern
  Given the wide-ranging impact that privacy can have on all sell-side growth levers, the relative lack of action across APAC remains worrying. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see market leaders aiming to build significant competitive advantage in the age of privacy by focusing on customer trust and first-party data.

• The time is now
  It is not too late to take action, and a growing number of solutions are readily available. However, given the journey towards privacy readiness can take years, there is not a moment to waste.

Key recommendations

• Setting up for first-party data success
  First-party data is expected to be a core source of competitive advantage in a more privacy-centric ad sales ecosystem. Focusing on collecting, storing, analyzing and leveraging it is key to privacy readiness (Chapter 2).

• Connecting to advertisers and agencies
  The withdrawal of support for third-party cookies will require that you choose a different way to connect to advertisers and agencies (the “buy-side”) in line with your context, strategy and view of privacy (Chapter 3).
• Winning through first-party data
  Success in a more privacy-centric ad sales ecosystem will require that you lean into difficult trade-offs around investment timing and data strategy (Chapter 4).
• Making progress on your privacy journey
  Leveraging existing and new partners, do not delay starting your privacy journey (Chapter 5).

View report in the below languages

Chinese (Simplified Chinese)
Executive summary | Full report

Japanese
Executive summary | Full report

Korean
Executive summary | Full report