Video ad serving platform SpotX has introduced Audience Lock, a new solution that provides a secure environment to conduct data-driven transactions and allows buyers and sellers to maintain complete control of data ownership.
As both media owners and ad buyers activate more first- and third-party data to improve targeting, additional safeguards are required around data protection. Designed for broadcasters, TV networks, OTT platforms, telecommunications companies and other owners of high-value, unique data, Audience Lock allows targeting in a secure environment.
The product will also help media owners manage the strict data privacy requirements they must operate under; regulations that vary country to country. It can be applied across both traditional direct and programmatic direct (private and Curated Marketplaces) transactions.
Audience Lock is an extension of SpotX’s commitment to enabling media owners to maximise the value of their inventory, Allen Klosowski, VP, Advanced Solutions Group at SpotX, explained.
“Effective transactions at scale are sometimes held back by legitimate privacy concerns shared by all parties,” Klosowski said.
“Audience Lock alleviates these concerns by matching user IDs and audience segments in a controlled environment, and ensures proprietary data is only available for the campaign at hand and can be configured to expire upon campaign completion.
“With the ability to define boundaries around who can see what data, media owners are able to protect the value of their data and facilitate direct sales, without concerns of data leakage or limiting buyer access to inventory.”
Audience Lock allows both buyers and sellers to activate data safely to fulfill their goals. For media owners, Audience Lock will allow them to activate their first-party data for an advertiser to target a campaign to reach viewers of specific shows, or that fit a specific profile.
For ad buyers, SpotX will enable a secure data escrow environment to allow buyers to bring their own audience data to media owners, with similar assurances that their data is protected. An example of this would be an auto manufacturer who wants to target customers who are near a lease termination date.
In both scenarios, SpotX will allow the media owner to apply their, or the advertiser’s, audience data inside SpotX, agree to deal terms with the buyer, and send inventory to the buyer in a completely secure environment to their chosen DSP. This way media owners and buyers can use audience data to create unique deal opportunities to reach the right audience at the right time in a secure, double-blind environment.