Amazon has secured a landmark deal with Reach, the UK’s largest publisher, to access customer data for targeted advertising.
The agreement, one of the first of its kind in Europe, comes in response to Google’s plans to deprecate third-party cookies later this year.
Why we care. As advertisers explore options beyond third-party cookies for targeted ads, this deal offers inspiration for alternative approaches to reach high-value consumers online.
How it works. The agreement will see Reach share “contextual” first-party data with Amazon, such as information about the articles people are viewing. Amazon will then use this data to enhance targeted advertising on the UK publisher’s sites, providing advertisers with more relevant and effective advertising opportunities. Financial details have not been disclosed.
Brand safety. Reach plans to leverage Mantis, a brand safety and contextual advertising tool for publishers, to ensure that ads are shown next to content users are interested in. This collaboration helps Amazon better target specific audiences with relevant advertising across Reach’s publications, such as the Mirror, Daily Star and OK! magazine.
What are third-party cookies? A third-party cookie is a small piece of data placed on a user’s device (computer, cellphone, or tablet) by a website different from the one the user is currently visiting. It tracks the user’s browsing history, enabling personalized ads based on their activities.
Why now? Google Chrome officially began the phased discontinuation of third-party cookies in January, with plans to completely deprecate them by the second half of 2024.
What Amazon is saying. Frazer Locke, Amazon Ads director of EU adtech sales, told the Financial Times:
- “As the industry shifts towards an environment where cookies are not available, first party contextual signals are critical in helping us develop actionable insights that enable our advertisers to reach relevant audiences without sacrificing reach, relevancy or ad performance.”
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Deep dive. Read our article on Google Chrome’s deprecation of third-party cookies for more information.
