We’re betting on mediarithmics to become the European leader of cookie-less consumer data management for media, retail and large consumer brands.
Tech platforms, digital advertisers, and programmatic ad networks have long relied on cookies - a small piece of code added to browsers - to accurately track the behavior of users across websites and social media apps. The advertising content displayed on social media feeds, news sites and paid search results leverage the data collected by these cookies to personalize their marketing targeting and match users with the right content. This is how the t-shirt you just checked out follows you throughout the web. It’s also how ad networks have been able to accurately attribute conversions outside of their own networks.
But cookie-based targeting is ripe with imperfections. Both government regulatory frameworks and consumers have been targeting third-party tracking, as public attention was brought to data ownership and transparency. Indeed, platforms such as Meta (fka FaceBook) have harvested most of the economic value while users had to relinquish the control and ownership of their data.
In 2021, Apple triggered a massive shift in the advertising landscape by requiring iOS users to explicitly allow apps to collect their phone’s unique identifier, which is used for tracking and advertising objectives. A trickle down consequence of this decision was the rise of advertising costs on ad platforms due to poorer optimization and tracking.
Concurrently, browsers are changing and moving to better protect users’ privacy. The biggest threat is Google’s Chrome browser which expects to remove support for third-party cookies by 2022. Other browsers, including Safari, Firefox, Edge and Brave have already implemented some level of user protection.
All of the above has direct consequences on media publishers: According to a recent study, the top 500 digital media publishers would see a 52% decrease in revenue, with a median decline of 64%. Advertisers now face a fundamental challenge: how can they identify, reach and convert high-value users in a future where cookies are effectively becoming obsolete?
As cookies are becoming outdated and browsers are initiating anti-tracking mechanisms, the transformation of data sharing practices means that every marketing team will need to rethink their usage of first party data across platforms. Advertising attribution, programmatic advertising networks targeting will each be significantly affected by this change, impacting revenue for digital ads dependent companies.
We are investing in the second wave of MarTech and AdTech solutions that enterprises need, to better harness and manage their data. CDPs like mediarithmics will provide businesses with the ability to collect, clean, control and merge customer data into unified profiles. This shift in focus, away from ad targeting towards customer data management, is necessary to leverage multiple, connected channels (web, mobile app, in-store CRM) holistically.
By uncovering the customer journey through advanced AI and Machine Learning models, marketers gain autonomy over their marketing campaigns and transform those insights into direct actions that impact business goals. CDPs also enables brands to bridge the gap between digital and physical touchpoints.
Mediarithmics is a new kind of CDP, led by an all-star team of adtech veterans, providing superior collection and analysis to marketing teams. Their product enables retailers and media companies to maintain a direct relationship with their consumer, gather insights on each consumer with consent, and provide high accuracy through tailored digital experiences.
In the highly technically-oriented CDP field, we were impressed by Mediarithmics’s unique product advantages over its competitors. mediarithmics' next-gen CDP utilizes a patented graph-based approach to drive effective data management and marketing execution. This proprietary RTG architecture avoids the compression and advance preparation requirements seen on other CDP platforms, thus allowing advertisers to work with live data, a major comparative advantage within the segment. This holistic and actionable view of the customer journey generates superior performance and brand impact while saving time: all in a single platform, without integrations or complex processes.
But above all, our bet on mediarithmics is driven by a firm conviction that this is the right team to take the company towards its ambitious goals. Earlier this year, Gilles Chetelat joined the Mediarithmics team and its founder Stephane Dugelay to build an ultra-efficient sales development machine. Gilles is no stranger to the adtech industry, having previously founded StickyAds (sold in 2017 to Comcast).
In Gilles and Stephane, respectively CEO and founder and CTO, we found a mix of humility, transparency and ambition, associated with a significant track record of execution within the ad-tech vertical. Since our first dealflow calls, they both showcased a strong ability to complete each other and collaborate together.
mediarithmics is a next-Gen CDP platform allowing retailers, media companies and large consumer brands to better leverage their audiences across platforms. The company enables the construction and storage of wide granular segments that can be used on marketing platforms for advanced personalised advertising.
