People’s Data is None of Our Business

GumGum CEO, Phil Schraeder, tells us why digital advertising doesn’t require personal data to be effective

When audience targeting first emerged, it completely revolutionized the advertising industry: We now had the ability to track everything - what sites people visited and how often, and what they were buying and when. You name it, the industry was tracking it. 

But, in the wake of growing privacy concerns and the emergence of new digital environments, this approach has made people feel that digital ads are invasive, inauthentic and overall ineffective. GumGum CEO, Phil Schraeder recently spoke at AdExchanger’s Industry Preview to discuss why digital advertising does not need to rely on behavioral tracking to be effective. In fact, as advertisers, people’s data is none of our business. So then, how do we deliver relevant and engaging ads that capture people’s attention and inspire them to take action? 

Nearly half of internet users avoid online ads

While ad blocking has become commonplace, it still poses a serious challenge to advertisers. Nearly half of all global internet users go out of their way to avoid online ads. And further, consumers have made their voices heard to regulators, who, as we all know, are leveling up their scrutiny of audience targeting practices.

Before the internet, one of the reasons people watched TV, listened to the radio or read the newspapers was for the ads! To see what is new, what is out there and available. We must work to make digital advertising useful for people spending time online. 

“We don’t need to know everything or really anything about you in order to deliver a relevant and engaging ad”

Measuring attention

If we can use technology to truly understand the context of a digital environment, not just based on keywords but truly understand all the signals in an environment, and pair that with dynamic and engaging ad creatives, we can change the face of digital advertising - making it more useful and sustainable for present and future generations. 

To do this, we must reimagine how we measure our digital advertising campaigns. Is success how many people clicked on a link or possibly saw the ad? One powerful option is measuring attention and learning what ads grab people’s attention and compel them to take action. So, how do we effectively grab people’s attention? The answer is, the Mindset Matrix. 

The Mindset Matrix 

GumGum’s new framework, the Mindset Matrix combines true contextual understanding with dynamic creative and attention metrics to understand a consumer's frame of mind and drive meaningful outcomes. 

Having these three powerful tools working in tandem will allow advertisers to captivate a person’s mindset in current and emerging digital environments - all without the need of using personal data. 

GumGum's Mindset Matrix

Key Benefits:

People receive relevant ads that they value and engage with. 

Advertisers can deliver engaging and relevant ads that don’t require the use of personal data, that are still just as effective and boost brand favorability and trust amongst consumers. 

Publishers can go back to focusing on creating engaging content and covering critical news stories without the fear that technology advertisers will overblock content and hinder their ability to earn advertising revenue. 

Now, more than ever, it is time for our industry to evolve. Through the Mindset Matrix, the industry will better align their digital ads with how people operate, think and overall drive attention and outcomes.

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