At Immediate, consent management platforms (CMPs) play a crucial role beyond mere compliance with data laws. They function as a strategic tool for managing and evaluating ad tech partnerships, particularly in deciding which partners should remain based on their data practices.
As Mario Lamaa, Director of Revenue Operations at Immediate, revealed, the company undertook a significant review of its ad tech partners starting in 2023. Partners that couldn’t justify their data handling were removed, drastically reducing their number from nearly 900 to about 150 by the end of the year, with a goal to cut it down further to around 50 by mid-next year.
The process of streamlining partnerships is driven by the need to balance data privacy with monetization. Immediate’s strategy involves working closely with remaining partners to ensure that data usage aligns with their standards and helps in maximizing revenue.
By focusing on the value of each partnership, they aim to enhance the transparency and richness of the data available to advertisers, even as they trim down their partner base. This meticulous approach helps Immediate optimize its ad tech ecosystem while maintaining high standards of data privacy.
Despite the potential financial risks of reducing the number of partners, Immediate is confident that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
The company acknowledges that while fewer partners might impact short-term programmatic revenue, the overall value comes from offering advertisers more direct and transparent access to data. This balance between revenue and data transparency is critical in ensuring that Immediate remains competitive while adhering to stringent privacy practices.
Immediate’s approach contrasts sharply with the more traditional view of CMPs as mere compliance tools. Instead, their CMP functions as a central component in a broader strategy for responsible data management and user privacy.
It allows for detailed control over consent, including the ability to exclude specific vendors, conduct audits, and manage consent strings according to the IAB framework. This advanced functionality empowers Immediate to maintain rigorous privacy standards and respond promptly to any issues, reinforcing their commitment to user-centric privacy.
Immediate’s use of CMPs illustrates a strategic shift in how publishers manage their data and ad tech relationships. By focusing on both compliance and user experience and making informed decisions about partnerships, Immediate demonstrates that effective consent management can enhance both privacy and profitability.
As Shannon Millard from Epsilon highlights, balancing revenue with user transparency is essential, and engaging openly with ad tech partners can help achieve this balance.