As part of the programmatic ecosystem, data integrations are an integral component to executing high performing campaigns in any demand-side platform (DSP). Running effective campaigns means having access to the appropriate and extensive targeting options. Data plays a huge role in this.
Without 3rd-party data providers, campaigns would be limited to 1st-party, in platform audiences and rudimentary targeting capabilities. These additional integrations enable advertisers to better leverage any 1st-party data that lives outside the DSP, to access a plethora of 3rd-party audiences, and to have appropriate reporting and measurement tools.
So, what kinds of data integration capabilities should you be looking for when choosing the best DSP? We will take a deeper look into each one.
Data Upload
Retargeting is one of the most heavily used programmatic advertising tactics. It enables you to pixel users as they visit your site and show interest in your products, and retarget them with relevant ads after the fact. But what about those who have shown interest in other ways? Perhaps users have signed up for a newsletter or have made an in-store purchase without visiting your site. These lists may not necessarily be captured by the retargeting pixel, but are still valuable for retargeting efforts or even to exclude from prospecting efforts.
This is why 1st-party CRM data is so important. These 1st-party data lists can add immense value to your campaign efforts and so it’s essential that your DSP has the ability to leverage these lists. LiveRamp is an example of an integration partner that offers CRM onboarding. If your DSP is integrated with LiveRamp, you have the option to upload your CRM lists to leverage in your campaigns, in near real-time.
Data Reach
Even with the benefits of 1st-party targeting and CRM data, they can only enable a limited amount of campaign scale—highly dependent on the size of the list and match rate. In order to extend campaign reach and ensure new audiences are brought into the funnel, 3rd-party audiences need to be used. Naturally, this requires an integration with a data management platform (DMP) to enable data reach.
There are many DMPs that a DSP can integrate with, each providing specific strengths and audience data segments in a variety of industries or verticals. For example, Nielsen has highly granular consumer characteristics across a variety of verticals including consumer packaged goods, automotive, B2B and more. Bombora offers B2B audiences for account-based marketing (ABM) programs, also enabling users to create new account lists based on intent. Both of these providers present specific benefits to different digital marketers, based on their campaign needs.
Digging even further into the data reach capabilities of these providers, you can even use the integration for retargeting to extend reach. This is different from the data upload capabilities mentioned above, but rather leverages the partnership to access audiences relevant for retargeting purposes. For example, Comscore offers the ability to retarget audiences who saw a linear TV ad through programmatic campaigns. Although a retargeting tactic, since it is not leveraging direct visitors to a website, it requires an integration to make it possible. If your DSP has these capabilities waiting for you, your campaign scale and scope will benefit tremendously.
Data Measurement
Finally, we reach one of the most important aspects of programmatic advertising that sets it apart from other traditional forms of marketing—reporting and measurement. Having the ability to view and review metrics in real-time, even prior to the campaign ending is critical for optimizations and establishing return on as spend (ROAS). As it is so important to track the success of your campaign, you want to ensure your DSP not only has robust reporting but also has access to relevant data integrations for data measurement.
In scenarios where a direct conversion cannot be tracked, finding other ways to measure campaign performance is required. Consider connected TV (CTV) campaigns, where there is no real click. Comscore Brand Survey Lift for CTV is a survey-based branding effectiveness solution that measures the total branding impact of CTV campaigns as well as lift attribution by network, placement and creative. This is one way to track the performance of CTV campaigns, beyond a click or conversion.
For other types of digital campaigns, measuring performance offline is beneficial. Moat Outcomes, part of the Moat by Oracle Data Cloud suite, helps CPG advertisers measure the in-flight lift from their campaigns on real-world business outcomes like sales and visits. If your DSP has access to this integration, you have the ability to draw true ROAS for digital initiatives, offline.
Having access to the right integrations makes all the difference, and if your DSP is working to build those integrations, you know they are working to better your ad buying experience and your campaign success.
Want to run exceptional programmatic campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.
