October 28, 2020

LiveRamp Enhances Identity Infrastructure to Include Unified ID 2.0

LiveRamp, a data connectivity platform provider, is collaborating with advertising technology provider The Trade Desk to enable improved addressable advertising and measurement across channels without third-party cookies or device identifiers.

As prts of the deal, Unified ID 2.0 will be made available to publishers via LiveRamp's Authenticated Identity Infrastructure. Consequently, publishers that deploy LiveRamp's Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) will see demand from advertisers using both LiveRamp's pseudonymous, people-based identifier and the Unified ID 2.0 and help advertisers optimize digital advertising buys across display, mobile in-app, and connected TV (CTV).

Marketers who work with both LiveRamp and The Trade Desk can now bid on LiveRamp's identifier within The Trade Desk's platform, giving them increased access to addressable inventory, people-based frequency capping and suppression, and matches of their first-, second-, and third-party data to digital advertising inventory.

"We purposely designed ATS to be essential addressability infrastructure, capable of supporting multiple identifiers in a neutral and interoperable way," said Scott Howe, LiveRamp's CEO, in a statement. "The combined demand from The Trade Desk, the largest independent demand-side platform, and the 400 global brands using LiveRamp enables publishers and advertisers to thrive in a post-cookie environment."

Unified ID 2.0 is a new approach to identity that represents an upgrade to third-party cookies, preserving the value exchange of advertising on the open internet, while providing improved consumer controls. The Trade Desk developed initial product code for Unified ID 2.0 which will be non-commercial, open-source, interoperable, and administered by an independent organization.

"When we architected Unified ID 2.0 this summer, based on the IAB recipe, we intended it as an industry-wide collaboration that complements and interoperates with other IDs on the market. It is independently governed and open-source for the same reasons," said Dave Pickles, chief technology officer and co-founder of The Trade Desk, in a statement. "Our partnership with LiveRamp reaffirms our shared commitment to interoperability as we work together to preserve the value exchange of the open internet."
"LiveRamp's unique position in the advertising ecosystem, with our neutral and agnostic infrastructure, means we're able to translate identity across the advertising supply chain without compromising user privacy and security. It's a key differentiator and part of why we've seen impressive momentum for ATS," said Travis Clinger, senior vice president and head of addressability and ecosystem at LiveRamp, in a statement.

To-date, more than 215 publishers worldwide have adopted ATS and more than 25 supply-side platforms are live with or implementing LiveRamp's identifier in the bidstream.

"We expect today's announcement with The Trade Desk to further accelerate ATS adoption among publishers, as it makes it easier for publishers to connect their inventory to marketer demand. Plus, marketers get the added value of transacting on an identifier proven to perform better than third-party cookies in virtually every way: ROAS, cost-per-page-view, and increased average order value, to name a few," Clinger said.