Perion launches cookieless identity solution
A new audience targeting solution groups cohorts by common traits.
SORT (Smart Optimization of Responsive Traits) is a new privacy-conscious, cookieless identity resolution technology from Perion Network, a global ad tech company focused on search, social, display and CTV/video advertising. It joins a growing number of proposed alternatives to tracking consumers with third-party cookies. SORT will initially be offered by the Perion company Undertone.
SORT uses AI to aggregate “common ground” traits that identify scalable target audiences based on a range of real-time data signals. It identifies similarities between users and creates groups which are fluid with users continually moving between them (an example of a group would be consumers in New York who are reading entertainment content on an iPhone on a Saturday morning).SORT delivers advertising that matches their interests with publishers’ contextual inventories. Advertisers will be able to display a SORT Signal to indicate that they are being targeted in a non-invasive way.
The announcement comes with some data on SORT’s effectiveness, audited by Neutronian, and independent data quality certification service. Preliminary data showed indications that SORT could out-perform cookie-based targeting.
Why we care. Back in August, we noted some debate within Google about whether cohorts (as in Federated Learning of Cohorts — FLoC — might be better replaced by topics. SORT seems to be developing cohorts but based on a number of contextual signals rather than just the topic of the content that is being consumed.
Also, SORT, of course, can run outside the Google eco-system.
Identity resolution platforms: A snapshot
What it is. Identity resolution is the science of connecting the growing volume of consumer identifiers to one individual as he or she interacts across channels and devices.
What the tools do. Identity resolution technology connects those identifiers to one individual. It draws this valuable data from the various channels and devices customers interact with, such as connected speakers, home management solutions, smart TVs, and wearable devices. It’s an important tool as the number of devices connected to IP networks is expected to climb to more than three times the global population by 2023, according to the Cisco Annual Internet Report.
Why it’s hot now. More people expect relevant brand experiences across each stage of their buying journeys. One-size-fits-all marketing doesn’t work; buyers know what information sellers should have and how they should use it. Also, inaccurate targeting wastes campaign spending and fails to generate results.
This is why investment in identity resolution programs is growing among brand marketers. These technologies also ensure their activities stay in line with privacy regulations.
Why we care. The most successful digital marketing strategies rely on knowing your potential customer. Knowing what they’re interested in, what they’ve purchased before — even what demographic group they belong to — is essential.
Dig deeper: What is identity resolution and how are platforms adapting to privacy changes?
Related stories
New on MarTech
About the author
Kim was Associate Editor at a New York Times hyper-local news site, The Local: East Village, and has previously worked as an editor of an academic publication, and as a music journalist. He has written hundreds of New York restaurant reviews for a personal blog, and has been an occasional guest contributor to Eater.