The growth of high-quality data investment in EMEA reveals cookieless addressability is on the top of marketers and publishers minds
LONDON – (May 4, 2022) – Lotame (www.lotame.com), the only flexible data solutions provider to future-proof connectivity and drive performance across all screens, today reported that buying of high-quality, third-party audience data increased 40% in EMEA and 25% globally from 2020 to 2021.
The data was sourced from Lotame Data Exchange, the world’s largest second- and third-party data marketplace, comprising billions of monthly unique users.
In EMEA, the UK remained the top sales driver in the second half (2H) of 2021. In both halves of the year, five of the ten biggest data spenders globally were EMEA countries – Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. Lotame saw an increase in audience segments, in particular, UK Precision Demographics (18+) increased by 182% YOY. Precision audiences are validated age and gender segments that exceed industry benchmarks at scale.
Audience segments in EMEA that experienced substantial 2H YoY growth include:
“Against a backdrop of insufficient volumes of first-party data, and its limitations on the allowing for an understanding of the customer and how to discover new ones, our analysis demonstrates companies are seeking new sources of high-quality data for prospecting, data sharing, analytics and modelling as they prepare for the phase-out of cookies,” said Alison Harding, Vice President, Data Solutions, Lotame. “The continued investment in audience segments will remain vital long after third-party cookies are retired because it plays an integral part in creating a holistic view of the consumer.”
As advertisers continue to invest in their audiences, they are increasingly augmenting first-party data with third-party data, as the latter provides volume and reach in addition to a more rounded view of the consumer. The IAB State of Data Report 2021 confirms that ad spend is continuously being allocated to third-party audience data, increasing 3.3% to $12.3 billion YoY.
Globally, the top-performing audience segments in 2H 2021 include Advanced Demographics, B2B (33% increase), Age, Business, CTV (78% increase), Lotame Precision, Entertainment, Home & Family and Hispanic.
Global markets outside of EMEA that yielded some of the highest 2H YoY growth include:
“Throughout 2021 we kept hearing about first-party data, but the IAB found investment in it flatlined while spending on high quality, third-party data surged,” added Harding. “The ability to map an accurate customer journey is paramount and brands are flocking to the data and cookieless identity solutions that allow them to do so.”