Key takeaways
- Data fragmentation threatens personalization, performance, and marketing ROI.
- Interoperability and addressability are essential to unify customer experiences.
- RampID acts as a translator across platforms, enabling consistent reach and insights.
- LiveRamp empowers brands to activate, measure, and scale customer engagement everywhere.
Consumers are everywhere – streaming CTV, scrolling social media on their phones, browsing and shopping on multiple devices, even interacting with smart devices in their homes and cars. They bounce from one channel or device to another, but each touchpoint often operates in an echo chamber, using its own unique language of identifiers to help marketers understand who a consumer is.
According to McKinsey & Company, over 75% of consumers get frustrated when experiences aren’t personalized. Customer insights are everywhere, but hard to connect due to data fragmentation. Fragmentation creates massive headaches for marketers and advertisers trying to deliver tailored, connected experiences. Orchestrating a cohesive conversation between a brand and a customer is nearly impossible when consumers switch devices or platforms – it’s as if the brand doesn’t recognize them anymore and forgot everything they knew about a valued customer. This is the reality for many brands. As privacy regulations tighten and traditional identifiers fade, fragmentation isn’t just a nuisance – it’s a critical threat to effective marketing, especially in uncertain economic times.
Marketing budgets are already under intense scrutiny. Investments must be spent on activities that are efficient, predictable, productive – and measurably successful. Brands, eager to stay ahead, can be quick to invest in new solutions: promising CDPs, flashy analytics platforms, must-have paid channels, novel segmentation tools, and emerging AI capabilities. While often useful and effective on their own, many adtech solutions don’t reach their full potential due to disconnected data and inconsistent identifiers across the ecosystem. Without bridging gaps between data silos and tools, marketers will never be able to truly achieve personalized engagement across the consumer journey or deliver meaningful, measurable results.
But the truth is, silos aren’t going away – walled gardens will remain, privacy-protecting regulations and policies will evolve, innovative solutions will be revealed, and digital kingdoms will continue to rise (and fall). So, the real question for marketers is: How can you connect disparate data sets in a way that creates value across every touchpoint for every customer?
With the right partner, customer outreach is no longer lost in translation. Brands can finally have the insights to reach and delight customers in ways that deliver greater brand trust and business impact.
How to overcome data fragmentation
Connectivity across the ecosystem happens when your data strategy is shored up by two fundamental elements:
- Interoperability: The ability to easily connect isolated data silos and unique identifiers so all data sets speak the same language. When data is interoperable, it creates a clear, connected picture of consumers so marketers can reach the right audiences at exactly the right time (otherwise known as addressability). A trusted, durable identifier empowers brands to engage with consumers in an addressable way no matter where they are – from streaming their favorite shows, to scrolling their social media feeds, to checking emails, and catching up on news sites or apps.
- Data-driven targeting: By unlocking the true potential of your data with interoperability, marketers can responsibly and efficiently connect the right data across the ecosystem to enable innovative marketing use cases. Seamlessly connected data powers everything from hyper-personalized ad experiences everywhere – social, programmatic, connected TV and OTT, streaming audio, publisher direct deals, paid search, email, and even emerging AI – to real-time campaign optimization and precise measurement. When data is accessible, actionable, and connected, brands and agencies can work together to ensure every marketing dollar works harder and smarter for better performance results.
RampID: A Rosetta Stone for the disconnected ecosystem
At LiveRamp, we are building bridges to close gaps across the ecosystem. To truly overcome data fragmentation, marketers need a holistic approach to accurately connect consumer insights between silos at scale so customers are addressable everywhere they spend time. To achieve deeper, more accurate addressability, translating identifiers across devices, platforms, and channels isn’t only helpful, it’s a game-changer. When marketers have the right identifier, it’s like a Rosetta Stone for the entire digital advertising ecosystem – and for every customer.
That’s exactly what LiveRamp has unlocked with RampID, the most durable, interoperable identifier for connecting the ecosystem. RampID acts as a translator between brands, publishers, and platforms, making it possible to turn disparate customer data into a single, comprehensive view.
LiveRamp’s addressability infrastructure provides end-to-end interoperability by embedding RampID – built on the largest and most accurate identity graph available – across every major premium publisher and social platform, including thousands of publishers spanning display, mobile in-app, streaming audio, and CTV, as well as adtech and martech platforms, commerce and retail media, and emerging AI platforms. RampID’s reach helps the ecosystem solve for signal loss to enable consistent, accurate addressability. As a result, media platforms like Pinterest and Albertsons Media Collective can dramatically improve targeting and measurement, driving higher value for advertisers, agencies, and data sellers.
What does this mean for marketers? Better, more consistent personalized experiences for consumers and better, more predictable results for brands, partners, publishers, and agencies. Imagine the impact of truly connecting your audiences across all touchpoints, driving better reach, increased measurability, and improved accountability.
Discover how the NHL delights fans with data collaboration.
Unlocking deeper insights: From data silos to strategic activation
Having an interoperable translator for every device, platform, and channel isn’t enough. Brands, agencies, and data sellers must also be able to unlock the value of their own data as well as partner data and activate it effectively across the ecosystem. This capability drastically improves brand confidence that every engagement opportunity delivers the personalized experience consumers expect and can then be measured against core organizational goals.
Enabled by industry-leading identity graphs and RampID, LiveRamp’s Connectivity solutions empower brands to activate data sets – wherever the data lives – across the digital ecosystem. This means brands, agencies, and data sellers can maximize campaign reach and performance while ensuring measurement viability throughout the entire campaign process, including:
Planning and segmentation: Maximize targeting and reach
Imagine a major sports apparel brand wants to launch a new line of custom sneakers. With LiveRamp, it can seamlessly unify their first-party customer data (e.g., past purchases, website visits), second-party data from retail partners (e.g., loyalty information, in-app behavior), and third-party data on fitness enthusiasts. The brand can then build, enrich, and scale high-value audiences with unprecedented precision, ensuring their campaign targets the exact individuals most likely to be interested in customizing their next pair of shoes.
Activation: Reach consumers across every touchpoint
Once audiences are segmented, the sports apparel brand can easily configure and activate their data with LiveRamp, the world’s most powerful data collaboration network. The brand can plan their campaign once and activate it to as many destinations as possible, whether it’s CTV platforms, social media giants, streaming audio platforms, premium publishers, or adtech partners.
LiveRamp’s flexible configurations allow marketers to target at both the individual and household level, using deterministic matches for high-value customers and creating lookalike audiences to expand reach. LiveRamp’s identity graph also provides maximum reach by matching as many touchpoints to a brand’s data as possible, such as phone number and name and postal, (something not possible by just passing hashed emails directly to platforms). These capabilities ensure the personalized sneaker ad seamlessly reaches the right buyer – whether they’re watching TV at night, scrolling the news in the morning, or anywhere else they engage – while keeping the message consistent and tailored throughout their journey.
Optimization and measurement: Prove ROI and drive growth
Beyond reach, brands and agencies need to understand campaign impact. LiveRamp’s solutions, with RampID as the connector, enable the seamless, multi-directional flow of audiences, conversions, and other signal data. This means the sports apparel brand can receive impression data and send conversion data to their media partners while connecting it within their analytics solutions. This streamlined process enables real-time optimization, accurate attribution, and comprehensive ad measurement. The sports apparel brand and its agencies are able to see exactly which channels and ads drove sneaker sales, allowing them to make mid-flight campaign adjustments to maximize ROI and confidently prove the value of their marketing investments.
Discover how DICK’S Media partners with LiveRamp to connect brands – turning dedicated fans into brand champions.
Connectivity for all: A collaborative ecosystem
LiveRamp’s Connectivity solutions aren’t just about individual gains for brands and agencies – they foster a healthier, more valuable ecosystem for everyone.
For brands and agencies
LiveRamp unlocks precise audience planning, expanded reach, continuous optimization, and accurate measurement to deliver truly exceptional experiences and growth everywhere it matters. For instance, when a financial service company uses RampID to resolve their customer data across physical retail locations, online banking, and mobile app usage, they can create a consolidated view at the individual level. The brand then has the insights to activate tailored offers for new banking, investment, or commercial products to customers across their preferred news publishers and streaming platforms.
For media owners and publishers
With LiveRamp, media owners and publishers can resolve and augment their own data to increase addressable audience inventory. This drives ad space value and delivers campaign performance insights with clarity and accuracy. For example, a major news publisher can leverage RampID to resolve its first-party authenticated audiences and significantly increase the audiences they offer as addressable inventory to advertisers, ultimately attracting premium ad spend.
For data sellers and tech partners
LiveRamp’s connectivity solutions seamlessly drive increased data usage and volume, leading to greater partner adoption and revenue. For instance, by working with LiveRamp, a data seller specializing in automotive interests can see segments activated to authenticated audiences on RampID across hundreds of platforms and publishers, expanding their reach and utility for brands and agencies. Meanwhile, tech partners can connect their inventory to the authenticated ecosystem to drive more interoperability and data value.
Explore this infographic for a step-by-step guide to unlocking meaningful engagement at scale across the ecosystem.
Why LiveRamp leads in data collaboration: The network effect
LiveRamp’s Connectivity solutions are purpose-built to facilitate seamless interoperability and addressability everywhere consumers spend time – driving more predictable, sustainable value for all participants. LiveRamp provides brands greater benefits than direct activation and/or other methods of onboarding or activating data for four key reasons:
1. LiveRamp built the world’s most powerful data collaboration network.
We don’t just connect first-party data – we connect first-, second-, and third-party data from brands, partners, agencies, and data providers to power everything from sophisticated segmentation and targeting to campaign optimization and robust measurement. LiveRamp enables addressable activation to more than 500 of the most important media, CTV platforms, publishers, and adtech partners – and we won’t stop there. We’re continuously expanding these capabilities into exciting new frontiers like commerce media, AI experiences, gaming, martech, and other emerging channels.
2. LiveRamp enables the most accurate way of connecting data for greater addressability.
We accurately link all of the most important consumer data sources to reach individuals across all touchpoints. This leads to maximized reach for delivering exceptional customer experiences, better brand performance, and more predictable, sustainable outcomes everywhere it matters. This unmatched accuracy is powered by our robust addressability infrastructure that embeds RampID where it needs to be.
3. LiveRamp’s identity graph delivers the highest match rates – maximizing addressable reach across the ecosystem.
Our match rates can be up to 60-80% or more and are up to 50% higher when using RampID vs hashed emails or other means of direct activation. Why does this matter for marketers? It means you can reach consumers wherever they are – LiveRamp has unparalleled reach across 92% of consumers’ digitally engaged time.
4. The LiveRamp Data Collaboration Platform is the most complete way to connect, segment, enhance, and activate data wherever it lives.
Whether you’re trying to increase audience addressability for a new product launch, optimize real-time bidding for personalized ads, or measure the actual impact of your marketing investments on sales, LiveRamp delivers connectivity at the scale you need to make it happen. Simply put, no other data collaboration network even comes close to our reach, accuracy, and versatility of partners.
The digital landscape is complex, but it doesn’t have to be disconnected. At LiveRamp, we continue to build bridges that empower marketers and all of their media partners to truly understand and personalize engagement with consumers, no matter where their journey takes them next.
Check out our latest customer stories to discover how LiveRamp’s solutions are driving connectivity for the entire ecosystem.
