Kinesso, the marketing intelligence unit of Interpublic Group (IPG), today announced that it will become a closed operator of Unified ID 2.0. Unified ID 2.0 is a new common currency of the open internet that represents an upgrade to existing identity solutions, while putting the consumer in the driver’s seat. Initially developed by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 is now an open source, industry-wide initiative spanning hundreds of collaborative partners that operate across the open internet.
As a closed operator, Kinesso can use clients’ first-party data to encrypt and generate a Unified ID 2.0 key within its own technology stack before it is sent out into the advertising bid stream. This further empowers secure data exchange between brands and media platforms, while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising for free content on the open internet.
Kinesso’s identity capabilities enable marketers to navigate the future amid growing fragmentation, regulation, and heightened customer expectations. Facing a world without third-party cookies and mobile ad IDs, brands must still be able to connect with people, not only through ’big-tech platforms’ but through the open web – and they must be able to do so consistently, in a privacy-safe way. The advantage of working as a closed operator is the fact that, for the first time ever, Kinesso can deliver the Unified ID 2.0 for brands, directly connecting their audiences with the publisher ecosystem, without personally identifiable data leaving Kinesso’s privacy-safe environments. This approach expedites the connecting of clients’ data, reduces costs, and should improve match rates.
“Democracy in media has always been funded by marketing, and preserving that free exchange of ideas through data and identifiers like Unified ID 2.0 represents the next generation of modern marketing,” said Ian Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at Kinesso. “Our clients care deeply about their direct relationship with customers, and they are very careful about how they nurture those relationships. We believe identity solutions must be flexible to client needs and capabilities, and Unified ID 2.0 is an important piece to that, ensuring brands can manage their relationships with customers, securely, in a new identity environment.”
“Kinesso joining the Unified ID 2.0 initiative as a closed operator speaks to the progress we are making, as an industry, to develop new approaches to identity that enhance the decades-long relationship between brands and people,” said Jeff Green, co-founder and CEO, The Trade Desk. “We look forward to working with Kinesso and IPG to build on this progress on our common goal of secure identity that benefits advertisers, publishers and people.”
About Unified ID 2.0
Unified ID 2.0 is a next-generation identity solution that is a soon to be open-source digital framework. With initial development led by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 is the result of a broad collaboration of publishers, buyers and technology providers across the industry. It serves as an alternative to third-party cookies that aims to improve consumer transparency, privacy and control, while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising across channels and devices.
