Adweek – October 9, 2024
Marketing and advertising have fully entered a multi-ID era, where brand teams can no longer rely on a single persistent identifier to help link all of their efforts.
Of course, as with everything related to advertising and marketing technology, advertisers are moving slowly into this new age. They have good reason – this is an upending of the apple cart that is unlike anything the industry has experienced before.
Advertisers aren’t trying to simply solve one problem, but several at the same time. And while they know they have to find a technological solution to help mitigate the pain, it can be difficult to parse out the direct needs and how they relate to one another.
Fortunately for advertisers, solutions are coming in the form of composable identity solutions. That alone may sound like more complication, but in truth, it’s complementary to what advertisers are already working
The Current ID Landscape
The complication with entering the multi-ID era stems from the fact that identity needs are situational: both comprehensive and specific at the same time. The needs change over time and change as brands evolve and mature, and as they build out their tech stack.
Over the past 10 years, brands have invested deeply in digital transformation and a modern data stack, with the critical identity operations coming via tag managers, media platforms, CDPs, CRM, HoldCos, Onboarders, and other solutions.
There is a competitive identity landscape with a plethora of options, and what brands integrate must be interoperable within the existing data stack. Unfortunately, most solutions are either too expensive, too comprehensive, too complex on one hand, or too specific, too limited, and not interoperable on the other.
Enter The Composable Era
The concept of composability is now dominating the CDP category. Five years in, Gartner has placed CDPs in its “trough of disillusionment,” largely due to frustrations with bundled CDP models. Composability – also known as modularity and customizability – is now gaining traction.
Composable identity solutions are modular, gap-filling solutions that can integrate into existing systems, quickly deliver value and complement existing investments. This approach resolves the tension between being a complementary solution and offering a full package. Brands can select specific identity modules to enhance their existing systems, or opt for a complete solution, allowing flexibility without forcing the need to rip-and-replace their entire existing stack.
Endless Adaptability
Every brand’s identity strategy largely boils down to three main needs: enhancement, monetization, and interoperability. Any solution that brands bring on board at this point must touch all three of these categories. But again, the needs vary from brand to brand, depending on where investment has been made already, or different campaign requirements.
The value of composable solutions is that they offer a buffet of choices, of which brands can choose one, some, or all of the functions, depending on need. This includes the solutions and/or capabilities to:
| • Build and install an identity graph | • Identify anonymous site visitors |
| • Build premium audience segments | • Crosswalk between multiple IDs (both channel & partner) |
| • Append attribute first- or third-party data | • Improve customer identity spine with a “golden record” |
| • “Pre-Board” to improve audience activation | • Enable total data interoperability |
| • Tag and measure digital & cross channel campaigns | •Enable omnichannel marketing |
Indeed, as other sectors like CDPs enter their composable eras, it’s now possible for CDPs and identity solutions to seamlessly integrate and complement each other.
“Composability represents a clear path to addressing marketers’ and publishers’ needs in a seamless, easy-to-integrate and use fashion,” said David Wells, Industry Principal of Media, Entertainment, and Advertising at Snowflake. “There is perhaps no functionality more important for us than interoperability, which is why we’re excited to partner with platforms like Adstra’s Conexa identity spine.”Building The Future
Adstra is bringing composability to life. The latest example is the new mobile native app integration with Snowflake. Through this integration, advertisers and publishers already using Snowflake now have easy access to Adstra’s Conexa identity spine. Whether you need a full solution or to fill in some holes with your existing strategy, Conexa provides the functionality needed.
While the challenges of the multi-ID landscape may feel insurmountable at this present moment, they aren’t. Advertising as an industry has been building toward this moment for decades now, and the proliferation of identities is perhaps the gentle kick that the industry needed.
While the future may seem daunting, it’s now time to embrace change. In fact, it’s time to embrace the present. There are more consumer touchpoints than ever before, and more for marketers to measure. By tackling identity with a composable solution that allows for flexibility and multiple options, advertisers can set themselves up for the future, no matter what it looks like.
Adstra is bringing composability to life. The latest example is the new mobile native app integration with Snowflake. Through this integration, advertisers and publishers already using Snowflake now have easy access to Adstra’s Conexa identity spine. Whether you need a full solution or to fill in some holes with your existing strategy, Conexa provides the functionality needed. Reach out to Adstra to learn more.
