AdTech Bytes #53 - Google Lets Publishers Keep And Share Cookies With ESPs

Remember when Google announced that it won’t build any alternate identifiers after it kills the 3rd-party cookies? It was only a week later it came back with PPIDs - Publisher Provided Identifiers that would help publishers share their first-party data with Ad Manager to deliver personalized ad campaigns.?

Now after testing it for almost a year, ESPs (Encrypted Signals for Publishers) are now under open beta.?

Let’s see what exactly are ESPs and how it is going to make a difference in the post cookie world. I have covered every Google update in my newsletter. In case you need a refresher, I have added all those editions towards the end.

What are Encrypted Signals for Publishers?

To understand this we need to go back in time. Let’s understand the chronology of the events :

• Google announced in Jan 2020 that it plans to phase out third-party cookies. Industry-wide chaos follows. Google introduced a bunch of alternatives (FLoC, FLEDGE), other players in the industry also tested out their own alternatives like The Trade Desk’s UID 2.0, SWAN (community-operated alternative of FLoC), and LiveRamp’s Ramp ID.?
• With the introduction of PPIDs, publishers could now use their first-party data to deliver a personalized ad experience but what about those who don’t use PPIDs? Or other Google products? This led to the development of ESPs.?

Just like PPIDs, publishers can make use of ESPs to share encrypted first-party signals such as the UID 2.0 through Ad Manager with other non-Google demand partners. A publisher could also encrypt its PPIDs which can be an ESP for a non-Google advertising platform.?

So, how does it make a difference? Well, lately Google has been accused of leveraging its unfair advantage in the ad ecosystem. Letting more people contribute not only helps Google get back its reputation but also keeps a check. Another reason why Google has rolled out ESP is because of its take on email identifiers. While Google won’t make use of it or would create such an identifier, it can’t stop others from using it.?

While it’s too early to say anything, Google believes that both PPIDs and ESPs will help publishers monetize their inventory better.?

Refresher Resources

• FLoC, FLEDGE & PPIDs
• FLoC 2.0
• UID 2.0?
• SWAN
• Seller Defined Audiences