Unlocking effective measurement with Privacy Sandbox
Share
×
Nov 12, 2024
Jolyn Yao
Product Manager, Measurement Lead at Privacy Sandbox
The future of measurement is here, and it’s built on privacy. Marketers need
effective measurement to understand and optimize performance, and ad tech
companies need it to fine-tune solutions and show value to their clients.
But with user privacy taking center stage, traditional measurement methods are
evolving. Companies across the ads ecosystem are exploring new signals like
first-party data and innovative technologies like the Privacy Sandbox Attribution
Reporting, Private Aggregation, and Shared Storage APIs.
This blog post shares how the Privacy Sandbox for web empowers ad tech companies
to measure advertising effectiveness while safeguarding user privacy. We'll
discuss how these technologies work and provide practical steps to unlock their
full potential. Get inspired by real-world examples from ad tech companies using
these tools to maximize performance, and discover resources to help you keep pace
with the latest advancements.
Measuring effectively with fewer cross-site identifiers
Let’s start with some basics on privacy-preserving measurement. The good news is
that privacy and effective ad measurement can co-exist. To gain accurate insights
and make informed decisions, marketers and ad tech providers need reliable data
that reflects overall trends and is not skewed by outlier data. This approach
respects user privacy because it doesn't rely on individual-level information.
To make this possible, Privacy Sandbox uses techniques like:
Aggregation
Data is combined across many users to show overall trends
without revealing individual user information.
Noise
Randomized data, or noise, is added to measurement results,
making it harder to identify individual users while still
providing valuable insights into overall ad performance. The
impact of noise (the signal-to-noise ratio) can be customized
with levers like volume of aggregated user data contributing to
the report or number of event-level reports received.
Reports can be delayed to make it harder to link specific
actions to individual users, further enhancing privacy.
1
/
We understand there is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to
measurement, and we’re invested in providing customizable tools that support your
unique business needs, without compromising on privacy. Learn more about tailoring
these tools in the “If you’re ready to level up” section below.
Understanding and optimizing ad performance
Marketers use attribution reporting to understand ad performance and optimize
campaigns. They need to know which ads drive valuable actions, understand which
buying strategies are performing best, and measure return on investment. DSPs use
this same reporting data to build models that predict which ads are likely to
perform well and bid on the best ad placements for their clients.
By leveraging the Attribution Reporting API's flexible reporting options, ad tech
companies can fine-tune their bidding models and provide robust reporting and
optimization capabilities to marketers—all while safeguarding individual-level
information.
Attributing Reporting: How it Works
Step one: When someone views or clicks an ad on a website, the event is
recorded with the browser/device.
Step two: If they engage with the advertisers’s site, the conversion is
recorded with the browser/device.
Event-level reports provide visibility into individual ad events
that drive conversions (e.g., impression X drove conversion type
A).
Summary reports provide detailed and flexible aggregated
performance reporting (e.g., campaign X had a $100 return on ad
spend).
If you’re just getting started:
Check out the Attribution Reporting API’s
event-level reports. This reporting mode provides visibility into individual ad events that
drive conversions.
Next, explore the Attribution Reporting API’s
summary reports
for aggregated performance reporting on conversion counts and values. This
reporting mode, which generates reports with
Aggregation Service, offers additional flexibility beyond event-level reports to measure more
conversion types and information about the conversion.
If you’re ready to level up:
Tailor reports to the unique reporting needs of each advertiser with
flexible event-level configurations. This includes the ability to measure more conversion types and customize
the timing and number of reports you receive.
Explore approaches to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of summary reports
by:
Consider blending data from both event-level and summary reporting modes for a
more comprehensive view with increased signal-to-noise ratio and metric
visibility. Learn how Google Ads is approaching this, alongside other advanced
configuration techniques, in their two-part series (Part One,
Part Two). Review their encouraging initial results
here.
Hear more from ad tech companies using these tools today:
Our goal is to provide Yahoo DSP advertisers with comprehensive
measurement and insights as we prepare for a future with fewer
third-party cookies. As part of our approach, along with our
proprietary solutions, we are actively integrating the Attribution
Reporting API in the measurement technology of Yahoo DSP. We
believe this will empower advertisers with deeper insights into
their campaigns and thus better inform future strategies.
Giovanni Gardelli
Vice President of Ads Data Products, Yahoo
Basis Technologies is harnessing Privacy Sandbox measurement APIs
to develop solutions that increase advertisers’ ability to measure
the effectiveness of ad campaigns while prioritizing user privacy.
We have modified our ad markup and conversion pixels so that the
Attribution Reporting API will send us event-level reports, which
we have integrated into our conversion reporting dataflows. By
empowering our advertisers to effortlessly configure the
Attribution Reporting API, we are helping ensure that the industry
is better prepared for a future with fewer third-party cookies.
Ian Trider
Vice President of Product (DSP), Basis Technologies
We believe Attribution Reporting API has the potential to become a
pivotal source of measurement and optimization data, potentially
with more scale than can be garnered using cookies. Iterating and
improving upon Privacy Sandbox APIs is only possible through
continued testing, which marketers can and should get involved
with now, for the benefit of both their campaigns and the wider
industry.
John Goulding
Global Chief Strategy Officer, MiQ
Our goal is to provide Yahoo DSP advertisers with comprehensive
measurement and insights as we prepare for a future with fewer
third-party cookies. As part of our approach, along with our
proprietary solutions, we are actively integrating the Attribution
Reporting API in the measurement technology of Yahoo DSP. We
believe this will empower advertisers with deeper insights into
their campaigns and thus better inform future strategies.
Giovanni Gardelli
Vice President of Ads Data Products, Yahoo
Basis Technologies is harnessing Privacy Sandbox measurement APIs
to develop solutions that increase advertisers’ ability to measure
the effectiveness of ad campaigns while prioritizing user privacy.
We have modified our ad markup and conversion pixels so that the
Attribution Reporting API will send us event-level reports, which
we have integrated into our conversion reporting dataflows. By
empowering our advertisers to effortlessly configure the
Attribution Reporting API, we are helping ensure that the industry
is better prepared for a future with fewer third-party cookies.
Ian Trider
Vice President of Product (DSP), Basis Technologies
1
/
Exploring additional measurement capabilities
Privacy Sandbox technologies can be applied across a number of additional
measurement use cases beyond attribution reporting and optimization. For
instance, Shared Storage and Private Aggregation APIs can be leveraged together
for
reach
and
frequency
measurement, allowing you to store impressions in the browser and generate
summary reports. Privacy Sandbox is actively exploring reach and frequency
reporting approaches for more robust approximations of per-person reach.
Additionally, ad tech companies can experiment with Shared Storage and Private
Aggregation APIs for
demographic measurement, creative optimization, A/B testing, and more. We encourage you to share your
feedback
as we build out these capabilities.
Latest developments and recommended resources
In case you missed it, check out the
latest measurement advancements, informed by industry feedback. You’ll find case studies with programmatic
media partners like MiQ, new features to better serve your needs and ways of
working, a recent research study with AdExchanger on cross-platform
attribution, and more.
The future of measurement is both private and effective
The technologies, tools, and tips we've shared today are building blocks for
innovation across the ad tech ecosystem. An ecosystem where marketers can
continue to measure their performance, ad tech companies can continue delivering
strong value for their clients, and users feel safe in their online experience.
An ecosystem where measurement and privacy thrive together.
So where do you begin?
Identify your measurement needs: Determine the specific data and
insights you need.
Research the ecosystem: Explore your measurement data sources (models,
platforms, and methodologies) and understand their privacy strengths and
limitations.
Dive into the Privacy Sandbox: Explore the technologies and shape their
development through testing and feedback. Whether you’re just getting started
or looking for ways to level up, this article has you covered. Share it with
your teams and create a plan.
Integrate and analyze: Combine Privacy Sandbox technologies with other
signals to maximize insights.
The future of measurement is here. Get started today!