Getting you up to speed with all the latest in the Catching up
Chrome is watching
Hot off the press in the realm of surveillance capitalism (here in French), Google Chrome now automatically generates an ID that tracks users on any website with a third-party Google service – including Google Ads, YouTube, and Google Analytics. Despite Google’s claims that it is not used for tracking, the unique identifier becomes inextricably linked to a user’s identity whenever they sign-in to the Chrome browser. The only real way to avoid it is to use a browser that does not implement this Chrome ID or stop using Chrome altogether.
Mobile webperf ranking – the results speak for themselves
No surprises really in Fasterize’s recent rankings (here in French) on the most visited smartphone sites in France – showcasing several companies that use a certain Analytics provider. In a range of categories including media, e-commerce and travel, Fasterize observed around fifty sites, measuring three separate pages several times a day. The sites’ relative web performance (webperf) was based on the speed of display, lightness of the pages and best practices in general. The perfect opportunity for us mention our role in optimising these sites and how the efficiency of our SmartTag and rapid page load time makes AT Internet the most user-friendly analytics solution on the market.
IAB cookie solution?
The future digital advertising is obviously a daunting place without third-party cookies. So, in the wake of the obstruction of cookies by Firefox and Safari browsers with Google Chrome to follow within two years, the IAB is hatching a replacement plan. Named ‘Project Rearc’ (for re-architecture), their goal is to partner with brands, agencies, publishers and tech companies to develop a new privacy-centric approach that employs a user ID tied to an email address or phone number. Although in its early stages, the proposals are likely to be met with resistance as an identifier system doesn’t tackle the issue of user consent and is totally inadequate for the plethora of brands, retailers and publishers who currently base their business model on the high level of ad personalisation provided by the placement of third-party cookies.
Regulatory ambivalence
Nearly two years after the GDPR was brought in, there is still a staggering lack of enforcement against the tech giants who harbour themselves in Ireland’s one-stop-shop. The recent annual report from the Irish Data Protection Commission has revealed a total of 21 ongoing major cross-border investigations, some of which date from May 2018 when the regulation came into force. Commissioner Helen Dixon has stated that 2020 will be an ‘important year’ not only for issuing decisions, but with a review of the effectiveness of the GDPR planned for its 2nd birthday. Nevertheless, the scope of the complaints demanding regulatory action remains bewildering – with the spotlight on behavioural ads via real-time bidding, illegal cookie consent banners, data access request issues, disclosure, fair processing, e-marketing complaints and the right to erasure.
Google targets French TV
With ‘addressable TV’ set to take off in France, Google has been making considerable in-roads into the market in recent months. Signing a contract with Bouygues Telecom at the end of 2019, the tech giant is set to develop a targeted TV ad system that uses data such as browsing behaviour and socio-demographic information on its set-top TV boxes. Although the €3.3B of TV ad spend in France is only a snip of Alphabet’s $137B revenue last year, the force of its wide-ranging ad businesses and salesforce has shaken up the French TV market. There is also concern that Google could end up taking a large share of TV advertising revenue and force other broadcasters to resort to ad tech to try to monetise everything. Stay tuned for future updates…
Modern technology owes ecology an apology
Ever wondered how you can reduce the environmental impact of digital analytics while boosting efficiency? A well-known analytics provider has just launched a campaign that dives into the benefits of data minimisation, smart storage, and the virtuous cycle of trust. The time has come for brands to focus on eco-responsible ethics and digital sobriety as ways to optimise performance and give them the competitive edge. The key takeaway: Minimised data is more accurate, more reliable, more respectful and less harmful to the planet.
Cerveza blues
What does a brewski that makes you feel like royalty and a spikey shaped bug have in common? As panic buying of pasta, tinned food and loo roll rampages the globe, a certain virus has had catastrophic consequences on Corona beer sales. Online rumours about Coronavirus have spread like wildfire in recent weeks (now that the Aussie wildfires have gone away) with peaks in searches for ‘Corona beer virus’ and gossip that drinking the pale lager can cause you to contract COVID-19. So is there any way back for the cerveza brand who have so far lost over $170 million? Maybe an inspirational marketing strategy could turn the situation around – or they could just expand their product range to include spaghetti and tins of beans.
See you next time on the Internets!
Credits: Accès Presse
Photo: Matthew T Rader on Unsplash
