1. What are your recommendations for the right targeting strategy in the new world of privacy? 

For digital advertising in general, brands should already have a plan to ensure compliance with relevant privacy regulations and laws that apply to their advertising endeavors while adhering to users’ tracking limitations and adjusting to the changes in technology, such as the disappearance of cookies.

With regard to the right targeting strategy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It depends on a myriad of factors, from the platforms advertisers are using to the audiences they are trying to reach to the objectives of their campaign. Advertisers should also respect the preferences of the end-users and act transparently and fairly in strict compliance with their privacy preferences.

If we are talking about intrinsic in-game advertising, the same is true. At Anzu, we work closely with advertisers to understand their campaign objectives, and then from there, we put together a plan that includes the formats, games, audiences, technologies, and third-party providers we recommend working with to accomplish the advertisers' objectives.
 

2. How can marketers make sure they follow the rules about privacy while still making ads that feel personal and work well? 

One way advertisers can effectively do this is by advertising based on a combination of statistical, non-precise location data, and contextual data and by working with the right audience data providers. From the privacy point of view, advertisers should ensure that their audience data providers comply with the relevant privacy laws, respect their audience preferences, collect the relevant consent string, respect opt-out signals, and are capable of sharing such strings with advertisers.

Working with the right providers also means that advertisers can trust that they will be honest about their campaign and how achievable their objectives are. These providers should also help advertisers navigate the channels and platforms they want to work across and should be on hand to provide recommendations and best practices. After all, if they are a trusted and verified solution, they should have numerous examples and aggregated data to demonstrate what a successful campaign looks like.

At Anzu, for instance, we have a dedicated account management team who walk our clients through each step of the campaign planning process, from the launch to ongoing monitoring to understanding how successful the campaign has been. We also have a dedicated in-house creative team that can make recommendations for your ads based on best in-game creative practices. These practices are driven by our insights, which are derived from the hundreds of in-game campaigns we have run.
 

3. How can marketers use the right technology to make ads that reach the right people without being too nosy about their personal data? 

We’ve all been using the internet for a long time, and most people, even though they might not understand the technicalities of how digital advertising and targeting work, know they will be served ads that are relevant to them based on their digital identity and online decisions. With the demise of the cookie, many advertisers fear that they will have less information to play with to help with their targeting. The dilemma is that consumers want personalized and relevant ads but don’t want companies to have access to their personal information.

Advertisers must ensure they buy traffic from publishers that have a CMP in place, provide transparency about how data is collected and used, and have all the needed contractual obligations in place in relation to respecting user privacy choices. Advertisers should also ensure that they have an easy and accessible way for users to opt out with good integration to your DSPs so that it happens in a fast and efficient way.

The advantage that in-game advertising has over other advertising platforms is that it isn’t impacted by the deprecation of the cookie. Instead, it offers advertisers several solutions that provide audience targeting across platforms and devices without using persistent user identifiers, allowing users to retain their privacy. Solutions include contextual targeting, targeting using statistical demographic data, and targeting using information players provide when they sign up for specific games.

Looking ahead, as AI continues to become more intelligent and more ingrained in the digital advertising process going forward, the way we personalize and serve ads will completely change to the point where today's practices will be unrecognizable to future marketers. However, by ensuring the campaigns we run today respect users, protect their privacy, and add to their experiences, we will ensure that the right foundations are in place for tomorrow’s advertising to build on.
 

4. Why is it important for marketers to be open and honest about how they use data, and how can they talk to users in a way that makes users trust them more? 

In a world where people are more aware than ever about how their data is being used and how they are being advertised to, advertisers must be transparent while also respecting the user and their experience. A mantra we live by at Anzu is that people don’t hate ads. They hate bad ads. If advertisers' ads are relevant and add to the experience, people are more likely to recall and build trust with that brand.

As a critical first step, and also as required by many privacy laws, advertisers must be transparent about what data is being collected, why this is being done, and how it is being used, how long it will be kept, for what purposes. Ensure it’s easy to opt out so that users know nothing is being forced upon them, and ensure people understand the main goal is not to target them with irrelevant content.

Regarding in-game advertising, we ran a study to find out how players feel about being advertised to in games, which found that when asked what advice they would give to advertisers wanting to reach them, the most popular answer was that they wanted to see relevant ads.

Most people understand the need for advertising and its role in helping fund many of the platforms, solutions, and entertainment mediums we enjoy using every day. To run a successful campaign that builds trust with your audience in 2024, you must meet users where they are, serve them with relevant ads, and add to their experience, all while protecting their data and privacy.