The IAB’s Patrick Dolan
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has produced a “Mobile Data Primer” designed to “demystify” the sea of jargon and acronyms that have risen up almost as fast as spending tied to smartphones and portable devices.
The primary goal of the primer is to define common terms and provide more transparency and clarity around different data sources, signals, and use cases, says Patrick Dolan, the IAB’s EVP & COO.
“Data had a landmark year in 2014,” Dolan said. “This year we saw everyone get interested in data. Brands, agencies, publishers, automakers, consumers, legislators and even the Supreme Court were fixated on issues surrounding digital data. Most of these issues centered on the data captured, stored and shared by our mobile phones.”
“As the device that goes everywhere with us throughout the day, the industry is now just starting to realize the immense data opportunities created by mobile,” he added.
Mobile’s Ascension
The release of the Data Primer caps a year of more intense focus on the growth of mobile advertising in general and on location-data in particular by the IAB.
This past summer, the IAB issued a checklist of questions for media buyers to consider before meeting with clients. (Read the guide here.)
The document was drawn up by the IAB Mobile Location Data Working Group, which oversees “best practices” for geo-related advertising under the trade organization’s wider Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. The list is intended for someone the IAB identifies as the “semi-savvy buyer who already possesses an understanding of data types, terminology and strategies.”
In terms of outlining the huge shift towards mobile advertising by marketers in all major categories, the IAB’s half-year ad revenue numbers showed spending on portable connected devices was up 71 percent in the first half of the year. During that period, mobile was found to represent 24 percent of total internet revenues for a total of $2.8 billion in ad spend.
From ‘Mobile First’ To ‘Mobile Always’
The primer attempts to address issues around “clarity of the source,” and “availability.” It also tackles the question of how to determine a signal’s accuracy as well as managing data usage and user control, which Dolan identified as “the main issues surrounding geo-data today.”
While the primer gives a very high-level view of geo-data, the IAB Location Data Working Group will be releasing a more detailed look at that singular subject — with an emphasis on determining attribution — next year.
“As a ‘mobile first’ — or it maybe even better to say ‘mobile always’ — association, all of the IAB’s initiatives are coordinated with the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence,” Dolan said. “Now that we have a common knowledge base, we can explore more sophisticated use cases and can leverage Mobile data as part of an overall marketing automation strategy to inform better messaging and creative, and foster deeper consumer relationships.”