Retailers are monetizing their own first-party data through retail media networks, reducing (but not eliminating) dependence on traditional intermediaries. Due to privacy laws and other factors, first-party data for activation on retail media and other channels will almost certainly come from brand-owned sources and not agency-owned tech.
CTV platforms are increasingly building and using their own identity graphs, which can reduce reliance on external ID providers in certain cases. As CTV matures as a channel, we expect advertiser and publisher first-party data to play a bigger role in terms of providing signals for audience building, attribution, and measurement.
In-housing of martech, adtech, and measurement by brands, not to mention the trend of brands going paper-direct with platforms, is challenging the agency’s traditional role. For this reason, many agencies and holdcos are building their own tech or making flashy acquisitions like this one, though it is debatable whether these moves will benefit clients or are simply being made to win or retain business.
For Publicis, buying Lotame is a logical play—a way to own more of the identity ecosystem rather than ceding control to ad platforms and media networks. After all, interoperability across platforms, publishers, and ad ecosystems remains a challenge for many advertisers. Publicis’ move is a response to this, promising a more unified identity solution that helps its clients improve addressability and stay connected across a fragmented ecosystem.
But here’s the real question for enterprise advertisers: If the companies that actually own the data—retailers, publishers, and platforms—are moving toward first-party identity, why shouldn’t you?
Build your own first-party identity spine first
For large enterprises, the strongest competitive advantage isn’t purchasing an identity graph—it’s maximizing the value of the first-party data they already have and activating it across the customer journey.
The challenge is that many companies have fragmented data spread across different teams, tools, and platforms—loyalty databases, CRM systems, ecommerce transactions, website behavior, and offline interactions.
Many brands find that they can make significant improvements on their own, simply by breaking down data silos and bringing disparate datasets together to create holistic identities. For example, tying credit card transaction data to a loyalty membership profile can quickly improve addressability and measurement on in-store purchase data.
That’s why, rather than outsourcing identity resolution from day one, brands like PetSmart, WeightWatchers, and Accor Hotels are investing in technology that unifies their first-party data into a persistent, privacy-compliant identity graph in their data warehouse.
- Retailers are linking customer transactions, app behavior, and loyalty memberships to build persistent identity profiles for better marketing and measurement.
- Subscription brands and publishers are connecting logins, engagement history, and customer service interactions to create real-time identity graphs.
- Financial services and travel brands are resolving identity across multiple channels, ensuring accurate personalization even when users aren’t logged in.