Note: Slickstream was acquired by CafeMedia/AdThrive on August 24, 2022. We will update this post if changes to this integration occur.
As part of a multifaceted approach to help publishers succeed in a future without third-party cookies, Mediavine is focused on creating first-party data solutions for 2021 and beyond.
The reason why is obvious. If publishers can incentivize readers to log in to their websites and consent to personalized ad targeting, they can collect first-party data — and earn more revenue starting today.
By authenticating traffic from logged-in users, you’ve given advertisers something even more valuable than what third-party cookies provide nowadays — while protecting users’ privacy and security to boot.
It’s the ultimate win for all parties involved, and it’s why Mediavine is pioneering the industry-wide push for authenticated traffic.
We were the first active integration with Unified ID 2.0, and — obligatory Grow plug alert — designed our own framework specifically to help publishers collect first-party data.
Grow is a toolkit that encourages readers to log in, via a single sign-in, to 2,500 sites running the privacy-first framework — offering enhanced user experiences and authenticating traffic along the way.
(ICYMI; the product is Grow, available on Grow.)
As exciting as all of that is, we’ve always listened to the publishing community and this is no different. We understand that not every website is ready to embrace a single sign-on solution and shared first-party data pool.
That’s why we released our Identity API, a solution for publishers to bring their own first-party data to Mediavine auctions, and it’s why we have another exciting announcement for you today:
Slickstream is launching an official Mediavine Identity API integration via their user engagement framework.
Slickstream is a cloud-based service provider offering engagement solutions to publishers, bloggers and content marketers, among others.
Slickstream has automatically enabled this feature for all Mediavine publishers running their product, effective today.
There’s no work to do on your end!
Every time a user signs up on your site, Slickstream will collect consent on your behalf to begin showing personalized ads.
When a user is logged in, Slickstream connects to Mediavine using the Identity API and passes on that user’s email address in a secure, non-identifiable way (a SHA-1 hash for the security nerds in the back!).
That protected identifier is then handed off to our ad partners in an even more encrypted way.
From that point on, identifiers such as the LiveRamp IDL are passed into the ad auction and that traffic is instantly worth more.
It’s more valuable now, with third-party cookies still a dominant force, and will be even more valuable once they’re a thing of the past.
While the technical integration is handled by Slickstream, that’s only the first step. All authenticated traffic solutions will require effort on the publisher side — it’s your website and your audience.
Working with Slickstream’s current and future tools to encourage your readers to create accounts (remember, with Slickstream, accounts are unique to each site) and use them is a task only you can undertake.
To that end, the first tool Slickstream offers is its bookmarking / favoriting feature. Encouraging users to create an account and save bookmarks is your first “hook” to get them to sign up.
We’re excited to see what future tools Slickstream has in store as all of us work toward a privacy-centric, sustainable and open web.
We’re beyond excited about Grow and its features, which we believe will position it uniquely at the forefront of user engagement tools.
But again, we listen to our publishers and recognize that Grow is not for everyone. That’s why we’re so excited about this integration.
We strongly believe that this, and everything else, should be each individual publisher’s choice. Like Create and Trellis, we want you to choose Grow because it’s the best fit for your business.
More competition only makes all of these tools stronger.
If you prefer the options provided by Slickstream, we’re excited to join you on your first-party data journey with them.
Just remember, success will depend on your percentage of authenticated traffic. Turning on one of these tools isn’t an instant fix.
We have a long road ahead of us in a rapidly-evolving industry. It will require a great deal of reader education and changing behaviors.
Whether you go with Grow, Slickstream or your own first-party data solution via the Identity API, we’re confident of this much:
Starting today will put us years ahead of the curve.
The next few years will be one big #thirdpartycookiesareoverparty, and by laying the groundwork now, we’ll soon be celebrating together.
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