For the affiliate and performance marketing industries, this move is highly relevant. Many advertisers have been cautious about postview tracking, wary of inaccuracies and the risk of paying for conversions that had limited impact on user decision-making. However, with Apple, Google, and Facebook all adopting view attribution, the model is becoming inevitable and may drive broader acceptance across advertising channels.

A compelling example in this context is Awin’s Conversion Protection Initiative, aimed at establishing fair compensation and transparency in affiliate marketing by ensuring that only actual conversions are rewarded. This initiative demonstrates the feasibility of achieving fair and precise performance tracking.

However, challenges remain, particularly in display advertising. Performance display marketing needs an equally robust attribution model that ensures fair and accurate tracking. Such a model would not only offer reliable data but also create fairer revenue distribution for both advertisers and publishers.

Apple’s decision to enhance the usability of view attribution for campaign evaluation may be a step toward a more balanced, privacy-conscious ecosystem. By advancing technology that ensures precise and transparent attribution, advertisers can better understand and pay for the actual impact of their ads on user decisions. Now, the industry must respond with solutions that guarantee both fairness and reliability, laying the groundwork for a sustainable future in performance display marketing and postview tracking.

Background and Industry Challenges

Affiliate marketing has faced increasing challenges due to evolving privacy laws and technical constraints like ad blockers, complicating the tracking of conversions and revenue generation for publishers. While major platforms have adopted solutions that often prioritize their interests, this frequently disadvantages independent publishers. Awin’s Conversion Protection Initiative aims to set new industry standards, establishing a fairer system for all.

Fair Compensation for Publishers Despite Technical Hurdles

Awin places a high priority on equitable publisher compensation, regardless of ad blockers or privacy restrictions. Publishers now have a more stable foundation for their earnings, as the initiative allows for precise conversion attribution, resulting in fairer revenue distribution—a crucial improvement for publishers affected by inadequate tracking methods.

Privacy-Focused Solutions for Users

Awin's initiative employs probabilistic tracking, a privacy-conscious method that avoids tracking individuals, respecting user privacy while enabling publishers to maintain valuable insights to optimize their campaigns. This method enhances user trust and platform confidence, benefiting all stakeholders involved.

Accurate Performance Data for Sustainable Growth

Awin’s server-side and probabilistic tracking provide precise conversion data, unaffected by browser constraints or other technical barriers, offering advertisers and publishers deeper insights into campaign performance and more accurate ROI assessment.

Industry Impact: A Step Toward Sustainable Growth and Fair Competition

For the industry, Awin's initiative marks a vital move toward sustainable growth and fair market conditions. By blending user-friendly privacy measures with reliable performance analysis, Awin establishes affiliate marketing as a competitive, forward-looking component of the broader marketing mix, benefiting both publishers and advertisers alike.

A New Era of Fairness and Sustainable Growth

The Awin Conversion Protection Initiative exemplifies how technology can transform affiliate marketing into a fair and sustainable option for all parties involved. By fostering transparency and enhancing privacy, Awin not only adds value for publishers and advertisers but also strengthens end-user trust.

As the affiliate industry advances with Awin's pioneering Conversion Protection Initiative, it’s clear that display advertising also requires a dedicated solution. For the Performance Display segment, particularly View Attribution, a similarly effective model is needed to ensure fair compensation and accurate tracking. By addressing attribution in this area, the industry could foster a more balanced ecosystem, providing reliable data and equitable revenue opportunities for display advertisers and publishers. The next milestone? A comprehensive, privacy-conscious solution for Performance Display Attribution.

User information instead of cookie ban

Google is taking new approaches to handling third-party cookies, which is essentially a reversal of their previous plan to eliminate them. Instead of abolishing third-party cookies, the company is now focusing on increasing user education. Users will be given more choices. Eliminating cookies in the Chrome browser would have significant impacts on the online advertising industry and Google itself. Therefore, a new approach is being considered in consultation with regulatory authorities, the company announced.

Update (24.04.2024):

Our expectations have been confirmed: The shutdown of third-party cookies in Google's Chrome browser won't happen as quickly as announced. The company has now announced that the implementation will be postponed to early 2025. Originally, it was supposed to happen in Q3/Q4 2024.

There are still some challenges to solve, and they are working with all industry partners to find a satisfactory solution. Additionally, there are not enough test results available yet to herald the end of third-party cookies right now. So, it remains to be seen what solution Google will ultimately present and when its implementation will actually start.

What comes next after the abolition of third-party cookies in Chrome?

Google has announced that it will no longer support third-party cookies in its Chrome browser starting in 2024. This decision marks a significant turning point in the digital advertising landscape and has far-reaching implications for both advertisers and users.

For users, the shutdown of third-party cookies potentially means an improvement in privacy and a reduction in online tracking. Since third-party cookies have often been used to track user behavior across different websites, users may now have more control over their data and see fewer personalized ads. On the flip side, some users may notice that their preferred websites display less personalized content and ads as advertisers switch to alternative targeting methods.

Increased user-friendliness of websites: No more cookie consent required

Another benefit is the expected disappearance of annoying consent banners. Since the Google Sandbox no longer provides personal data, the need for and effort of obtaining consent for the processing of personal data are eliminated. This allows for smoother interaction and reduces potential disruptions for internet users.

Overall, Google's discontinuation of third-party cookies marks an important step towards data protection and privacy in the digital space. However, it remains to be seen how well alternative technologies will function and how advertisers and users will respond.

What technology will Google use in the future?

Google plans to replace its user identification technology with a privacy-first model. The company has launched the Privacy Sandbox project, which aims to enable personalized advertising without jeopardizing user privacy. This technology is based on the concept of Topics: Based on the user's browsing activities, topics that may be of interest to them are determined and assigned, such as "Travel" or "Fitness". The stored topics remain on the user's device but are shared with advertising partners of the websites visited by the user. This enables the delivery of interest-based ads without processing individual user data.

Google has already provided the Privacy Sandbox to developers. The company emphasizes that the initiative aims to maintain a balance between personalized advertising and data protection. The Privacy Sandbox is an opportunity for developers to adapt to changing privacy requirements and enable personalized advertising in a way that respects user privacy.

Privacy Sandbox scrutinized: Analysis by the IAB Tech Lab

The IAB Tech Lab has analyzed Google's Privacy Sandbox and currently does not reach a positive conclusion. There are still significant challenges to overcome. It is criticized, among other things, that there is a lack of transparency on Google's part regarding the functioning and effects of the Privacy Sandbox. Furthermore, it is pointed out that there are currently no clear standards or guidelines governing the use and implementation of this technology. Therefore, the IAB Tech Lab calls for broad participation from industry experts and interest groups to ensure that the Privacy Sandbox takes into account the needs of all stakeholders and provides the right solutions for the existing challenges. "Our results show that the industry is not yet ready and that there are numerous challenges in implementation," said Anthony Katsur, CEO of the IAB Tech Lab, about the analysis. It is even demanded that Google should postpone the discontinuation of third-party cookies once again.

What does the discontinuation of third-party cookies mean for advertisers?

For advertisers, the discontinuation of third-party cookies means a fundamental change in how they plan, execute, and measure digital advertising. Since third-party cookies were an important tool for tracking user behavior and targeting ads, advertisers must develop alternative strategies to effectively reach their target audiences. This may require increased use of first-party data, contextual advertising, and new targeting methods based on Google's Privacy Sandbox model.

The Google Third Party Policy marks a significant step in the evolution of the online advertising landscape. One of the positive aspects of this policy is the removal of the advertising industry from the shadow of cookie misuse. With the introduction of the Google Sandbox, the industry receives a privacy-friendly alternative, which means an increase in quality for advertisers. Although the ability to track every single click decreases, the quantity of matches will significantly increase through integration into the Chrome browser.

However, advertisers and publishers should not automatically switch to Google Ads now. The notion that only Google provides reliable data is incorrect. In fact, the liberalization of the market now enables all ad networks to process data on equal terms with Google. This promotes healthy competition and encourages companies to diversify their advertising strategies.

Furthermore, many networks are actively working on implementing the new Google Chrome APIs, including the Attribution Reporting API, Shared Storage API, and Topics API. These APIs offer additional opportunities for advertisers and publishers to optimize their campaigns and provide more relevant content to their target audiences.

How should advertisers proceed now?

To continue targeting users effectively, advertisers should take several steps:

Invest in first-party data: Advertisers should intensify their efforts to collect and utilize first-party data. This includes data collected directly from their own customers and website visitors, such as email lists, demographic information, and behavioral data. This data can be used to create personalized campaigns without relying on third-party cookies.

Adjust targeting strategies: Advertisers should consider alternative targeting strategies that do not rely on third-party cookies. This may include the use of contextual advertising, geolocation targeting, and behavioral segmentation. Additionally, advertisers can benefit from Google's Privacy Sandbox initiatives to target audiences based on shared interests and behaviors.

Test new technologies and partnerships: Advertisers should be open to new technologies and partnerships that can help them reach their target audiences effectively. This could include collaborating with third parties for alternative tracking and targeting solutions or using platforms and tools that prioritize privacy and compliance with privacy regulations.

Invest in content marketing and engagement: Since personalized advertising may become less effective, advertisers should invest more in content marketing and engagement strategies. Creating high-quality content tailored to the needs and interests of the target audience can be an effective way to engage the audience and build relationships without relying on personalized ads.

Monitor and adapt: As the digital advertising landscape evolves, it is important for advertisers to continuously monitor, test, and adapt their strategies. This includes analyzing performance data, testing new approaches, and adjusting strategies based on changing market conditions and consumer behavior.

By taking these steps and adapting to the changing landscape, advertisers can continue to effectively reach users and achieve their marketing goals, even without the use of third-party cookies.

A model for the future: How advanced store responds to the end of third-party cookies

Overall, Google's Third Party Policy represents a paradigm shift in the online advertising world. By creating privacy-friendly solutions and promoting competition, the industry is encouraged to evolve and pursue innovative approaches to delivering personalized advertising content.

advanced store has long been diversified and has active access to all common programmatic and non-programmatic solutions in the market. These include DSPs, specialized exchanges, marketers, social inventories, and thematic sites. In addition, we work closely with a variety of publishers, enabling advertisers to reach users in diverse ways.

"The transition will require less effort than it may currently seem," said advanced store CTO Fabian Hübner. "We are capable of quickly adapting to the new circumstances, but we advise against acting hastily. We currently anticipate that only minor adjustments to websites will be necessary."

Impact of GA4 on Affiliate Marketing

The switch to GA4 has fundamentally changed affiliate marketing. The new data-driven attribution model and event-based tracking lead to discrepancies in capturing affiliate traffic and conversions.

"GA4 opens up the possibility of taking conversion tracking capabilities to a new level. Instead of fearing the limitations, opportunities should be seized to modernize analytical approaches to gain even more precise insights into customer behavior. Cross-platform tracking and GDPR compliance are just some of the advantages." - Fabian Hübner (CTO advanced store)

"Fundamentally, Google Analytics remains just an onsite analysis tool and, in my view, does not replace multi-channel tracking. Therefore, it is not suitable for evaluating success in affiliate marketing." - Marc Majewski (CEO advanced store)

Key Facts from the Perspective of Affiliate Networks

Changes in Attribution Models: GA4 uses a data-driven attribution model by default, differing from UA’s last indirect click model. This change can reduce the number of conversions attributed to affiliates as the attribution is now distributed differently.

Event-Based Tracking: GA4 treats separate events within a 30-minute session as a single interaction, unlike UA, which could split sessions based on new UTM parameters. This can result in fewer recorded sessions and conversions.

Conversion Windows and Channel Definitions: GA4 has a 30-day attribution window, which may differ from the settings of affiliate networks. Differences in channel definitions and data delays can further complicate tracking accuracy.

Recommendations for Affiliate Marketers

To master the challenges of the GA4 transition, affiliate marketers should implement the following strategies:

1. Use Standardized UTM Parameters: Consistent UTM parameters (e.g., utm_source=Kwanko, utm_medium=Affiliation, utm_campaign=Publisher_ID) help ensure tracking accuracy.

2. Synchronous Tag Firing: Marketing tags should be aligned with conversion events to ensure precise data capture.

3. Custom Dimensions for Conversion Analysis: Implement custom dimensions to track transaction IDs and analyze conversion sources accurately.

4. Exclude Unwanted Referring Domains: Exclude domains like payment gateways from conversion analysis to avoid data skewing.

5. Adopt Last-Click Attribution: Switch to last-click attribution to align more closely with traditional affiliate tracking models.

Important Differences and Their Effects

Session Attribution: GA4 attributes sessions to the first click source, while conversions depend on the chosen attribution model.

Tracking Adjustments: The transition to GA4 requires adjustments in tracking methodologies to mitigate discrepancies and improve data accuracy.

Summary

The transition to GA4 has brought significant changes to affiliate marketing. New attribution models and event-based tracking necessitate strategic adjustments to ensure accurate data and conversion attribution. By implementing standardized UTM parameters, synchronizing tags, and introducing custom dimensions, marketers can mitigate the impact of these changes. These strategies help maintain accurate data and optimize the effectiveness of affiliate marketing campaigns during the GA4 transition.

For more detailed insights and recommendations, check out the full articles from Rakuten Advertising, Tradedoubler, Awin, CJ Affiliate, TradeTracker and Kwanko.

Google will enormously restrict the possibilities of third-party tracking in the coming year. Advertisers will therefore have to look for new ways to target users for whom their products or services are relevant. As Internet users' privacy becomes more of a focus, targeting options will also change dramatically.

Google has therefore been working on an alternative to cookie tracking for a long time. With the following Chrome update in July, the Privacy Sandbox can now be tested in general by website operators. Since Google doesn't plan to make any more changes to the API interfaces until third-party cookies are discontinued, developers should start using them now to run scaled live tests.

To highlight the focus on user privacy, Google has also renamed the FLEDGE API to the Protected Audience API. This API allows for audience segments to be created and website visitors to be assigned to specific segments in order to display interest-based advertising to them. If the advertising solution provider has other websites in its partner network that relate to the same segment, it can also add the visitors of these websites to this segment. The assignment of users to the target group segments remains on the device, thus protecting the privacy of the users. Cross-location tracking is thus restricted.

UPDATE (20.05.2023)

Google certifies TCF 2.2 Consent Banner

With the certification of the TCF 2.2 Consent Banner, Google takes another step towards a more transparent and privacy-focused digital advertising ecosystem where users have more control over their data. The certified Consent Banner includes information about the types of data that are collected and processed, as well as the purposes and parties involved. Website operators who want to use Google's advertising systems must thus obtain users' consent for the processing of their personal data.

UPDATE (21.09.2022)

Google sticks to cookie deactivation

During DMEXCO in Cologne, Google manager Matt Brittin announced that Google would start deactivating third-party cookies as planned in the second half of 2024. There is still no replacement solution, and there were also protests from many sides against the abolition of cookies, so that their end was postponed to 2024.

However, personalized advertising will still exist in the future. Google is working on a solution that does justice to both user data protection and the advertising companies. With "Topics," users will be able to determine for themselves which topics are of interest to them and for which they accept advertising.

UPDATE (28.07.2022)

Google defers disabling third-party cookies until 2024

Google today said it will extend the testing period for its Privacy Sandbox APIs. This means that the elimination of third-party cookies in Chrome will be postponed for the time being. The company is still looking for a way to balance user privacy with the interests of businesses online. More time is needed "to assess and test the new privacy sandbox technologies before eliminating third-party cookies in Chrome," according to the Google blog. Accordingly, the deactivation of these cookies should start in the 2nd half of 2024 at the earliest.

UPDATE (28.03.2022)

Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework: Data flow between EU and US soon possible again?

After the European Court of Justice ruled in 2020 that the former Privacy Shield on data protection between the EU and the U.S. was insufficient, it was often no longer possible to use online offers from the U.S. without restrictions for data protection reasons. This affected online trade between the two continents, as companies were not allowed to store the data of Europeans in the USA. This could now soon come to an end. US President Joe Biden and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the introduction of a Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework. This is intended to allow the flow of data between the two continents once again. On the one hand, the United States commits to implementing new safeguards to ensure that personal data of EU citizens cannot be read by intelligence agencies unless it is necessary and proportionate to protect national security. In addition, EU citizens will be able to seek redress if they believe they are being unlawfully targeted for intelligence activities, according to a White House statement.

What does this mean for advanced store?

As it stands, our ability to serve ads outside of Europe is limited because there is no regulation between the EU and the US. For example, we cannot use DSPs or SSPs with some advertisers that do not host their data within the EU. In addition, the bureaucracy involved in working with non-EU advertisers is enormous. This means less sales for us and therefore less revenue for us.

That's why we have high hopes for a new edition of a Trans-Atlantic Data Protection Framework. "The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework is a liberating blow for the European Digital Economy. The current status was characterized by uncertainty and a step backwards for the free Internet, said advanced store CEO Marc Majewski. "We are convinced that the new regulation now accommodates all stakeholders and will be sustainable for the longer term in the future."

UPDATE (02/10/2022)

IAB TCF without legal basis?

The Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD) apparently classifies the Transparency Consent Framework of IAB Europe as insufficient in terms of the GDPR. Because the existing cookie consent banners do not sufficiently inform users about the use of their data and are not transparent enough, the IAB must improve the TCF. It now has two months to do so.

In its decision, APD judges the IAB Europe to be responsible for the registration and co-responsible for the dissemination of TC Strings (digital signals with user preferences) as well as for the subsequent processing of personal data within the TCF. In a factsheet, the IAB comments on the decision of the data protection authority, against which it now intends to take action.

UPDATE (01/25/2022)

Byebye FLoC, hello Topics

While last year FLoC - a method of storing user behavior in the browser and forming interest groups with similar browser data - was the big thing as a replacement for third-party cookies, Google has now said goodbye to this approach. Instead, the focus is now on developing the Topics API.

As the name suggests, Google uses browsing history to evaluate the topics that seem to be of particular interest to the user. Based on this, the user then receives suggestions and can select topics on which he or she would like to see advertising. All this happens only in the browser of the respective end device, so that the user would have the option to choose different areas of interest on each device. The selection is saved for three weeks. The user can view and edit the selected topics via the browser settings. If he does not select anything, he will be shown random ads.

Original post

A spectre is haunting the industry, the evil word "cookiecalypse" keeps popping up. The end of third-party cookies seems inevitable. But it will not come as quickly as initially feared. This gives the industry time to rethink old strategies and develop new ones.

There will be a streamlining of existing technologies and it will open the way for new ones. It is even possible that the end of third-party cookie tracking will be reconsidered, because there is definitely resistance to it. The last word has not yet been spoken in this matter. Therefore, advanced store is optimistic about the future of tracking, because even without third-party cookies, there will still be opportunities to target users with advertising and to deliver campaigns efficiently.

It is true that advertisers are dependent on "global players" like Google. Overall, however, the advertising sector is only one part of the online business. Work is already underway on a wide variety of data protection-compliant solutions for the time after the "cookiecalypse". To paraphrase the words of German chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock: bans can also be drivers of innovation. A ban on third-party cookie tracking will inevitably lead to the industry having to develop other ways to best reach users and track transactions.

However, we are faced with two problems that need to be approached differently: How do we reach the appropriate target group (audience targeting) and how do we measure the resulting conversions? There are already various solutions for both questions.

Evolution towards more cookie control

There was already a lot of excitement in the run-up to the introduction of TCF 2.0, but the implementation succeeded. advanced store is a recognised "IAB registered vendor" of the framework and supports the standardised solution for processing GDPR-compliant data consent. The IAB Europe is now tightening its measures to control compliance with the TCF agreements. Repeated violations threaten exclusion from the framework.

So now third-party cookies are no longer to be accepted by browsers in order to use, among other things, users' view data for conversion purposes. Google is already working on a solution with the "Privacy Sandbox": "The Privacy Sandbox initiative is developing innovative, privacy-centric alternatives for key online business needs, including serving relevant ads," it says on the Privacy Sandbox website. At Google, they are certain that "relevant advertising and monetisation do not have to be sacrificed in favour of a private and safe web browsing experience". However, the introduction of the Privacy Sandbox has meanwhile been pushed back further. Originally announced for 2022, the end of third-party cookies is now set to be heralded in mid-2023 and will be completed by the end of 2023 after a three-month transition period. "For Chrome specifically, our goal is to have the key technologies ready by the end of 2022 so that the developer:inside community can adopt them then. [...] Chrome could then phase out third-party cookies over a three-month period - mid to late 2023," the Google blog outlook said.

Until major market players like Google provide alternatives, Chrome will continue to allow third-party cookies - as can be seen from the recent deadline shift and the various solutions being pursued by the Web Incubator Community Group (WICG).

Proposed solutions (Google) under development:

• FLoC: Federated Learning of Cohorts enables user behaviour to be evaluated by the browser and matched against similar browser data. The data is processed internally on the device and is not passed on to third parties.
• Fledge: The user's browser combines interest group data with ad buyer and seller data and business logic to conduct an "auction" to select an ad. This ad auction takes place locally on the user's device rather than sharing data with a third party.
• First-party sets: Third-party domains allowed by the site operator are treated as first-party.
• Conversion Measurement API / Attribution Reporting API: Development of APIs for measuring click and view events.

When it comes to measuring view and click data, Google is relying on "privacy-focused techniques" such as aggregating information, adding noise and limiting the amount of data when creating the Chrome Conversion API, according to the Google blog. "In the coming months, Google Ads teams will continue to explore how the planned conversion measurement APIs can be used in conjunction with Google's measurement products to support use cases such as reporting view-through conversions, determining incrementality and reach, and attribution."

The most promising development currently, in our view, is that of conversion measurement API and first-party sets. But here, too, an agreement on a uniform standard of the various browser providers is necessary in order not to rely on isolated solutions.

More market power for Google?

It may come down to a central first-party data strategy solution from Google and its countless services. Google could also win the race in international competition in the measurement of views and clicks with its Chrome Conversion API. However, this would essentially contradict what the EU data protectionists actually want to achieve, as it would give the US corporation the greatest power over the data and its processing. After all, the purpose behind all measures is to protect the user's personal data.

But therein also lies the opportunity to improve the quality of the data collected. If only those users who are willing to receive offers tailored to their interests agree, the likelihood that they will also make a purchase increases. "Black sheep" in the industry who do not want to protect user data would gradually disappear. So instead of banning cookies completely, they could be made more controllable and "white lists" could be created for reputable providers.

"Advertising has always existed and will always exist. The (data protection) regulations separate the wheat from the chaff. Black sheep' in the industry will have a harder time, quality providers will prevail" (advanced store CTO Fabian Hübner).

advanced store is therefore relatively relaxed about the change that will inevitably come. For the time being, there will be no complete shutdown of third-party cookies, so there is still enough time to develop solutions that satisfy both data protection and the interests of advertisers.

Related links to the topic:

Google Privacy Sandbox: https://privacysandbox.com/

Google Blog: https://blog.google/intl/de-de/

IAB Europe: https://iabeurope.eu/

TCF 2.0: https://iabeurope.eu/tcf-2-0/

Key factors for successful content commerce: quality content, loyal audience

One of the key benefits of content commerce is that it allows creators to build a loyal and engaged audience around their specific area of expertise. By consistently producing high-quality content and actively engaging with their audience, creators are able to establish themselves as authorities in their field and build trust with their followers. This, in turn, makes it easier to sell products or services related to their niche, as their audience is already interested in and invested in what they have to offer.

In addition to building an engaged audience, content commerce also allows creators to diversify their income streams. Rather than relying solely on advertising revenue or sponsored content, creators can generate income by selling their own products and services directly to their audience. This can be especially lucrative for creators who have a highly engaged and dedicated following, as these fans are often willing to support their favorite creators through purchases of products or services.

How to start content commerce

So, how can you get started with content commerce? The first step is to identify your area of expertise or passion and start producing high-quality content related to it. This can be through a blog, YouTube channel, Instagram account, or any other online platform that allows you to share your knowledge and expertise with others. As you build your audience and establish yourself as an authority in your field, you can start thinking about ways to monetize your content through the sale of products or services. This might include anything from ebooks and online courses to physical products and services related to your niche.

The key to success in content commerce is to consistently produce valuable and engaging content, and to actively engage with your audience. By building trust and establishing yourself as an authority in your field, you can turn your passion into a profitable business and take advantage of the growing trend of content commerce.

Start content commerce with ad4mat

Under our ad4mat brand, we offer publishers of all kinds a simple and versatile way to earn money with their online reach. They can redirect their users to the stores and offers of thousands of brands by integrating their links into their content. This works on websites as well as in social media, newsletters and other channels. 

Find out more details with our Show Case "Content Commerce" including examples how publishers use our tools to make money.

We started the new year with the relaunch of our ad4mat portfolio and the associated website ad4mat.com. Publishers will find an overview of our products and learn how they can use them to increase their online advertising revenues.

More sales through online reach with ad4mat

With our smart advertising solutions, our publisher partners have a variety of ways to generate revenue from their reach. Whether they integrate affiliate links into their content or place banner ads on their website, there is a product for every channel.

The ad4mat team works together with each publisher to find the best solution to increase their revenues. The publisher advisors help with the initial integration of the advertising media, advise on optimization during placement, and are always available to provide help and advice. Publishers can access their statistics and an overview of their revenues via their personal account in the advanced suite.

Smart advertising solutions for publishers

Publishers can use the following ad4mat products to earn money with their online reach:

advanced link

With affiliate links, which can be easily integrated into the content - matching the respective topic or targeted for specific brands - online revenues can be generated very easily and without any technical knowledge. Links from thousands of advertisers are available, so that every publisher can find the right brands. The application possibilities for advanced link are diverse and can be integrated into website content as well as used on social media channels. Through content commerce and social commerce, publishers can easily generate revenue from their reach.

Learn more about the trends in affiliate marketing 2023:

advanced ad

With advanced ad we offer banners with ads of hundreds of international brands. It is possible to display ads from different advertisers on one banner. Publishers can make their own selection and also decide whether to use standard formats or choose an individual banner size. We advise on the optimal placement and together we get the best result.

compare ad

Our comparison tables for telecommunications products represent real added value for both the publisher and its users. Users can compare the services and prices of different providers and are redirected directly to the desired product. The publisher earns on every transaction when a user goes from their site to the advertiser and buys.

select ad

Our select ad banners do not simply depict a brand or a product. They require user interaction and guide the user directly to the appropriate offer based on their selection. This increases the conversion rate and thus also the publisher's revenue.

How do advertisers benefit from the cooperation with ad4mat publishers?

Advertisers can be sure that their brand is presented on high-quality environments and reaches the appropriate target group. Our publisher products fit into the content in the best possible way and thus achieve extremely good conversion rates.

Thanks to our many years of experience, we also know the requirements of both publishers and advertisers. Accordingly, we are constantly developing our products to achieve maximum success for both sides.

TTDSG: What is it about?

The Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications and Telemedia Act came into force on 1 December 2021. It merges the previous Telecommunications Act (TKG) and the Telemedia Act (TMG) under the requirements of the GDPR and contains a large number of rules relating to telecommunications services and telemedia.

Cookie rules of the TTDSG

But how does the new regulation affect you as a publisher? Here, the requirements of § 25 TTDSG must be observed. Since it is primarily about protecting the privacy of users of telecommunications and telemedia services, you are obliged to obtain their consent to the use of their data. In principle, however, nothing changes for you, because it can be assumed that you have already been requesting this consent for some time by means of a corresponding notice. After all, the obligation to obtain user consent already exists under the ePrivacy Regulation.

User consent is only not required for technically necessary cookies or if the storage of data is necessary for the transmission of a message via a public telecommunications network. However, as soon as cookies or other tracking services are used that request and store the user's personal data and pass it on to third parties, the user must expressly consent to this. If you do not obtain this consent, you could face hefty penalties.

Becoming TTDSG compliant with Cookie Consent Tools

The cookie banner on your website must meet certain criteria in order to comply with the rules of the TTDSG.

• Do not pre-select a checkbox: The user must actively give their consent.
• "Accept" and "Decline" button: Equivalent design, the button to accept cookies should not be particularly highlighted.
• No cookies without consent: No cookies may be set before the user has given his consent (exception: technically necessary cookies).

In addition, you must inform your users exactly which providers and tools use the cookies that are set. 

The IAB provides a list of Consent Management Platforms (CMP) that comply with the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF v2) and allow you to obtain legally compliant user consent. The tracking we use at advanced store for our ad4mat products is TCF compliant. We are a registered vendor of this framework.

There are also a number of other cookie consent tools that can make your life easier. You can find an overview of the most common applications at e-recht24.de.

PIMS: Will cookie banners soon be superfluous?

So-called Personal Information Management Systems (PIMS) are designed to give users more control over their personal data, to manage their online identity and to control it in secure local or online storage systems. Users should be able to decide for themselves when and with whom they share their data and which services and third-party providers they are allowed to use.

However, PIMS have to meet strict requirements, which is why there are only a few of these services so far. More information is available on the website of the European Data Protection Supervisor.

Prerequisite for successful prospecting – a clearly defined target group

In order not to address Internet users at random, the most important prerequisite for successful prospecting is a clearly defined target group profile. The goal of a high conversion rate can only be achieved if qualified traffic is led to the corresponding landing page.

The best way to find potential new customers is to use defining characteristics. We obtain suitable data for this from users who have already bought from an advertiser. If you know the behaviour and characteristics of active customers, you can match them with potential users. This approach is based on the simple reasoning that matching characteristics increase the likelihood of a purchase being completed through a targeted approach. The more similarities that exist in the interests of the users, the higher the probability that they will also buy a certain product.

You could also compare the principle of prospecting with a recommendation among friends, for example: ‘Are you interested in designer furniture too? Then take a look at shop “xy”. I recently bought a great armchair there. There might be something there for you too!’

How does prospecting work?

The data of active users are matched with the general user profiles of several demand-side platforms (DSP) in order to find new users with similar characteristics. The determined target group profiles are divided into ‘intent’ and ‘interest’ and form the basis for effective ‘real-time bidding’. Using programmatic advertising, advertisements are then placed in all relevant topic channels, based precisely on these characteristics of the target group. The advertising impact on the audience, environment and advertising media is constantly assessed and appropriate adjustments are made so as to always achieve the best result.

Since prospecting is about gaining new customers, user data are automatically distinguished from existing customer data. If a user has already visited the advertiser's website once, he drops out of the prospecting group and can be addressed again via retargeting.

Prospecting with advanced store

Acquiring new customers is one of our strengths for our advertisers. ‘Prospecting allows us to not only display ads in appropriate website environments, but also to use our data-driven approach to reach exactly the right audience with the customised ad message’, explains advanced store CEO Marc Majewski. Our efficient media buying combined with in-house and third-party e-commerce data and our innovative prediction engine (supported by the EU innovation fund EFRE) are what makes the difference for our advertisers. We focus on CPA for the advertisements.

Start prospecting with advanced store and get in touch with us!

Prospecting and retargeting – hand in hand to success

Prospecting can only really lead to success when combined with retargeting. Prospecting is used to target users interested in a product and thus potential new customers. But that does not mean that they convert straight away. The chance that they will actually buy a product is increased by the secondary approach of retargeting. Prospecting makes them aware of an offer for the first time, but they may not buy immediately. Through retargeting, they come into contact with the corresponding shop or product again and are then more likely to decide to make a purchase.

Learn more about perfect retargeting strategy here with our Retargeting Guide!

At the lakeside resort of Friedrichshagen on Müggelsee, we took advantage of the now rare opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues of many years' standing and to get to know many new employees. Especially for the trainees, who have only been in the team since the beginning of August, the summer party was the ideal opportunity to meet their new colleagues in an informal atmosphere. We hadn't seen each other for so long, so there was a lot to talk about.

After some after some dared to use the SUP or dive into the water despite the cool temperatures, a delicious barbecue was waiting for everyone. But the social programme was probably secondary for most. It was clear that the most important thing about this afternoon and evening was the reunion with colleagues. No matter whether it was about work or private topics: Everyone was visibly happy to finally be face to face again and not just talk to each other via a screen.

Even though we communicated mainly virtually the next day, the summer party is still having an effect. And the anticipation for the next Christmas party or a joint team trip next year is all the greater! In any case, we very much hope that more face-to-face meetings will soon be possible again!

Watch the video of our summer party to get an impression of how much fun we had!

An era for affilitizer comes to an end, a new one begins

It was not easy for Eugen to give up his project. He is all the more pleased now that the project will not come to a halt thanks to Marc and his Berlin-based team:

"After intending to simply discontinue affilitizer, I received several requests from people who wanted to continue the project. I was overwhelmed to see how many people care about affilitizer. So I’m even more pleased to have found a worthy successor in advanced store. Not only can they continue affilitizer as usual – they’re also able to provide the necessary resources to develop the project further."

Eugen Falkenstein, former Managing Director of affilitizer

As of 1 June 2021, Marc and his more than forty online marketers will continue affilitizer's service in the usual way. Of course, there will also be innovations. Together with its own in-house IT with experienced developers and agile solutions, affilitizer will also get new features in the future, such as starting directly with the affiliate programme without having to apply in the network. Another point will be to involve the more than 250,000 users in the brainstorming:

"We’re honoured to continue affilitizer under the umbrella of advanced store and we thank Eugen for his trust! We’re aware that affilitizer has many users worldwide who really value the service and platform. That's why we’ll not only continue the tool responsibly, but also further develop it by incorporating ideas and suggestions from users."

Marc Majewski, CEO advanced store

So there is good news for all users of the add-on: the affilitizer service will not be discontinued, but will go into the next round!

What does the daily routine of Team Advertiser DACH look like?

Before we really get started, why don't we start with the question of who Team DACH is? The female trio consists of Ulrike aka "Ulli", Barbara and Melissa. The rest is best told by themselves. Let's go!

What are your tasks in detail?

Ulli: Where do I start? Well, I look after affiliate networks such as belboon, retailAds or CJ and I’m always looking for new advertisers I can acquire for us. I evaluate and optimise ongoing campaigns for these very people. I also support our cashback portal mycashbacks and our partners from yeay by moderating all requirements with the networks and convincing potential customers of our total package.

Barbara: I take care of the onboarding for new advertisers. Every client we start a new cooperation with takes the first steps with me and a joint checklist to ensure everything runs smoothly. As a small interface between the DACH team and Operations, I also take care of some issues around the advertising media setup of DACH campaigns (such as creating, updating, etc.).

Melissa: For me, it's similar to Ulli and Barbara as far as the networks are concerned (among other things, I look after ADCELL, Webgains and a part of lead alliance). I also look after a handful of WKZ budget clients. This includes controlling and optimisation and certain strategic calls now and then – so everyone is running in the same (right) direction.

So this is your everyday life. Do you have any other secret projects that no one is allowed to know about? Come on, spill the beans!

Melissa: Somehow word has got around that I'm a bit of an Excel fan and only too happy to tinker with reports. Since then, I've been happy to offer advice and support every now and then when it comes to mastering tables.

Barbara: Since I was once one of the notorious advanced store trainees and can look back on that time with many funny memories, I switched sides shortly after my final exam. That means I’m happy today to be able to offer my ear and support to trainees of the new generation in our team.

Editor’s comment: We weren’t able to tease out more details about the infamous trainee adventures from Barbara. Maybe we'll have more luck in the next part of the presentation, because then it will be the turn of our trainees.

Ulli: Besides being an accountant, I affectionately call the "advanced API" My Project. I should be able to further promote the Postclick business here in the future.

So thinking outside the box is also the order of the day. Which teams do you work most closely with?

Ulli: Most closely with Team Operations or simply OPs. It’s a real daily exchange to be able to optimise the campaigns accordingly quickly. Personally, I also have a lot to do with Team International and mycashbacks.

Barbara: "Team OPs, your friend and helper" is also my motto.

Melissa: (laughs) That's it!

Keyword communication: How do you prefer to communicate?

Barbara: So within the team, Discord has recently become the norm. The spontaneous little exchanges there have been able to replace the former office vibe a little bit – at least for me. And otherwise the classics: Telephone, e-mail and more and more often Skype.

Melissa: It always depends on what it’s about. But mostly by chat and mail, followed by telephone.

Ulli: Clearly no preference. The main thing is I don't have to get anything across through my facial expressions – that won't work. Or to put it another way: You can just tell if I think something is s**t or not – even before I've said it.

Editor’s comment: That's why we deliberately switched off the picture during the interview. Ulli thought it was great.

Let's get personal!

We’ve just got to know your daily work routine– now it's time for your personal side. After all, life isn’t just about work. Or to put it another way: A person's character says a lot about their actions, whether professional or private. Let's start with the origins.

Where do you all come from?

Ulli: From where others go on holiday: an island. It's not Mallorca or Bali, unfortunately – but Rügen is nice too, at least when there aren’t any tourists.

Melissa: I’m a born-and-bred native of Berlin – and that’s something I’m very proud of it. We’re slowly becoming a scarce commodity in Berlin.

Barbara: I come from a small vineyard region in Slovenia. I’ve been living happily in Berlin since 2013.

Who or what can’t you live without?

Ulli: Definitely the sea! But now I think about it, a lake or pond where you can swim is actually enough.

Melissa: Friends, family, my car (!!!) and music.

What’s your big passion?

Ulli: Orchids. I simply can't walk past a flower shop without looking to see which one might find a place in my four walls.

Melissa: This should – no actually must – include my car, music and of course travelling too.

Who would you like to have as a colleague and why?

Barbara: Björk. For me, she embodies the concepts of authenticity, courage and consciousness (or rather reflectiveness?). In other words, qualities from which everyone can benefit individually as well as in a team.

Ulli: Paul Watson. For me, simply an idol. But not as typical as teen stars with "posters on the wall" (laughs)

Let us move on to questions of principle: Coffee or tea?

Melissa: Nothing beats coffee.

Ulli: Oh nonsense, guys: Tea is much better!

Barbara: Depends on the day, but generally both. Sometimes at the same time – in separate cups, of course (laughs).

In case you don't have an interviewer across the street: What question would you ask yourself?

Melissa: Why?!

Ulli: Why not?

Who's in Team International and what do they do?

Besides Fluffa and Francisco, Izabela, Silvia, Glen and Marta belong to Team International. They have all found their way to Berlin and bring the most diverse influences to the company through their different backgrounds.

The question about your mascot is superfluous, isn't it?

Silvia: It would definitively look like Fluffa, Francisco’s cat. She attends all our meetings and when she doesn’t, Francisco sends us pictures of her sleeping or eating.

Francisco: Indeed, I send pictures of my Fluffa any occassion I can and I won’t stop doing it. (laughs)

What are your tasks in detail?

Silvia: We develop new partnerships and start advertising campaigns with advertisers across the world. We also take care of the existing advertising campaigns with a constant focus on the performance.

You are an international team, coming from Poland, Italy, Spain and France. How do you prefer to communicate?

Glen: First we speak in English together and second in our own language especially when we are frustrated. And normally Silvia speaks with her hands in Italian.

Why are you the best team in the world?

Silvia: We are not only the best, but also the funniest! Each of us brings to the table his/her own cultural background, humor and experience. The result is a perfect mix of Polish enthusiasm, Italian creativity, Spanish spiciness and French...fromage! Just kidding, French positivity.

Glen: Francisco’s cat Fluffa is a key player in this team for its ability to spy on our competitors. (laugs)

Francisco: I don’t know if we are the best team, but I wouldn’t change them for anything. I love the way we support each other both professionally and personally. If one of us is having a bad day or struggling with some hard numbers, the rest is always willing to help, say a couple of jokes or nice words and suddenly your day looks brighter.

What makes you particularly proud?

Silvia: We are very proud of our international success. It is not always easy to compete with big advertising companies active all over the world. You have to know the market very well and always keep up with the new trends. Our multiculturalism, flexibility and extended network are the key to our success.

Last but not least: Your tip for the lockdown?

Silvia: All you need is Soda, Prosecco and Aperol. Mix them together and treat yourself with a homemade Spritz!

Francisco: If you take a shower every time you go to the bathroom to cry, no one will notice it! Just kidding, my tip for the lockdown would be using this quiet time to reconnect with those things you used to love (playing piano, making a puzzle…) and stopped doing when you grew up and became “a social being”.

Izabela: Just take a deep breath. If you are healthy and have a roof above your head then you are ok. Calm down, relax, read the book that you have never had time for and… exercise regularly! It’s good not only for your body but also for your mind - it is scientifically proven!

Your request: Earn money with your website without much effort

If you're looking to monetize your website, you're probably looking for the easiest way to incorporate ads online. So quickly consult the search engine and you're ready to go. You will likely end up on Google AdSense first. Granted: Google makes it easy for you as a website operator to integrate advertisements into your website. Simply log in with your Google account, insert the code, done. Google will do the rest: The placement of the ads, their adaptation to the user's screen, the selection of the ads that are displayed - all of this happens automatically.

Make money with Google AdSense: Is the simplest also the best?  

As easy as it is to place ads onto your website using Google, the more difficult it is to find out how you can actually make money from them. Google even allows you to calculate your potential earnings. But how do these even come about? It is not clear at first glance exactly which billing model is behind Google AdSense.  

With Google Ads, you only earn when your site visitors click on the ads, so it's a CPC model. Advertisers pay for their ad to be placed on your website and you receive a share of the revenue that Google generates from users' clicks on the ads. However, this type of billing is also non-transparent because you do not find out what price was paid by the advertiser for the placement. In most cases, the remuneration for clicks is kept low, as a click does not automatically result in a sale and the advertisers therefore bear a higher risk.

Advertising income through affiliate marketing & affiliate partnerships

Affiliate marketing is an alternative way of making money with your website. You advertise via a network to partner programs of shops that match your content. This gives you the opportunity to use alternative billing models such as the CPO (cost per order). If the user buys a product via an affiliate link on your site, you will receive a corresponding fee. That is worthwhile for the conclusion of a contract (e.g. mobile phone contract). A click price of € 0.20 CPC - € 2.00 CPC quickly becomes € 150 or more, which you get paid out as a commission. With this alternative, you can earn a multiple of a pure CPO / click price model.

The problem with alternative affiliate marketing, however, is that you can only advertise one affiliate program with your advertising space. If you want to advertise several at the same time, this requires programming an advertising medium in which several banners of different advertisers rotate. This means that the user visits your website and while reading the content, the banner rotates automatically and shows advertisements from several providers, which increases your advertising income.

However, the whole thing is very time-consuming and technically not very easy to implement. In addition, you still have to make a name for yourself with the affiliate programs (i.e. generate a lot of sales) in order to receive premium conditions and not just the standard commissions.

The alternative to Google AdSense: advanced ad - strong advertisers, CPO remuneration 

This is exactly where the advantage of advanced ad comes into play. This solution offers you all the advantages that you appreciate and value about Google AdSense: The integration is very easy and the display is automatic. However, with advanced ad you don't just earn money when the user clicks on the ads. The display in the visible area alone counts. If the user does not click on the ad, but later buys in the advertiser's shop within a certain period of time, this purchase is traced back to the visual contact with the ad and you earn money from it. With advanced ad, the remuneration for this sale is passed on to you as the publisher on a CPO basis. How long the period of time in which a purchase is still added to the advertisement on your site differs from advertiser to advertiser, but it is usually between 24 and 72 hours.

The clear advantage of this CPO billing is that advertisers are willing to pay the maximum remuneration. After all, one purchase is more worthwhile for advertisers than any click. The condition model is different depending on the industry and advertiser. advanced ad works closely with advertisers and tries to negotiate premium remuneration with them in order to offer you as a publisher the highest CPO. advanced ad accesses over 600 advertisers worldwide. With this wide selection, the most important industries are covered and you have access to advertisements from the telecom, retail, travel, tech and finance sectors.  

The advantages of advanced ad: 

• Attractive: transparent billing on a CPO basis  
• Large selection: more than 600 advertisers 
• International: advanced ad ads are played in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and France 
• Native design: The ads from advanced ad are visually and thematically adapted to the look and feel of your website, so that the user perceives the advertising as less annoying 
• Versatility: Ads in standard IAB formats, but formats tailored to your needs are also possible  
• Transparency: You get a precise insight into which advertisers are shown on the advanced ad ads and you can specify blacklists and whitelists 
• Clarity: With your account in the advanced suite you have a precise overview of your advertisements and income

Who’s in Team Publisher and what do they do?

Jenny, Christian and Judy at advanced store are behind Team Publisher. A further successful trio alongside Team Marketing, which we introduced to you in February. We asked them for an interview and they were brave enough to answer our questions. Let’s get started!

What do you do all day? Or, to put it more elegantly, what are your duties in detail?

Jenny: I advise and optimise new and existing publishers to make sure they have the best possible setup and performance. I also plan the strategic further development of the Publisher Team and coordinate all of our activities.

Judy: On the one hand, I’m responsible for customer acquisition, especially for the travel and fashion sector. But my main focus is on the many processes that take place in the background. This means, for instance, that I monitor, control and optimise all of the ads that we have running for our publishers.

Christian: Broadly speaking, I’m responsible for Sales. This involves customer service and support as well as customer acquisition. I’m the direct point of contact for our publishers for all of our publisher products.

What else do you take care of? We mean all the gory details (“supported by product placements”)!

Judy: (winking) I have the great honour of taking care of content management for the compare ads and supporting Lisa from Team Marketing.

Christian: Simply everything to do with publishers. Everything.

Jenny: As a product manager, I’m responsible for our advanced ads and our media platform – the advanced suite – from the point of view of our publishers. This includes tasks such as regular communication with other product managers and IT. Our goal at the end of the day is to offer high-quality and innovative solutions that provide publishers with an easy way to monetise their websites.

So, you don’t just work with clients but also with other colleagues. Which teams do you work very closely with?

Christian: We work closely with virtually all of the teams. We are in contact with IT, for instance, for the purpose of product development, with Team Advertiser (DACH & INT) due to our advertisers, which are presented in our ads, and with Team Operations due to... well, operational matters.

Jenny: Most of our internal processes are interlinked. All of this creates a very lively and close collaboration with our colleagues.

Judy: Exactly! And Team Marketing shouldn’t be missed out here. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them and their many sales materials such as presentations, handouts or the website.

Speaking of collaboration: how do you prefer to communicate? Telephone, email, hand signals...?

Jenny: Naturally, a great deal via video chat at the moment. I like the new kind of ease in communication that working from home has brought with it. Everyone’s in the same situation and there are always a few minutes spare to share a couple of tips or tricks. Tip: encourage yourself and your colleagues to get outside and collect a few steps in an app. At the end of the week, the whole group should have managed a certain number of steps during the week. It’s fun, good for you and motivates you.

Christian: I prefer to communicate on the phone or, even better, in person face to face (unfortunately that’s not really possible at the moment). Personal contact with people is ultimately one of the most important parts of sales, no matter whether it’s with partners from our existing network or with new partners.

And you, Judy?

The personalities behind the team

It’s pretty clear that you know how to enjoy yourselves. Now, alongside your duties, we also want to get to know you a little better as a person. Let’s start with the basics:

Where do you all come from?

Christian: I’m originally from wonderful Brandenburg and have returned after a 3-year interlude studying in Dresden!

Judy: I’m proud to say I’m a Berliner through and through. Nevertheless, with both a smile on my face and a tear in my eye, I moved to Halle (Saale) to study. But I can already say that such a small town also has its benefits.

Jenny: Also from Berlin. Grew up in Treptow-Köpenick and still have my roots here. In Berlin’s greenest district, I can quickly escape the hustle and bustle of the city, but can reach the centre just as quickly again to work through my bucket list of restaurants or to soak in the international atmosphere of Berlin.

Who or what can you not live without?

Christian: I couldn’t live without my family, my girlfriend and my friends.

Judy: I’m with Christian. It’s wonderful having a family and friends who are always there for you.

Jenny: Judy and Christian have already said it all. I’m going to add my glasses and contact lenses. Without them, keeping sight of things would be really difficult.

We’ve warmed you up enough: What’s your big passion?

Judy: Since we’ve had to work from home, it’s probably houseplants. I’m not sure whether or not that’s a cool big passion... (embarrassed laugh)

Christian: Wow, that’s a really difficult question. Before coronavirus, I would probably have said travelling was my big passion. Now it’s probably trying to create great birthday presents. And food. (laughs)

Jenny: Currently cooking. I’m trying to bring the flair of Asian, Mexican and Spanish cuisine into my home. So, instead of travelling, the country’s coming to me in my apartment.

There are lots of similarities there. And why are you the best team in the world?

Judy: (laughing) Because we’re Jenny, Judy and Christian. That speaks for itself!

Jenny: We combine expertise, fun and bite. Further development takes priority for us; both for the publisher setups and for ourselves personally.

Christian: The simplicity of our working relationship is great. We’re also always there for each other if someone needs support. And that’s not always a given.

And what would the mascot of the world’s best team look like?

Christian: Difficult, I think an alpaca. I don’t know why but they’re just funny.

Judy: I’d tend to go for a friendly hydra. We simply never lose our heads and, if we ever do, we come back with increased brain power.

Jenny: The killer whale. Although it has “whale” in its name, it’s actually the world’s biggest dolphin. For me, orcas represent intelligence, adaptability and cohesion. By the way, while they sleep, one half of their brain remains active and they keep one eye open, as they need to return to the surface regularly to breathe. This also happens sometimes when I’m sleeping.

Editor’s comment: Anyone who manages to create a graphic form of this mascot should please get in touch with us! They’re sure to get a post on our Insta channel and our deepest appreciation.

So where are we going now, and how do we get there?

Team Publisher is characterful, humorous, optimistic, committed and complements each other wonderfully in terms of product and client management as well as in all operational matters that crop up for our publishers day to day. In 2021, too, the focus will remain on expanding our media platform and offering easy access to processes and workflows for all of our publishers. We’d like to ask one final question because it was so wonderful:

Last but not least: What makes you especially proud and why?

Christian: I’m proud that we – even during this difficult time – work so well as a team and as part of advanced store and grow every day with our tasks.

Judy: I agree with Christian. It’s really lovely how well we work as a team.

Jenny: Beautifully put. I feel exactly the same way.

PS: As a little taster or teaser for the upcoming honours that we will be bestowing on the March Team of the Month on Instagram, here’s what we’ve created:

Over and out.

Who’s in Team Marketing and what do they do?

Team Marketing at advanced store is Tommy, Lisa and Elisabeth, who have been working mainly from home – and not just since Corona broke out. The team is split between Berlin and the surrounding area, and further south in Bavaria. Sitting down with the three of them, we started off with the most important question of all:

Why are you the best team in the world?

Elisabeth: (laughing)

Lisa: That’s us? Thanks for the title! I think we are a very colourful mishmash of people united by creativity and (mostly) by humour. Still, we don’t lose ourselves in the world of ideas, but also get a grip on things and put them into practice.

Tommy: Everyone in the team can rely on each other. Everyone is an absolute expert in his or her subject area and thus a direct contact person. Distributing the tasks is something that happens almost intuitively, which makes it easy.

"Almost intuitively..." – that sounds promising. What exactly are your topics, in detail?

Elisabeth: To sum it up: texts of all kinds. Other than that I make sure that we make a good impression on our social media platforms.

Lisa: Girl-Friday or ‘set runner’ captures it nicely. Mostly, I’m involved in external communication – i.e. sales papers, one-pagers or handouts; just for marketing material. But the conceptual work also crosses my desk. What’s the target group, is it all easy to grasp, are the customer's most important questions answered, and does the content conform to our corporate identity? I also call our website my ‘baby’, as it just popped out.

Tommy: Everything that has anything to do with graphics ends up on my plate. That starts with business cards, takes in the usual production of advertising material, and also covers trade fair materials such as handouts, merchandise or ballpoint pens and stickers. I try to optimise and brighten up client presentations as much as possible, because graphics and text work hand in hand.

It sounds like you have a lot of contact with other colleagues. Which teams do you work closely with, and do you also have direct contact with the customers?

Tommy: We’re in touch with all the teams. Anyone who wants something spruced up comes knocking.

Elisabeth: Yes, that’s right. There are always issues that need to be discussed internally. Ultimately, we support marketing activities for advanced store. And there is not just one project there, but plenty. For example, I’m also heavily involved with ‘mycashbacks’, which is our cashback portal.

Lisa: Marketing is always standing at the end of a long chain of stakeholders, product development departments, sales teams, and so on. That’s why we work together with all the teams. But we work most closely with Sales & Key Accounts, as they have the most direct contact with our customers and partners, who I’m in contact with only now and then. For example, when it comes to our ‘compare ad’ comparison calculator tool, which I manage.

The personalities behind the team

We understand now what it is that you do. Now let’s move on to you as people – after all, your personalities play a key role in the job. Let’s start with broad brushstrokes...

What’s your big passion?

Lisa: Hmm, that’s a crucial question. For me, it's all the fine arts. Right up front: Music! Anyone else need a live band? Then I can recommend this one: spurwechsel. What can I say: once marketing, always marketing.

Tommy: Design in general, whether it is on the computer or on paper. I’ve actually turned my hobby into my profession. I think that’s beautiful.

Elisabeth: That’s it, yes! 

Who or what can you not live without?

Elisabeth: Not without my husband and my children, that’s for sure! That's why I left Berlin a few years ago and moved fully into a home office.

Tommy: I guess I couldn't live without my wife and our two children. But I have a few colleagues I would never want to part with.

Lisa: Chocolate. FULL STOP.

Keyword: home office and chocolate (yes, we work quite collaboratively here): What is the worst thing you have eaten in the home office so far?

Lisa: With more time to cook, it got better rather than worse. At least I don't hear any complaints.

Tommy: For me it was homemade moussaka. It was a nice idea, and the recipe sounded fantastic – but that’s as far as it went.

So where are you going now, and how do you get there?

Team Marketing, at advanced store, is a colourful mix of text and image lovers who want to keep an eye on the big picture and have fully embraced the digital age. After the relaunch of advanced-store.com, and apart from the jokingly suggested “World domination" and a “Social media revolution", there is still no major new project that lies ahead of us. But it won't be long in coming, and in the end the team of three have a finger in almost every pie. 

Now to sum up: Tommy, what makes you particularly proud of your team, and why?

Tommy: Even though the three of us live and work far apart, you never notice this enormous distance. We responded extremely quickly to the lockdown and adapted to working remotely from day one. The fact that we also managed to relaunch the website in this way makes me even prouder.

viewTag gives you the opportunity to place advertising material from premium advertisers in the not instantly visible area of your site without violating the guidelines for advertising placement. At the same time, unnecessary loading times are eliminated.

Display resolution

The resolution and size of the monitor used by the user no longer matter. Even on smartphones and tablets, the user's viewing window is read.

Visibility

viewTag detects the visual contact or the position of the banner, no matter at which position and independent of the scroll direction (vertical: down/up; horizontal: left/right).

Tracking & Reporting

Can be mapped via conventional tracking ad servers and can be combined with any reporting tool.

Tracking based on third-party cookies can now lead to falsified results. Browsers like Apple's Safari delete cookies from third-party providers after 24 hours. If a user only returns to a website after this period, he is not classified as a returning user, but as a new user.

New Cookie Option

The Facebook cookie is also affected by this third-party cookie policy and will be deleted after one day unless the user revisits the website before. "So far, Facebook has used its pixel - which works with third-party cookies - for website analysis, ad targeting, and ad measurement. This new option will allow advertisers, publishers and developers to continue to accurately analyze traffic to their sites," the social networking declares in its announcement.

From 24 October, however, advertisers will be able to use their own cookie with the Facebook pixel. This means that it is no longer a third-party cookie and is not automatically deleted after 24 hours. The traffic can thus be analyzed again precisely.

Facebook offers the first-party cookie variant as an additional variant. In the Business Manager, companies can set which type of cookie they want to use. As a standard option, the use of first- and third-party cookies is preset. Facebook provides instructions on how to set the cookie option.

Whichever option you choose, the network expressly points out that website operators must continue to inform users about what cookies are used for and which data is processed, accourding to the GDPR. The type of cookie, i.e. whether first or third party, is irrelevant.

Two guiding principles in advance

It is a question of when

Regardless of what kind of retargeting strategy you pursue, timing is always of the essence. The point in time when marking begins as well as the recency and frequency need to be taken into account. How long after visiting a page the user is approached again (recency) and how often the advertisement is displayed to him within a given time period (frequency) both affect the perception of the user. Aggressive retargeting will cause a defensive reaction in the user. In the worst case, he will feel pushed by the advertisers, which can damage their image. Thus frequency capping is generally a good idea. To be truly successful, you should pursue a retargeting strategy that is both individualised and smart.

How much effort are you willing to put in?

This question clearly needs to be answered based on a cost-benefit analysis. Generally speaking, it is important to ask yourself what you want the retargeting campaign to achieve. If, for instance, performance is the key issue, it should focus on actually selling the viewed products. But you might also want to make existing customers aware of supplementary products, which calls for a different strategy and other advertisements. The key to success is both in setting specific goals and in deliberate differentiation.

"The better you know and address your users, the more effective your specific retargeting campaign will be. Good online advertising is a combination of the right environment, a data-supported user approach, a suitable advertising format and an individual incentive for the user."

Marc Majewski, CEO

The following steps will show what levels of integration there are and what degree of differentiation each of them entails. From a quick and easy but very general form of retargeting to a very elaborate but very specific approach, we show what retargeting is all about.

Retargeting Guide in four steps

#1 Generally increasing awareness

The most simple form of retargeting is to generally mark all visitors of your website the same way. Practically speaking, this involves including a global retargeting pixel in your website, without qualifiers. This is automatically triggered once the user visits the website. Now the user is marked and can later be specifically targeted with ads while visiting other pages. For this level of integration, the retargeting campaign employs general ads (e.g. including the company logo to increase brand recognition) rather than ads for specific products. After all, the users have been marked but not yet segmented. Furthermore, there is the uncomplicated option of cross-channel marketing: For instance, by advertising your Facebook page and thereby gaining more followers. This basic form of retargeting should be employed by anyone, especially since it is inexpensive to implement.

#2 Cluster segments of the page

One way of retargeting in a more precise way is the segmentation of users by topic. This is about what part of the page a given user has looked at. Some groups of users, for instance those who have visited the start page or the imprint, jobs pages or the terms and conditions – so called info traffic – can be excluded from any retargeting campaign, because they are likely to generate an adverse conversion rate. On the other hand it is possible to mark users who looked at specific topics (product categories, brand pages etc.) with a parameterised pixel and thereby adapt the advertisements they get to see accordingly. In the same vein, it is possible to address users who have not finished the check-out process and offer them special incentives such as discounts or free shipping. These are some of the simple steps to make a retargeting campaign more efficient and avoid scattering losses.

#3 Dynamic retargeting

Knowing where a user has been on your page is a good start. For instance, if he was on a product page, it is safe to assume a direct desire on the part of the user. In order to be able to personalise the advertisements that the user is shown, it is necessary to go to the next level of integration: The ‘where’ leads to the ‘what’. What exactly did a customer look at on a certain product page, for example? Or to put it another way: What product is at stake here? This is retargeting based on product data feeds, also known as dynamic retargeting. In this case, dynamic refers to the advertisement being presented according to the user and for a specific product. But the ad’s contents can also be specific to a page or a category.

#4 Too much of a good thing

When it comes to retargeting, there is one type of user that calls for a particular treatment: the buyer. This user has already taken action, i.e. there is only limited sense in advertising the same product(s) at him again. In such a case, de-marking this user, or alternatively developing a targeted upselling campaign should be considered. For example, he could be offered similar products, successor products, enhancements or accessories. If existing customers are offered a product that they have already purchased, this will be irrelevant to the user and can be perceived as annoying or pushy. The dramatic consequences that this can have are illustrated by the following diagram.

How do users react to pushy advertising?

Small excursion: New customers

So far, so good. However, even with a carefully thought-out retargeting campaign, an enormously important target group that every advertiser wants to have on board falls by the wayside: new customers. Here, too, there is a simple but effective method that allows every retargeting campaign to climb to the next level of evolution. The impetus for the considerations was the knowledge that at the end of every marketing campaign the figures must be right, i.e. maximum sales must be generated. However, maximum sales can only be achieved if all relevant target groups are addressed. Of course, this can also include users who have not yet visited your website. So if you want to notch up your performance, you have to combine retargeting with a second targeting strategy, namely prospecting. Why? Because no more users will slip through your net, no matter if they are shopping cart dropouts, existing customers or new customers.

The Hybrid Banner

We have developed the hybrid banner to make the supposed dream of the maximum high and at the same time relevant reach come true. It combines both strategies by using a dual layout to make it possible to switch between a static display banner and a dynamic product banner. The static banner is generic, but traffic intensive and therefore ideal to reach potential new customers. On the other hand, the dynamic product banner is suitable for the individual user approach - i.e. for retargeting campaigns - and is particularly strong in conversion.

Conclusion

Retargeting is relevant to any advertiser. As we have shown, getting involved in this form of online marketing requires very little effort. But if you want to do more than scratch the surface, you should focus on getting the segmentation and the level of integration just right. When it comes to either defining goals and setting strategies or technological implementation, it can be sensible to call on experts: Collecting information on the users is only the beginning. Understanding how to then use this data in the best way and what best practices result from that, requires a certain degree of experience. This can include choosing the appropriate context within which the advertisements are displayed or using frequency caps in order not to rebuff users.

"Today, marketing is only efficient if it is combined with the latest technologies. At the same time, the focus in digital marketing must be much more strongly focused on the user. The top priority is to interpret the user's behaviour correctly. This is especially true for remarketing campaigns: What do I have to show the customer so that he comes back and buys something? Intelligent marketing decisions require intelligent technologies and know-how."

Marc Majewski, CEO

Incentives: What is this?

Incentives in online marketing are cash or non-cash bonuses that are linked to an offer or product, thereby encouraging the user to make a purchase. In other words, an incentive is the icing on the cake of an offer that makes the offer particularly appealing to the customer.

A long road to the final buying decision

The human being is and remains in its basic features an emotional being. At least since Simon Sinek we have known that emotionally charged products sell better. Why? Because people generally do not make purchasing decisions rationally. However, this does not mean that the decision to buy must also be affective, i.e. a short-circuit act. Quite the opposite: especially in the online sector, the path to a decision is a longer one, all the more so when it comes to larger or special investments. But especially for the user making comparisons, a well-chosen incentive can work wonders. The final buying impulse can be influenced by emotional factors. An incentive that appeals to the individual interests of the user can be the trigger for the purchase, especially for products that are very similar.

An example - smartphones and tariffs: Let’s be honest, mobile phone and DSL tariffs are no emotional products. They are abundant and the differentiators are not too far apart. Once the user has been tagged and is aware of his or her interests, a personal incentive can be used to make tariffs much more attractive by addressing the user's emotional side

The more individual the incentive, the more effective

Not everyone is convinced by the same incentives, so it is important to know which target groups are receptive to which incentives. As different as people's interests are, as different goodies, vouchers and discounts must be in order to achieve optimal effects. However, it is also certain that we are not as individual as we often think. Put simply this means that targeting depends on pigeonhole thinking in the positive sense. And a little common sense can't hurt either, as our article on audience targeting shows. Intelligent user incentives are one of four components of successful online advertising:

Incentives as a component for higher user engagement

Coupons as an incentive for everyone?

Usually, a coupon has the advantage of allowing you to choose from a wide range of products. The larger the range, the better. However, it is even better to know which shop is in the good books of which user. And that' s how you build the bridge to user-specific targeting. Because yes, sometimes clichés are true and helpful, it is not for nothing that they could develop into them.

"A simple example would be the target group of men and women: if you want to reach female users, cosmetic goodies or shop vouchers are the obvious choice. For men, on the other hand, technical products such as sound boxes or tablets are very popular."

Yvonne Hansen, Head of Business Development | advanced store

Cashback: Incentives with a long-term effect

Incentives that do not expire after a one-off use, as described above, are the most convincing. Best known are so-called bonus programs, in which members collect points or the like. Big players in this industry are companies such as Payback or Miles & More. However, cashback portals have now also reached the German average consumer and are enjoying growing popularity.

"The advantage of cashback is obvious: instead of points that the buyer can invest in a limited selection of premiums, he or she will get money back. And thus the freedom to decide for him- or herself how to spend the money."

Christoph Terwiel, Head of Business Development | advanced audience

From gatherer back to hunter, that is the maxim of cashback systems. Of course, dealers, buyers and cashback providers all get their slice of the cake. This is a concept that advanced store is firmly convinced of. That's why we took over the cashback portal mycashbacks with advanced audience in December 2018.

Cashback further conceived as remarketing extension and element of control

With a pinch of imagination, the use of the cashback principle can easily be extended to other performance advertising solutions. Once you've realized the importance of incentives for the success of display campaigns, it's easier to cross the boundaries. How? For example, by consciously using Cashback as a follow-up incentive within a retargeting campaign. It can also be used as a special incentive for a certain period of time to consciously control conversions. However, what is true is that cashback is an idea with a future, since everyone benefits:

"The idea is simple: By connecting people with the best brands in the world, we provide them with the opportunity to get money back on stuff they buy every day. The cashback, in turn, will be provided by the retailer himself. It's part of our commission as a cashback provider that we pass on to the online shopper. In exchange, our trading partners attract new customers who will make long-term purchases from them."

Marc Majewski, CEO

Conclusion

One thing is for sure: The user is and remains the decision maker in terms of product success. As an online shopper, he also has the opportunity to do extensive research and has therefore become more selective. This does not mean, however, that the purchase decision cannot be influenced positively. After all, this is what good online marketing is for. Target group oriented incentives are a step in the right direction in order to offer the user the unique and convincing offers he confidently demands. In addition to coupons, cashback offers in particular are an interesting way of creating long-term incentives from which traders and customers can profit effortlessly.

An exhibition area with over 70 stands and over 80 workshops awaits the visitors of the iab Forum. The Digital Area invites visitors to listen to speakers from the tech world. There will also be an opportunity for speed dating with the event's sponsors.

The workshops and lectures will deal with topics from various areas, such as Data & Machine Learning, Socia Media & Digital PR, Performance Marketing, Display Advertising or Native Advertising.

The iab Forum 2018 will take place on 12 and 13 November at the Milano Convention Centre in Milan.

Review of last year's Forum

Between Intent and Interest - Finding the Right Users

We search for events based on surfing behaviour that enable us to assign a general product interest, a specific purchase intention or a demographic characteristic to the user. Interest or demographics follow the assumption that users with certain characteristics are more responsive to advertising. Hence if we advertise women's cosmetics the obvious assumption would be that women and users with an interest in cosmetics will achieve a higher response. As a result we like to use interest and demography profiles to better focus the campaign, especially at launch.

We consider the creation of intent profiles that match the campaign to be much more suspenseful for good sales performance by audience targeting.
Marc Majewski, CEO

The Point of Entry as a Starting Point

To build up specific intent segments, we work with a very simple, binary rule: We search for the "point of entry" of the user, i.e. the event that reveals us a specific purchase intention and through which we can assign that user to a specific intent segment. To put it simply this means: He is in or not. We are guided by the distinction between "general purchase intention" and "active product search".

A Specific Example

On average, one looks for a new mobile phone rate every 2.5 years. Experience shows that one is in the phase of general buying intention for 6-10 weeks. During this time the realization matures that one wants to buy a new tariff soon. A user in this phase has a particularly high response to the appropriate product advertising. But that's only 6-10 weeks every 2.5 years. For example, you buy a dishwasher every 6-8 years and the general intention to buy only lasts a few days. Intent targeting follows the goal of reaching the respective user in exactly this period and is therefore the most effective and most important method of audience targeting.

How can this time period be identified?

Only a few hours the user is on an active product search. During this time the user inquires about purchase alternatives, either by going to a shop or by checking online. For us, this is the so-called point of entry. This means that we somehow have to know when the user is actively searching, because he usually will only do so if he also wants to buy.

Audience Targeting in the Right Environments

If, for example, we mark users on a mobile phone blog, then this is not enough. Why? Because some users spend time there without the intention to buy. This environment may well ensure interest in mobile communications - certainly a suitable keyword - but it is not a sufficient indication for intent. Shopping and e-commerce environments, product tests, shopping guides or product comparison pages and every form of search are better suited. With common sense it is easy to deduce an intention to buy from suitable product pages. Then, for example, we can set an intent "smartphone" and assume that the user is in the period of the general purchase intention. Furthermore, the banner display of our smartphone offer on smartphone test pages will reach the user at the rare moment of active intrinsic product search and is therefore perfectly chosen.

Three things we intentionally don't do

1. predictive targeting
   To us, predictive targeting sounds like this: "We know something that not even the consumer himself knows." We can only put an ironic question mark behind this statement, because fortune-telling is not part of our business strategy.
2. Statistical Twin
   This procedure simply cannot complement our behavioural methodology. Either there is a "point of entry" event or it is not. Thus for us, predicting such an event on the basis of significantly similar behavior patterns, is a variant of predictive targeting. And according to our experience, it is not a robust method for CPO performance.
3. Data Modelling
   Either we know the gender of a user or we do not. Modelling as an assumption about probabilities leaves too many unclear interpretations open and, in our experience, does not provide sufficient performance uplift.

Bottom Line

Seems like ee experience significant performance upsides above all when using common sense to set the point of entry for the intent segments in the right places, especially on e-commerce or product information pages suitable for advertising. In order to optimize the media purchase and to reduce waste with a corresponding effect on the effective CPOs, this approach is absolutely profitable. Interest and demographic data can also be helpful, especially at the start of a campaign, if they are reliable. Those who set up audience targeting with a sharp eye during the campaign start-up regularly have the analytical results on their side later on.

In order to achieve this leading position, so-called competence centres are to be set up. In addition, research in the field of AI is to receive more funding. Germany is to work closely with European partners.

Data as economic factor

What AI is all about is the usability of data. Every day, vast amounts of data are collected on the Internet, providing a wide variety of information. These data are an important economic factor. Whoever has access to the data will have a significant competitive advantage. Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek is also convinced: "Properly designed, AI is an important key to growth and prosperity."
However, access to this data is limited by numerous factors - not only the much-discussed GDPR. With an "Open Data Strategy" access is now to be simplified - also beyond Germany's borders in the form of a European Data Area - but always in line with the protection of personal rights. For example, companies could be enabled to enter into so-called "data partnerships" and share data.

AI as a benefit

Some people might still be startled by the keyword "artificial intelligence". The fear of machines and robots that will eventually take control of humans is still haunting some people's minds. This is probably one of the reasons why the Federal Government emphasises in its key issues paper that its strategy is about "responsible and public welfare-oriented use of AI in cooperation with science, industry, the state and civil society". The databases are to be used "for the benefit of society, the environment, the economy and the state". The focus here is not only on protecting people's personal rights, but also on IT security, so that data cannot fall into the wrong hands and be misused.

advanced store already receiving EU funding

advanced store also uses data from online users and is a pioneer in the automation of performance marketing. Using e-commerce-based intent and interest categories, we optimize programmatic display advertising. For this purpose, advanced audience GmbH, a subsidiary of advanced store, is working on the development of a tool that can predict future user behavior based on actions performed so far and automatically assigns websites to multiple categories. Both components are based on various machine and deep learning algorithms. For its development, advanced store receives public funds under Investitionsbank Berlin's programme for research, innovation and technology (Pro FIT), most of which come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Further information on ERDF funding for advanced store.

There you can not only get to know us personally and make contacts. Inform yourself here about our services, which we can offer worldwide. We create display, native and social ads for international customers and also offer various tools for publishers. In addition, we offer our self-developed technology as Software as a Service.

PI Live Program

More than 50 speakers share their online marketing know-how with the audience. Influencer marketing takes up a lot of space in the conference program. In addition to many lectures, the Influencer Marketing Show will take place parallel to PI Live. The agenda of the two days PI Live is already set:

PI Live highlights

Further Events

Every year advanced store is represented at numerous international online marketing events, partly as visitor, partly as exhibitor, sponsor or speaker. In our Online Marketing Event Calendar you will find an overview of the events at which we will be guests in the coming months. Make an appointment with us and get to know us personally!

At the award gala this year, advanced store will be presenting the prize for the "Best Performance Marketing Agency". The award will be given to the agency which, in the opinion of the jury, has achieved the most outstanding results for its customers through performance marketing. Stepping up to fight for the title of "Best Performance Marketing Agency" will be:

The shortlists for the other categories are also complete and can be viewed on the IPMA website. Amongst the awards being given out will be the awards for the Best Full Service Affiliate Network and the Best Saas Platform. Campaign-based prizes will also be handed out including, for example, for the Best Influencer Marketing Campaign. Additionally, there will be regional awards for the USA, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.

The jury which will be deciding on the winners of the various categories consists of 22 international experts from the sector, including Lee-Ann Johnstone, founder of AffiliateInsider, or Zane McIntyre, CEO of Commission Factory.

A Significant Award

The International Performance Marketing Awards are highly regarded within the online marketing sector. "The global Performance Marketing Awards offers a unique opportunity to recognize the top performers in the industry in an objective and independent manner", says Robert Glazer, Founder & Managing Director, Acceleration Partners.

On 15^th October 2018, the International Performance Marketing Awards 2018 will be handed out at Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, London. The evening will be hosted by comedian, author and actor Tom Allen.

advanced store will not only be present live on location, but will also be accompanying the event on social networks. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook under @advancedstoreteam, on Twitter under @advancedstore or on LinkedIn!