"In 2026, with 54% of mobile impressions and 36% of desktop impressions lacking identifiers, according to Comscore, connecting customer data across devices and channels is now one of marketing's most pressing technical challenges. When identity breaks down, personalization fails, suppression fails and measurement becomes unreliable."
"Clean rooms allow brands, publishers and measurement partners to combine datasets without exposing raw personally identifiable information. Instead of sharing data directly, participants run queries inside secure environments that enforce privacy rules. Cloud platforms such as Google BigQuery, Snowflake and Databricks now offer native clean room capabilities that support secure multi-party joins."
"Recent M&A activity reinforces the shift. WPP acquired data clean room provider InfoSum in April 2025, while Publicis acquired identity platform Lotame in March 2025, combining identity assets that now reach roughly four billion global profiles."
Broken identity data causes significant marketing failures, including showing ads for already-purchased products and offering first-time buyer discounts to loyal customers. In 2026, connecting customer data across devices and channels represents marketing's most critical technical challenge. Identity resolution platforms have evolved from niche tools to foundational stack components. Data clean rooms, previously reserved for large enterprises managing co-marketing partnerships, now serve as core infrastructure for collaboration. These secure environments allow brands, publishers, and measurement partners to combine datasets while protecting personally identifiable information. Cloud platforms like Google BigQuery, Snowflake, and Databricks now offer native clean room capabilities. Identity vendors have integrated clean room functionality directly into their platforms rather than offering it separately. Recent acquisitions, including WPP's purchase of InfoSum and Publicis's acquisition of Lotame, demonstrate the strategic importance of consolidating identity assets.
#identity-resolution #data-clean-rooms #cross-channel-marketing #customer-data-integration #privacy-preserving-technology
Read at MarTech
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]