• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, February 6, 2013

Supporting the rise of mobile marketing and the decline of browser cookies, Yahoo Japan inked a deal with AdTruth to tap an alternative type of technology that gives marketers the data required to target ads, while protecting consumer privacy.

This alliance will support Yahoo Japan's audience recognition capabilities, allowing it to more accurately define and describe its audiences. The results could lead to higher eCPMs and ROI for advertisers, according to the companies.

Following AdTruth's recent Tokyo office opening, the partnership further strengthens its presence in the Japanese market. It also points to a shift of control of the data back to premium publishers, according to James Lamberti, general manager of AdTruth. Companies own the relationship with consumers and want to protect relationships, he said. 

Identifying audiences has become increasingly challenging in recent years with the rise of mobile advertising devices and decline in cookie usefulness. AdTruth's platform doesn't collect personally identifiable information and doesn't leave behind device-side identifiers.

Comparing the agreement with U.S. trends, Lamberti said the Japanese market has always been a leading indicator of what U.S. marketers and consumers can expect to see and experience in digital media. More than 70% of Japanese consumers have a smartphone or tablet, compared to more than 50% in the U.S.

"The majority of Internet activity in Japan is now via mobile devices," Lamberti said. "Japan is approximately one year ahead of the U.S. when it comes to mobile, and is facing a crisis when it comes to audience recognition, a crisis that the U.S. is just beginning to recognize and understand."