• by Larissa Faw , April 28, 2021

Two years since Publicis Groupe’s $4.4 billion acquisition of Epsilon, the data giant (or “connected identity division” in Publicis’ parlance) has swiftly become a core asset and greatly contributed to garnering a number of big business wins, like AB InBev.

“We helped them understand first-party identity data to help broaden their consumer base and deliver personalized experiences at scale,” explains Epsilon, President/COO Ric Elert.

There are more than 30 major Publicis Groupe clients using Epsilon’s data and solutions.

Elert has been at the helm of Epsilon since the early days. He was instrumental in transforming what originally started out as a data provider for only North American consumers into a company with a “robust” footprint expanding across EMEA and APAC as well.

As the industry grapples with changes in cookie tracking and data privacy as well as increased scrutiny from government regulators, Elert spoke with MediaPost about his top three priorities.

First, Elert is building what he calls a “future-proofed, people-based identity” on the open web.

After announcing a deal with Verizon Media in March and The Trade Desk earlier in April, more recently the company teamed with Publicis Sapient and Adobe to integrate Epsilon’s CORE ID with Adobe’s Experience Platform. Collectively these deals create a connected ecosystem with more than 250 million customer profiles, or what Epsilon calls CORE ID.

“Our goal is to extend CORE ID in the market because that will greatly increase scale and reach for brands challenged by third-party cookie depreciation,” Elert states.

Second, Elert has been working closely with C-suite leaders to help them navigate the always-changing digital ad world. “This means helping clients harness, grow, activate, measure and protect their first-party data.”

This extends to retail media networks and other solutions, he adds. “We also must protect publishers because they are the backbone of our industry.” He hopes to help them grow through identity and depth to “maintain profitability in the future.”

Lastly, Elert wants to make sure consumers understand their privacy rights. “There is a value exchange that comes with privacy and security and it involves the brand, the platform and the individual,” he said.