• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 27, 2023

Samsung Ads, the advertising arm of Samsung Electronics, announced Wednesday a partnership with global advertising and marketing technology company Epsilon to offer brands advanced TV audience data, reach across its network, precision activation, and measurement. 

“The market is placing a strong emphasis on ad-tech data platforms and solutions for better decision-making, campaign execution, and insights,” said Courtney Howell, head of agency development at Samsung Ads. “Epsilon's wide range of data sources, such as customer first-party and CRM data, proprietary data, and third-party data, enhance the capabilities of agency planning and buying tools to deliver exceptionally successful campaigns.”

CTV advertising is forecast to reach $25.9 billion in 2023 -- up 13.2% compared with 2022, according to GroupM’s mid-year forecast.

Audiences based on the partnership are created from Epsilon’s demographic and transactional data, and a brand’s first-party data. Advertisers can use the segments across Samsung’s smart TV, connected TV (CTV), mobile inventory, and across the smart TV ecosystem in the U.S.

Howell said this partnership is significant in light of industry trends shifting toward data-driven audience-based buying, departing from traditional age and gender targeting. It also aligns with the focus on addressability and addressable-driven media executions and measurement.

Partnerships like this one will become more important as the advertising industry prepares to operate in a world without third-party cookies and identifiers.

First-party data plays a pivotal role in this announcement by serving as the foundation for precise ad targeting and campaign execution, she said. It enables the creation of custom segments.

This partnership represents a “milestone” for Samsung Ads. “We refer to this relationship as a ‘milestone’ because our integration marks a significant advancement in our partnership with Publicis Groupe,” she said. “This milestone offers seamless activation for all Samsung partners, streamlines operations, enhances efficiency, and grants access to an extensive third-party data set.”

This new integration offers a direct one-on-one match to enhance precision and eliminate the need for third-party data or cross-walk processes by using Epsilon segments. It boosts efficiency and delivers cost savings and streamlines operational processes, providing additional value, she said.

Ads are measured using standard Samsung measurement protocols with leading measurement partners and vary depending on campaign objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), desired outcomes, and other relevant factors. 

Epsilon's consumer database supports insights into about 250 million verified U.S. consumers. The amount of consumer data give brands the opportunity to recognize and reach each person with the right message across channels and measure campaign performance while ensuring consumer data is respected and protected at the highest levels, the company said. 

Samsung Ads earlier this month expanded its relationship with Publica, a CTV ad server owned by Integral Ad Science (IAS), announced a renewed global partnership with Samsung Ads. ACR data, a provider of advanced TV advertising solutions, will power this relationship, which aims to give advertisers enhanced buying techniques similar to those of linear TV.

This includes competitive separation, and frequency management, the companies said.