FreeWheel Identity Graph Allows Agencies to Uniquely Reach Consumers

To address the challenges posed by vanishing third-party cookies and the decline of digital identifiers, Comcast-owned advertising technology company FreeWheel has introduced the FreeWheel Identity Graph. This new digital identification approach has been undergoing testing with advertising agencies and brand marketers in the U.S. throughout the year.

Xander Kotsatos, Head of Beeswax Sales, North America, at FreeWheel, explained, "Two things are happening at the same time: the way we access digital video is becoming increasingly addressable -- which is great for brands -- but simultaneously, consumers are engaging with more content across multiple devices/screens that have different IDs, which makes it harder for brands to know they are reaching their intended user. The FreeWheel Identity Graph is designed to solve that challenge."

The identity graph integrates first-, second-, and third-party data, anonymizing it to generate unique identifiers that track individual and household activity across screens and platforms while prioritizing privacy. It matches anonymized data from different providers to prevent duplication, enabling more accurate consumer tracking, advertising delivery, and measurement.

Moreover, it facilitates reach by unifying 1.7 billion connected TV (CTV) and mobile IDs, 425 million browser cookies, and 153 million IP addresses into one simplified, privacy-safe identifier. FreeWheel is integrating the graph with its Beeswax buying platform, enhancing audience demographic and psychographic targeting within privacy requirements.

Beeswax, FreeWheel's best-in-class programmatic buying platform, can now reach 278 million individuals and over 129 million households across the U.S., by leveraging the FreeWheel Identity Graph. Beeswax's targeting and efficiency efforts are further advanced through the FreeWheel Identity Graph's advanced frequency and attribution capabilities, which provide additional tools to help performance and brand advertisers accomplish their campaign goals.

As an example, DSPolitical, a political advertising technology company, has collaborated with FreeWheel to create anonymized and unique data sets using publicly available voter information combined with third-party data sets. Mark Jablonowski, President and CTO of DSPolitical, emphasized the importance of accurate information across platforms, stating, "That's why this FreeWheel ID Product is valuable -- it gives us better, more accurate information across platforms."