This unique identifier, particularly interesting at the dawn of a Cookieless era, has become the basis for reconciling audiences across the new media.

The mobile advertising ID: origin and functioning

The mobile ad ID, also known as Device ID, IDFA or IFA, is a unique identifier assigned to each smartphone, enabling each device to be identified.

Initially intended for developers to help them test and provide updates, the Device ID was not intended for use by communications specialists.

But its different characteristics have made it a tracking element of choice for advertisers to target their audiences: 

• The mobile ad ID makes it possible to track and recognise a specific mobile device across various online environments
• It preserves users’ anonymity
• It has the advantage of being a permanent identifier (unless the user chooses to reset it, its lifetime is unlimited)
• It involves no cookies

The mobile ad ID differs from the tracking method using cookies, and this is a real strength in the current context.

An attractive alternative to cookies

While Google announced in 2020 its intention to do away with third-party cookies “in order to make the web more private and secure for users”, this initiative should officially see the light of day from 2024.

Increasingly contested on the grounds of confidentiality and personal data protection, cookies also have other weaknesses: as they are centred on Internet users’ browsers, they cannot be used to track them across different browsers, nor can they be used to track their behaviour within in-app environments, and even less to target them cross-device.

These are real limitations at a time when consumers are adopting omnichannel consumption and browsing behaviour, requiring advertisers to adapt their communication and targeting strategies to deliver coherent, relevant campaigns across different media and devices.

The mobile advertising ID therefore represents a particularly interesting alternative to cookies.

Reconnecting audiences across all screens: the mobile advertising ID as the cornerstone of omnichannel marketing

The mobile ad ID is a key element for advertisers in targeting their audiences and controlling the frequency of exposure of their advertising message, particularly within the application ecosystem.

But its main strength to date is that it can be the foundation for reconciling audiences on new media.

Generic example of an omnichannel campaign including, from left to right: Digital Audio, Mobile Display, Mobile Video, Mobile In-Gaming and DOOH.

The mobile ad ID can be used for your mobile and DOOH campaigns, activating a multitude of formats: Display, Video, Digital Audio and In-Gaming, and setting up cross-device targeting and retargeting.

A real asset when you consider that an omnichannel campaign can generate up to six times more ROI than a single-screen campaign!

In practical terms, in DOOH, it is possible to use geolocation data from smartphones to determine whether the Device ID has been exposed to DOOH panels.

As for digital audio, most listening is now done within applications, making it easy to target audiences and control the frequency of exposure of the advertising message.

Finally, the mobile advertising ID is an invaluable asset for measuring the effectiveness of campaigns: Hawk’s Brand Lift studies are based on the Device ID, which makes it possible to measure the contribution/attribution of each screen to advertising impact.

Would you like to find out more about using Device ID for your digital advertising campaigns? Receive examples of concrete customer cases? Contact us!