A supply-side platform (SSP) has been came upon to be mentioning mismatched consumer IDs all through particular transactions, inflicting some companions to query its ways and put their dating on inactivity.
Colossus SSP has been singled out in a unutilized document via Adalytics, which analyses media buys in the name of companies and types, as misdeclaring the IDs assigned to a given consumer all through transactions run via demand-side platform (DSP) The Business Table.
Adalytics stated it tested the supply code of commercials and bid responses served via The Business Table on behalf of various advertisers and on writer homes from immense nationwide publishers to native information, blogs and specialized websites.
It studied whether or not an untouched consumer ID saved in a consumer’s Chrome browser cookie vault matched with how 16 SSPs declared consumer IDs all through bid transactions to discover instances of ID stuffing.
The company claims to have discovered just one SSP to document a unique ID within the public sale to the untouched consumer ID: Colossus SSP.
Two publishers who spoke with Marketing campaign US on background have been in a position to ensure that once they made shouts via Colossus SSP, the bid that used to be returned via The Business Table assumed a unique consumer ID from their very own. This used to be in line with Chrome browsers that experience cookies enabled.
There might be numerous explanations for this mismatch.
Colossus SSP mother or father corporate Direct Virtual Holdings stated in a observation it “does not add or pass any Trade Desk user IDs in the bid request” as it transacts by the use of Bidswitch, a “middleware” supplier which connects numerous SSPs with DSPs. It stated Adalytics’ document is “riddled with false and misleading information.”
A virtual marketing researcher defined that on this dating, Colossus passes its IDs to Bidswitch, which works the ones IDs to what it discerns are the corresponding IDs from The Business Table. Within the researcher’s ocular, for the 2 IDs to not fit isn’t an indication of anything else nefarious; instead, it’s a symptom of an advert tech delivery chain that operates in large part on approximations.
On the other hand, alternative SSPs that transact by the use of Bidswitch don’t seem to have consumer ID alike problems. Adalytics stated it noticed refuse discrepancies from TrustX, some other SSP which seems to combine with Bidswitch, when transacting with The Business Table. A media proprietor instructed Marketing campaign US it really works with a number of SSPs that funnel via Bidswitch and has now not witnessed indistinguishable issues.
Bidswitch, owned via Criteo, accident again at any allegations that its generation might be inflicting the ID mismatch. It stated it operates as a impartial “passthrough” platform, sending visitors from SSPs to DSPs “without manipulating the content of bid requests from SSPs or bid responses from DSPs.”
“Bidswitch has been doing this for over 11 years with hundreds of partners throughout the industry, including the very largest,” Criteo basic suggest Ryan Damon stated in a observation.
“Any claims or implications by Colossus SSP that Bidswitch is to blame for Colossus SSP’s manipulation of the content of bid requests are untrue and we encourage all parties to investigate further into the merits of any such statements before publishing untrue statements,” Damon added.
Direct Virtual Holdings adopted up with a unutilized observation on Friday: “As a long standing partner of Bidswitch over the last five years, we are confident they are following protocol and honouring their position in the value chain. The only issue here is the false and misleading research report from Adalytics.”
Why ID mismatches can happen
Publishers and SSPs had been identified to purposefully transfer consumer IDs to bring to produce customers seem to have fascinating attributes so they are able to elicit upper bids. For example, a consumer ID that seems to be related to a health care provider would draw in pharmaceutical advertisers at upper charges.
A media proprietor instructed Marketing campaign it had suspected “a couple of SSPs” of this task lately.
A Direct Virtual Holdings consultant denied Colossus has in demand in “improper activities” similar to ID switching, ID stuffing or ID bridging, wherein a writer or SSP can tie an worn consumer ID to a cookieless consumer by the use of alerts like an IP or electronic mail cope with.
“Direct Digital Holdings operates its Colossus SSP platform with transparency and in compliance with all applicable laws and industry standards,” the consultant stated.
They stated Colossus SSP “has always been diligent when it comes to quality and transparency, working with Human, Confiant, Moat and other trusted industry partners to ensure we meet the highest standards in supply.”
On the other hand, a couple of companions throughout the advert tech delivery chain expressed issues concerning the reliability of verification companions, with problems continuously slipping during the cracks. As an example, not one of the MRC-accredited advert verification platforms flagged Forbes’ lately exposed made-for-advertising subdomain, according to Adalytics’ document.
“We do have the systems set up, whether Tag or MRC, to accredit companies who are supposed to catch this. The primary problem here is that that system is not working,” stated Jay Friedman, CEO of marketing company Goodway Staff, which makes use of analytics suppliers to assistance root out fraud and wastefulness over verification suppliers.
The ID mismatch might be because of a technical factor, similar to customers surfing in incognito form or storing a couple of cookies. However 4 companions throughout the advert tech delivery chain who spoke with Marketing campaign on background urged such technical problems can be not likely to have an effect on just one supplier.
Affects on Colossus
Colossus is a moderately tiny SSP. One media proprietor stated Colossus accounts for lower than 10% of its general fill price; some other put the determine at lower than 5%. The SSP has a focal point on diverse-owned and operated publishers.
Because of Colossus’ dimension, it may be more straightforward for companions to accident inactivity. One media proprietor stated it had suspended running with Colossus till it might probably get to the base of the ID factor. Some other stated it wouldn’t take away Colossus from its spouse record as long as it is still paid on era.
DSPs have flagged problems with Colossus within the date. Google recognized a subject matter with some bid requests from the SSP utmost fall inside of its DSP DV360 and straight away paused visitors at the stock in query. It ended up issuing refunds to impacted advertisers and resumed its dating with Colossus later the problem used to be rectified.
“Google has strict policies and robust enforcement systems to protect advertisers, publishers and people against invalid traffic. Late last year, our teams identified a source of invalid traffic that did not adhere to our guidance around how signals are shared in bid requests and took prompt action,” a Google spokesperson stated.
Direct Virtual Holdings CEO Mark Walker stated that the corporate has a coverage to proper any problems flagged via companions “within 24 to 48 hours.”
“When we identify an issue, we correct it,” he stated.
Walker denounced any ideas that Colossus’ ID mismatch used to be alike to the maintaining corporate’s monetary condition. Direct Virtual Holdings’ percentage value has fallen 59% within the date year.
“The financial solvency of our company is very sound,” he stated, including that it left-overs successful and its first-quarter efficiency used to be “up 20% year over year.”
Underneath is Direct Virtual Holdings’ complete observation in line with Adalytics’ document:
“At Direct Virtual Holdings integrity, duty, and transparency produce up our corporate’s core values.
“Sadly, we consider that there was a concerted attempt to hunt monetary achieve via making an attempt to discredit the efficiency and operations of DDH. To be cloudless, DDH left-overs operationally well-positioned and financially sturdy with estimated 2023 FY profits of $157 million and is experiencing endured enlargement into 2024. We conserve a cast monetary dating with our companions and are dedicated to steady growth and sustaining our services. We’ve discovered that there’s a so-called analysis document from Adalytics, a for-profit entity, making deliberately fraudelant, deceptive, and misguided statements that don’t appropriately constitute the connections throughout the programmatic worth chain and the function of Colossus SSP via The Business Table.
“As a result of Colossus SSP is indirectly hooked up to The Business Table, however instead via a publicly traded middleman, Colossus SSP does NOT upload or go any Business Table consumer IDs within the bid request in response to Seen RTB protocols and The Business Table necessities. Moreover, Colossus SSP has all the time been diligent in the case of component and transparency, running with HUMAN, Confiant, MOAT and alternative relied on trade companions to assure we meet the absolute best requirements in delivery. As we have now within the date, we can proceed to paintings with The Business Table to unravel any issues that they are going to have.
“Despite our repeated requests to see the report, Adalytics refused to allow us to review the report prior to its publication, which we believe falls in line with a prior record of Adalytics seeking attention instead of accuracy. We will vigorously defend our company’s reputation and will pursue all appropriate legal actions and remedies to address these intentionally false statements and fundamental misrepresentations.”