Issue #51: First Party FTW

☕ Good morning, performance pros

Brew in hand? Here’s the top news from the week so far in 120 seconds.

🗞️ Top Stories

1. Apple and Google close to Gemini partnership
   Bloomberg reports Apple is near a deal to use Google’s Gemini model to power a revamped Siri, an interim step while Apple readies its own large models.

   Reuters

2. Amazon Ads debuts AI video generator in the UK
   Amazon’s AI powered video generator is now available to UK advertisers, promising “minutes, not days” production for video ads across Amazon platforms.

   The Media Leader

3. iHeartMedia and TikTok partner on creator podcast network
   iHeartMedia and TikTok are launching a creator-led podcast network, turning top TikTok talent into audio franchises with promotion across both platforms.

   The Hollywood Reporter

4. Reddit rolls out Interactive Ads
   Reddit introduced bespoke Interactive ads - including quizzes, games, countdowns and more - allowing brands to build in-feed experiences.

   Social Media Today

5. First party data company AUDIENCES raises £2.1m
   UK founded AUDIENCES secured the investment from FirstPartyCapital to accelerate the growth of its data activation platform.

   ExchangeWire

💭 60-Second Take – The AUDIENCES raise is a vote for first-party data

AUDIENCES has raised £2.1m to accelerate its first-party data activation software, led by FirstPartyCapital with support from Haatch.

The platform runs inside a brand’s own cloud infrastructure, with no data movement, aiming to turn owned data into targeted media and measurement.

What should we read into the strategy, and what does this signal to the market?

• First-party data as the growth engine
  With third-party signals continuing to fade, tools that activate a brand’s own data securely and quickly are increasingly becoming the backbone of performance.

• Own the data and the outcome
  Audience building and measurement running in a brand’s owned data stack enables privacy, accuracy and visibility - reducing walled garden reliance.

• Investment as a market signal
  Specialist funding from FirstPartyCapital suggests investor conviction that privacy safe, brand-led activation will capture the next wave of ad spend.

The investment in AUDIENCES underscores a clear desire for value accrue to clean data, secure activation and measurable outcomes - all owned by the advertiser.

What is the roadmap for AUDIENCES? Can the business continue to evolve from a point solution to a central decisioning brain that orchestrates media, measurement and creative?

Got feedback, suggestions or interested in partnerships? Hit reply and let us know.

See you next time,

Access Adtech