Albertsons pivots from cookies in ad performance pilot with Pinterest

Albertsons Companies Inc. is testing out a new way of measuring the results of digital ads placed on Pinterest via its retail media network.

The grocer is partnering with Pinterest and data management platform LiveRamp to pilot data “clean rooms” with select advertising partners on its Albertsons Media Collective retail media network. Pinterest's integration with LiveRamp will provide a protected, third-party digital space where Albertsons can combine its first-party data and Pinterest platform data in a secure environment.

[Read more: Albertsons offers CPG advertisers verified customer data]

The clean room software keeps data private, and provides aggregated insight into ad performance. Because the neutral clean room environment offers privacy controls, neither party’s personally identifiable sales and campaign data is visible to the other party. 

LiveRamp’s data collaboration environment also offers additional, configurable privacy controls, such as aggregation thresholds, where both parties can further limit how their data can be accessed, joined, queried or shared. As the digital marketing industry migrates away from collecting third-party cookies, Albertsons and Pinterest hope to offer the grocer’s advertisers an alternative tracking method.

This Pinterest and Albertsons collaboration will be an ongoing initiative to deliver closed-loop reporting for brands that participate in the Albertsons Media Collective. To start, the companies are launching a winter healthy eating campaign, measuring digital advertising metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS).  

"Data privacy is a priority for Albertsons Media Collective and we’re excited to pilot this new clean room initiative with a trusted partner,” Kristi Argyilan, senior VP retail media, Albertsons Media Collective. “We believe using clean rooms can provide our clients with the data they expect to make informed decisions about their advertising in a privacy-preserving manner.

“While our initial test pilot focuses on enabling closed-loop measurement, this partnership will ultimately provide our team a more holistic view of our customers’ digital footprint to unlock more advanced measurement capabilities down the road," said Argyilan.

“We’ve routinely invested in forward-looking solutions that help marketers connect the dots between their first-party data, and their customers’ actions on Pinterest,” Bill Watkins, chief revenue officer, Pinterest, said in a corporate blog post. Now, we’re piloting our next big development for secure data solutions. 

"It's an exciting opportunity to meet both the strict privacy requirements of media owners like Pinterest and the advanced analytics needs of retailers like Albertsons,” Kimberly Bloomston, senior VP of product, LiveRamp. “LiveRamp’s interoperable data collaboration technology allows us to do just that by maximizing data utility without compromise. We look forward to continued innovation with thought leaders such as Pinterest and Albertsons to support the future of privacy-safe data collaboration and measurement."

Pinterest is planning to continue testing clean rooms with additional partners soon.