«The PAC certificate makes it possible for us to show how accurate our predictions are.»

Hello Mitja Grusovnik. Over the past few months, we have been working together on Ringier Advertising’s predictions and have carried out the first round of certification. The testing process included the validation and verification of the online targeting predictions for the "Blick.ch" brand. Why did Ringer Advertising decide to participate in the PAC and take on all the work that is involved?

Last year, we launched our in-house data solution "Alloy". This custom-built data management platform enables us to offer our advertising customers accurate targeting without third-party cookies, since the platform is based on first-party data. So this was a great opportunity for us to have an independent body, WEMF, check our data and the segments and predictions based on it. Such a certification can really only be done on a brand-by-brand basis and involves a lot of effort and costs. As "Blick.ch" is our biggest digital brand and we can also use the results to demonstrate the general quality of our segments and predictions, we decided to start the process.

The PAC is the first product to be launched as part of WEMF’s Better Prediction Initiative (BPI), the initiative for transparency in the online advertising market. Why is it important for Ringier Advertising to be part of the initiative?

By participating in the Better Prediction Initiative, we want to set a good example and create transparency in the advertising market and towards our advertising customers. Trust is fundamental to a successful and long-term customer relationship, and the most transparent communication possible contributes to this, especially in the complex world of digital advertising.

An analysis was carried out for the variables age and gender as well as gender crossed with sport. Why did you choose these parameters in particular?

These parameters were chosen primarily because gender and age are among the most frequently used segments in online campaigns and are also relatively easy to check. These variables were therefore the most suitable for certification. Since Ringier in general and "Blick" in particular have a strong focus on sport, the target group of people interested in sport plays an important role for us and is an ideal additional variable for the analysis. Interest in "News and Politics", for example, would not have been very conclusive for us. We assume that almost all Blick users are generally interested in news and politics.

What do you think about the results of the first round of certification?

With an overall score of 92.5 out of a maximum of 100 points for "Blick.ch" at the national level, we performed very successfully in the first round of certification. The high score shows that our predictions based on the algorithms in our "Alloy" data solution work well and are of very good quality. We are extremely satisfied with the results and they meet our expectations.

What benefits do you expect to have from the PAC certificate, which Ringier Advertising is now entitled to hold for 12 months?

It is of course important that not only we are convinced of the quality of our targeting, but that people outside the company also share this belief as well. The PAC certificate allows us to show our advertising customers how accurate our predictions are and creates credibility and trust in our digital expertise and our in-house data solution "Alloy". Founded 60 years ago, WEMF is a renowned, trustworthy and neutral research organization for our industry.

As part of its participation in the PAC, Ringier Advertising is committed to working on improving its predictions. What further steps are currently planned?

We will not rest on our laurels, but will instead examine the positive results in detail. There is always room for improvement, but in this case it will only be marginal. I would say that the first priority now is to maintain these very good results.

From your perspective, how important is it that other market players also follow this path to greater transparency in the advertising market?

When all the major market players work together, we create greater added value for advertisers and the digital advertising market, which is why we would naturally welcome the participation of other marketers. A good example of this is OneID, where we have created a digital advertising ID together with audienzz, CH Media and Goldbach. This enables advertisers to address Swiss users easily and without overlaps across publishers via programmatic buying platforms. This was previously only possible on the major international platforms.

Thank you very much for your insightful comments.

About the person

Mitja Grusovnik has been Head of Digital Products and Programmatic at Ringier Advertising since the beginning of 2021. Prior to that, he worked for almost five years in various positions in the programmatic sector at the marketing company Admeira. He and the project team have been working together to advance the topic of "BPI / PAC" within Ringier Advertising.