Dive Brief:
- Verizon has plans to keep its user data for itself and a new internal advertising platform to compete with Facebook and Google and each of those companies' massive and valuable user data collections.
- Because of this, Verizon is no longer sharing user data such as interest and location information with its technology partners.
- In other Verizon news, it recently revamped its logo to a simplified version and on the heels of underwhelming response to the refresh, launched a branding campaign called "Better Matters."
Dive Insight:
Verizon is looking to take its customer data under wraps to power a new "intelligent advertising ecosystem" designed to compete with Google and Facebook with their respective user data collections. The move means Verizon will no longer share its user data with its technology partners. The data Verizon collects includes, users' location, online habits, app preferences and family demographics, as well as billing details.
An anonymous source familiar with Verizon’s plans told Digiday, "Verizon has been notifying partners that they are cutting off agreements for their precision insights product. It means that Verizon might only offer its targeting data through its own platform from now on."
Ajitpal Pannu, chief business officer at Smaato, suggested Verizon’s latest acquisition spree – including Millennial Media and AOL – was in response to a flagging precision marketing program.
Verizon also recently revamped its logo with new, simpler version, and also hired Wieden+Kennedy to run a branding campaign called "Better Matters" that includes high-profile TV spots along with multi-channel digital and traditional marketing elements.
