Technology

We&re in a privacy panic.

It started with GDPR, and CCPA followed with new legislation aimed at giving consumers greater control and transparency into how their data is used. Tech giants took a mighty stand to get ahead of the changes and the oncoming cookie-free movement: Applenew Intelligent Tracking Prevention (IPT) in Safari places restrictions on cookies based on how frequently a user interacts with the website, purging cookies entirely after 30 days of disuse.

Without obtaining explicit consent from users, Google Chrome will now prevent cross-site cookies from working across domains. Microsoft announced that settings on its new Edge browser will influence how third parties will be able to track consumers across the web.

It worked: since GDPR became enforceable, the number of third-party cookies used per webpage declined from about 80 in April to about 60 in July,and the number of third-party cookies found on news websites (major advertising publishers) in Europe declined by 22%.

In response, therebeen an onslaught of articles claiming the value of real-time bidding (RTB) and all of programmatic will decline in direct correlation with enforced privacy regulation, browser and cookie depreciation. While yes, the cookie (and associated use of cookies) has been the centerpiece of all digital advertising performance reconciliation in the last 15 years, it is not the only reason RTB is an important component of effective digital marketing.

The question then becomes what is the vehicle that allows advertisers and brands to determine the value of those users or inventory in a less cookie-enabled environment.

Enter contextual targeting, which had been living in the shadow of shiny first-party data. It can stop those RTB pipes from rusting by using them to determine the value of the user and placement in the bidding process based on the information on the page, rather than the user.Understanding that we have enough information about ad spacewithout user information means we can face the (more private) future of the industry with far less fear.

It is the answer to the cookie-free, privacy-forward, power-to-the-consumer movement. So how do you determine the value of a placement using contextual targeting & especially when you&ve never valued it that way before? These are & IMHO & the key tenets of deciding the value of a user in a contextual environment:

Placement Targeting: Placement is the exact spot on a publisherwebsite/app where an ad unit will appear. Without the ability to target at the placement level, a contextual campaign will not be as effective as it could be. Two identically-sized placements on a page will vary in performance depending on multiple factors, including position, ad type, surrounding context and viewability.

Mobile consumers worldwide will have downloaded a record 120 billion apps from AppleApp Store and Google Play by the end of 2019, according to App Annieyear-end report on app trends. This represents a 5% increase from 2018 — a notable achievement given that the number doesn&t include re-installations or app updates. Consumer spending on apps, meanwhile, approached $90 billion in 2019 across both app stores, up 15% from last year. The new report also examined the yearbiggest apps, including the most downloaded apps and games, as well as the most profitable.

Worldwide, the most downloaded non-game apps remained relatively consistent in 2019, with only one new entry on the list of the most downloaded apps — a short-form video creation and sharing app called Likee, which is benefiting from the overall popularity of short-form video. Elsewhere on the chart, TikTok came in at No. 4, beating out Facebook-owned Instagram, plus Snapchat, Netflix and Spotify.

However, Facebook still owned the top of the charts. Its Messenger app was the most downloaded non-game app of 2019, followed by Facebookmain app, then WhatsApp.

The top 10 games chart showed more volatility in 2019, as seven out of the top 10 games were new to the chart this year. This included the hyper-casual title Fun Race 3D, as well as the anticipated Call of Duty: Mobile, representing the battle royale genre.

While mobile gaming drives the majority of consumer spending on apps, the subscription economy in 2019 played a big role in increasing app revenues, as well.

Specifically, the non-game apps driving revenue growth this year included those in the Photo - Video and Entertainment categories — a trend App Annie predicts will continue in 2020, as new video services, like Disney+, continue to rise. 2020 will additionally see the launch of several other video services, including HBO Max, NBCUPeacock and Jeffrey KatzenbergQuibi, which could aid in those increases.

Already, many of the top apps are subscription-based, App Annie had previously noted. During the 12 months ending in September 2019, more than 95% of the top 100 non-gaming apps by consumer spend were offering subscriptions through in-app purchases. Publishers& growing use of subscription services will continue in 2020 to drive consumer spending even higher, the firm says.

This year, Tinder switched places with Netflix for the No. 1 spot on this chart — last year, it was the other way around. HBO NOW, which saw a surge in spending thanks to &Game of Thrones,& also fell out of the top chart this year, allowing LINE Manga to take its spot. Tencent Video and iQIYI have the same positions as 2018, while YouTube grew from No. 7 to No. 5, and Pandora slipped from No. 5 to No. 6 compared with last year.

App Annie also took a look at a new category of apps that itcalling the &breakout& apps of the year. These are those that saw the largest absolute growth in downloads or consumer spending between 2018 and 2019. On this list, the No. 7 most-downloaded app of the year, Likee, from YY Inc., becomes the No. 1 &breakout& app of the year, followed by YY Inc.Noizz and Helo. Meanwhile, Indian users drove the adoption of social gaming app Hago at No. 4, which is also popular with Gen Z users in Indonesia.

Breakout apps by consumer spending included YouTube, iQIYI, DAZN and Tencent Video — similar to the top 10 list.

On the gaming side, hyper-casual titles were successful, claiming seven out of 10 slots on the breakout games of the year chart. Hot releases like Mario Kart Tour and Call of Duty: Mobile also appeared. But by consumer spending, core games like No. 1 Game for Peace and No. 2 PUBG Mobile, both published by Tencent, made up the top spots.

Early-stage startup founders heed this call. Lock down your opportunity to exhibit your early-stage startup in front of a veritable whowho in the robotics and AI industries while you can. Yes, itonly December. And yes, TC Sessions: Robotics+AI 2020 takes place months from now on March 3 in Berkeley. Herewhy timing matters.

We have a limited number of demo tables, and they&re going fast — onlynine left. Get ahead of the curve and buy your Early-Stage Startup Exhibitor Package now. It includes four tickets to the event, so you and your crew can showcase your startup in front of 1,500 influential attendees. We&re talking about the exact demographic that can help move your business forward.

A one-day event, TC Sessions: Robotics+AI focuses exclusively on these two world-changing technologies. Programming features in-depth interviews, panel discussions, Q-As, workshops and networking opportunities with the industries& leading minds, makers, technologists, researchers and investors.

As one of a select number of exhibitors, you&ll place your startup in the path of those industry leaders. Here are just a few of the luminaries scheduled to speak at this yearevent:

• Noah Campbell-Ready, founder and CEO ofBuilt Robotics, a company thatdeveloped an autonomous bulldozer.
• Tessa Lau, CEO and founder ofDusty Robotics. Her company developed a construction-site robot that helps automate building layouts.
• Daniel Blank, CEO of Toggle, a startup that builds robots to fabricate and assemble rebar.
• Tye Brady, Amazon Robotics& chief technologist. Brady will join us to talk about Amazonrobotics efforts and the future of the automation-driven workforce.
• Stuart Russell, computer scientist and world-leading expert on AI, joins us to discuss how todayresearchers and founders will determine AIultimate impact on humanity.

Thatan awesome start to the speaker lineup, and we&re just getting started. We&re announcing more every week, so keep checking back. Take a look at last yearagenda to get a sense of the kind of programming you can expect.

Hey, theremore than one way to shine at this event. Check out Pitch Night, our new pitch competition. Ittotally free and open to founders of early-stage startups focused on robotics and AI. Simply apply here by February 1.

TC Sessions: Robotics+AI 2020 takes place on March 3 at UC BerkeleyZellerbach Hall. Don&t miss this opportunity to step in the spotlight. Buy an Early-Stage Startup Exhibitor Package and present your product and company to the top movers and shakers in robotics and AI.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Robotics - AI 2020? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.