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Partners LoginIn the current digital landscape, media buyers are facing a significant hurdle: the loss of granular performance data.
For years, the Mobile Advertising ID (MAID) was the north star for tracking user journeys and optimizing campaigns on iOS.
However, with the onset of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) and the deprecation of IDFA, that star has faded. Today, the industry is moving beyond the MAID, turning to sophisticated identity graph technology to reclaim the precision needed for modern cookieless advertising.
The Limitations of Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN)
When Apple introduced SKAdNetwork (SKAN), it was pitched as a privacy-preserving way to measure app installs. While it serves a purpose, its limitations are glaring for performance marketers. SKAN lacks the real-time feedback loops essential for rapid audience targeting and optimization. The data is often delayed, aggregated, and stripped of the granular detail required to understand which specific creative or placement drove a high-value action.
For agencies and brands, this means flying semi-blind. Without a cookieless advertising solution, the ability to perform identity attribution accurately is severely compromised, leading to inefficient spend and missed opportunities in in-app monetization.
From Device IDs to Person-Based IDs
The core shift in the industry is moving away from tracking a specific “device” to understanding the “person” behind the screens. This is where a digital identity graph becomes a game-changer. Rather than relying on a persistent MAID that can be blocked or reset, Intent IQ utilizes a deterministic identity approach.
By stitching together various signals—such as first party data, hashed emails, and IP addresses—into a unified IIQ ID, Intent IQ creates a privacy compliant identity that follows the user across their entire ecosystem. This transition to person-based IDs allows marketers to maintain a 360-degree view of the customer without compromising privacy or relying on decaying identifiers like Chrome third-party cookies.
Solving the iOS Attribution Puzzle with ID Bridging
How do you link a cookieless web visit to an in-app conversion without an iPhone’s MAID? The answer lies in ID bridging.
Intent IQ’s technology acts as a bridge between disconnected environments. When a user visits a publisher’s site on Safari (a cookieless environment), the identity resolution engine identifies them using the Intent IQ ID. If that same user later converts within a mobile app, the identity graph can deterministically link these two events.
This level of Bid Enrichment and Bid Enhancement allows publishers to achieve better media monetization while providing advertisers with the data they need to justify their spend. It turns cookieless inventory from a “black hole” into a high-performing asset for audience activation.
Future-Proofing with Intent IQ
As we navigate the sunset of third party audience data and the complexities of the Privacy sandbox, solutions like Intent IQ’s device graph offer a path forward. By empowering first party data publishers and providing an alternative ID that works across channels—including OTT attribution and mobile—Intent IQ is helping the industry thrive in a post-cookie, post-MAID world.
This video provides a deep dive into how Intent IQ’s hybrid identity graph powers attribution and bid enhancement, making it a perfect visual companion to our discussion on solving iOS attribution challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
An identity graph is a database that links various identifiers (like hashed emails, IP addresses, and first-party cookies) to a single anonymous profile. It allows for identity resolution across different devices and platforms without needing a persistent hardware ID.
Intent IQ provides a cookieless monetization enrichment suite that helps publishers identify and authenticate their audiences. By using the IIQ ID, publishers can prove the value of their cookieless Chrome users and Safari traffic to advertisers, leading to higher CPMs and better ad monetization.
Yes. Intent IQ is built on a “privacy-first” foundation. It uses one-way hashed identifiers and patented clustering technology to ensure that privacy compliant identity is maintained while still delivering the scale and accuracy needed for audience activation.
ID bridging is the process of connecting different types of identifiers to maintain a consistent view of a user across disparate environments, such as linking a web browser profile to a mobile app profile or a CTV device.
While SKAN is a requirement for certain iOS reporting, Intent IQ’s identity graph provides the granular, real-time data that SKAN lacks. It serves as a powerful complement (and often a superior alternative for optimization) by enabling deterministic identity matching for identity attribution.