Unity launches Audience Hub with a focus on privacy and performance

Unity officially introduced the Audience Hub, its new advertising segmentation platform focused on privacy-based campaigns, with initial launch in the United States and Canada, and a promise of global expansion in the coming months. The Hub's proposal is to allow advertisers to create customized audiences using Unity's own data combined with external sources, all under a framework that prioritizes security and compliance with data privacy regulations.

The technology of Audience Hub is based on Optable's infrastructure, with Experian as the first third-party data partner. According to Unity, brands that participated in the tool's beta tests recorded a 102.6% increase in click-through rate (CTR) and 103.6% growth in engagement, demonstrating the impact of refined segmentation combined with omnichannel reach.

Through the Hub, marketing professionals can activate campaigns directly in games and mobile apps integrated into the Unity ecosystem, as well as in connected TV (CTV), thanks to a strategic partnership with Roku. The company states that this flexibility allows campaigns to reach users in the environments where they are most engaged, without resorting to invasive data collection practices.

"The more than 2,400 Experian audiences help brands identify and accurately engage with high-value gamer audiences that drive the Unity ecosystem. By integrating our audience insights into the Unity Audience Hub, marketing professionals can refine their user acquisition strategies, reach target audiences on mobile devices, web, and CTV, and generate results - all with a focus on privacy," said Crystal Jacques, vice president of corporate partnerships at Experian.

The initiative is a direct response to the decline in the use of persistent identifiers and third-party cookies, a growing challenge for digital advertising. With Audience Hub, Unity seeks to consolidate its position in the programmatic media sector, leveraging its installed base in mobile games and interactive platforms.

"With the Unity Audience Hub, we are significantly expanding our offering for programmatic advertisers, offering a powerful and privacy-focused way to understand and reach their audiences like never before. By combining curated audience insights with enriched segmentation, omnichannel reach, and partnerships with industry leaders like Roku and Experian, we are making it easier for brands to maximize performance and achieve measurable results on mobile, web, and CTV," said Alex Blum, COO of Unity.

The launch reinforces Unity's strategy to diversify its revenue sources after facing challenges in 2023 with policy changes in the pricing model and staff cuts. The bet now is on the growth of the advertising sector, with solutions focused on efficiency and privacy.