What is a device graph?

Determining mobile advertising’s value in the marketing mix has always been tough. Measurement protocols are inconsistent across devices, and the main metric for desktop, the cookie, doesn’t work on mobile.

So, while people are increasingly accessing media across a range of devices, figuring out how much credit to give a mobile ad for a purchase has been a bit of a black hole.

That’s where the device graph comes in. While the idea (and tech) has been around for a few years, adoption is gaining steam and the tech becoming more mature. Facebook’s people-based (rather than device-based) marketing pitch, which relies on logged-in user IDs, has helped elevate the issue with marketers, according to ad execs.

Oh no, another ad tech term. What is it? 

A device graph, also known as “identity management,” is a map that links an individual to all the devices they use, which could be a person’s computer at work, laptop at home, tablet and smartphone. Instead of counting each device as the behavior of a different person, a device graph counts them as one person, so there’s no duplication. Advertisers can then see things like what time of day a person was exposed to an ad and on which device, which helps show what role a mobile ad had in a purchase.

So it’s a turbo-charged method of attribution?

Yes and no. It’s dealing with the same issue, but it’s a more accurate method. There are two types of device graphs, deterministic and probabilistic. And marketers need to have both in the mix. Deterministic device graphs use logged-in data, such as when a person is asked to input their email address. Facebook uses this, as does Google, along with other companies like ISPs. Probabilistic graphs use location data to try and match the device to the person.

“Some vendors claim they get around 80 percent accuracy on this. It used to be 40 percent,” said ZenithOptimedia head of data and ad tech Samir Shah.

What other benefits are there?

Ad retargeting has gained a bad rep over the years for being too blunt a tactic. Being followed around the web by an ad for a product you’ve already bought is commonplace. But using a device graph lets you tailor the creative and the device the ad appears on, so it can appear at a more appropriate time and hence more relevant.

“If I’m looking at sports content on a desktop in the day, I shouldn’t then be targeted with shopping and fashion ads when on my mobile. That’s what device graphs do. We also want to ensure the mobile ad experience isn’t disruptive for people, especially with ad blocking on the rise. That’s why this is so important because we can connect their journey in a seamless way,” said ZenithOptimedia’s Shah.

Sounds useful for marketers

It is. But they’re not aware enough of its implications yet, and they need to be. “It’s critical to account for the gap in measurement there’s always been in mobile. It’s about the macro campaign experience across all devices. It’s become the device the majority of consumers are on. Marketing must catch up with consumer behaviors,” said Adform’s chief strategy officer, Anthony Rhind.

It’ll also give marketers more places to advertise outside of Facebook, said Blis Media’s vp of monetization, Dan Wilson.