Do you know who your customers really are? If you’re relying on basic demographic data, such as age, gender, and location, you may be missing out on valuable insights into their interests, behaviors, and preferences. This is where Eyeota comes in. Eyeota is a leading provider of audience data that enables marketers to target and engage their ideal customers across multiple channels and devices.
To learn more about Eyeota and the challenges and opportunities of audience data, we interviewed Kristina Prokop, the CEO and Co-founder of Eyeota. Kristina has more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, media, and technology, and has been recognized as one of the 50 most inspiring women in European tech by Inspiring Fifty. In this interview, Kristina shares her insights on the evolution of audience data, the impact of privacy regulations, the role of AI in data management, and more.
Let’s dive into the interview and see how Eyeota can help you solve your audience-targeting problems and achieve your marketing goals!
Kristina, please introduce yourself to our audience. What was the inspiration behind co-founding Eyeota?
I co-founded Eyeota in 2010 with the mission of helping companies better understand and target global audiences on digital channels. I saw a massive deficit in trusted data sources and an opportunity to create a global data marketplace enabling companies to access quality data to help them make smarter decisions and create more relevant experiences.
There is a lot of digital clutter, and it can be challenging for brands to reach their consumers online. In my last role before co-founding Eyeota, the need for high-quality audience data to power campaigns was so clearly in demand that we’ve only seen the demand for data increase.
Our audience data helps advertisers to understand their target audiences in a new way – as real human beings – so they can serve them with relevant ads. Consumers are more likely to respond to an ad that meets their needs.
What are the core values upon which the company stands? What are its vision and mission?
Since our inception, Eyeota’s core values have been trust, stability, and interoperability. This recent ranking by Neutronian as the leader in global data privacy demonstrates that our commitment to those values has paid off and shown the market our commitment to excellence.
Our vision is to enable organizations to build a better understanding of their target audiences, and to personalize their marketing and advertising campaigns to deliver more relevant experiences. Having addressable quality data available in the digital channels where marketers need them most is our mission.
Eyeota has recently claimed the No. 1 spot on the 2023 Global Data Privacy Ranking. Can you discuss more on Eyeota’s best practices in privacy and transparency that lead them to this position?
Compared to other data companies, and confirmed by specific feedback and results from Neutronian’s research, we’ve focused on making Eyeota’s privacy center as user-friendly as possible and a veritable resource for transparent data collection uses and opt-out mechanisms. Eyeota was ranked “excellent” in several categories, but specifically, led the pack in the following areas:
Privacy Policy being comprehensive and separating CCPA vs GDPR-related points
Eyeota consistently monitors data policies and trends to stay ahead of regulatory requirements regarding data practices, policies, and procedures. We’re continuously evolving and adapting to regulatory privacy practices (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) to meet their requirements, take them a step further, and create more security.
Public links to client and vendor T&Cs and Ease of finding Opt-out policy
Our messaging and client-facing language regarding data is adjusted to be as simple to understand as possible. Data transparency is always top of mind for Eyeota, and our policies for data privacy are constantly front and center for our clients, partners, and the industry at large. Our privacy policies are clearly outlined on our website. Eyeota consistently reviews updates and messages to clients about the full scope of what data is and is not collected, along with clear callouts as to why and how to maintain the highest standards of data security and transparency.
Can you discuss the importance of audience data in today’s digital advertising landscape, and how Eyeota helps businesses leverage data to improve advertising strategies?
Now more than ever, audience data matters. In today’s digital advertising landscape, audience data is essential for businesses to understand their target market. Audience data helps businesses gain insights into who engages with their products and services, allowing them to create more effective strategies.
Consumers are more online than ever, and the deluge of data each provides is difficult for most brands and advertisers to parse through. Brands attempting to identify and target the right audiences, much less utilizing the right messaging, engage Eyeota to deliver audience data solutions.
Eyeota is a data marketplace that helps businesses leverage data to improve their advertising strategies and target their audiences more accurately. This data is segmented into 50,000 B2B and B2C audience profiles categorized by verticals, consumer lifestyles, and seasonal events, and classified by the traits and personas that influence the consumers’ path to purchase.
Whether you’re driving awareness or connecting on a one-to-one level, our audience data segments can be utilized to best fit with any strategy, campaign, or vertical on a global scale.
How has the advertising industry changed during your tenure at Eyeota?
I’ve been with Eyeota since 2010, so you can imagine I’ve seen a lot of change in my time and more than a couple of cookie apocalypses. However, the growing need for agility is where I’d say I’ve seen the most change over the past decade. As audience segments continue to expand and become redefined, we’re learning just how much audience data is needed for campaigns to be successful in each customer segment. Marketers today need to be nimble and able to adapt to their client’s shifting ID and data needs.
How does Eyeota stay ahead of the competition and maintain its market position?
This recent ranking with Neutronian demonstrates a significant portion of what keeps us ahead of the competition. We’re dedicated to data excellence in all categories, but we see that security, privacy, and transparency are clear areas where we’ve led our industry.
We consistently are monitoring data practices, regulations, procedures, and more to ensure that not only are we utilizing the most up-to-date methods for audience data management and attribution, but also staying AHEAD of compliance needs across the globe.
Our transparency around these data requirements and collection methods has consistently set us apart from the competition and, more importantly, never strayed from those pre-determined data collection and management policies without first clearly articulating to those in our network the industry changes, alongside the rationale, next steps and benefits made known.
Eyeota’s ID agnostic approach is a data-driven approach that enables users to match their customers and prospects across multiple platforms, using multiple identifiers. This approach makes it possible for Eyeota’s data to be used across any platform, regardless of the unique identifier used by each platform. Instead of relying on the unique identifiers used by each platform, Eyeota’s ID agnostic approach allows users to use their own unique identifiers to match their customers and prospects across multiple platforms. This method enables marketers to rapidly target their campaigns with the same identifiers, allowing for more accurate and efficient targeting.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in advertising?
Get involved! The marketing and advertising industries are no different than any other, and success here means getting out of your comfort zone, networking, being involved, and finding ways to add value. Start small; attend conferences in your area, begin digesting webinars, seek out mentorship opportunities (on BOTH sides) and make connections to build out your network. The industry needs data analysts, full-stack developers, creatives, content generators, marketers, salespeople, programmers, and more. Whatever your skill set, there’s a place for you in advertising.
Stay Ahead of the Game with MTC Podcast, Your Go-To Source for Cutting-Edge Martech Insights, the Latest Martech News, and Expert Updates from Top Business Leaders!
Kristina Prokop, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Eyeota
Kristina Prokop is the CEO and Co-founder of Eyeota, a leading provider of audience data. With nearly two decades of experience in digital marketing and advertising, she has introduced new technologies and business models to the European market. At Eyeota, Kristina has played a pivotal role in establishing quality audience data and driving programmatic innovation. A recognized global thought leader, she is a frequent speaker at major advertising and marketing conferences, including dmexco and d3con. Prior to Eyeota, Kristina served as VP at Adify, where she helped European publishers launch their vertical ad network businesses. LinkedIn.