For the most part, cookies are not practical for mobile phones. But Ringleader Digital says it has come up with the next best thing – and it’s kind of like “cookies on steroids.”
Its new product, Media Stamp, is comparable to an online cookie, but instead of being browser-based, it’s on the server side, according to Ringleader Digital CEO Bob Walczak.
The big issue with cookies in mobile has been downloading to devices and the stability of the cookie itself, he said. Carriers have been known to strip out cookies at the carrier gateway.
The system compiles profiles of each device by tracking mobile online usage patterns across nearly 100 discriminators that include device type, geography and mobile carrier information. “We’re not tracking names and phone numbers and that kind of stuff,” Walczak said. “We’re identifying a unique device.”
By “stamping” a mobile device, Ringleader enables agencies and brands to identify unique visitors and track their clicks, impressions and acquisitions across all browsing sessions, mobile sites and wireless carriers, the company said.
Go2 Media is among those that plan to incorporate Media Stamp into upcoming campaigns, according to Tim Solt, senior vice president of sales and business development of go2 Media. From a publisher’s perspective, it’s expected to produce a greater depth of information than what’s currently tracked. Instead of being limited to what users are doing on Go2 sites, they can follow users when they move to other publishers in the program. “We are very optimistic” about the types of information that will be available, he said. “I believe it will help elevate this industry.”
