New tech collaboration to change the way marketers utilise first-party data

Mortar AI announced a new collaboration with Microsoft, Adform and LiveRamp to develop a software-as-a-service (SaaS) Marketing Automation Platform (MAP) ‘Mortar Marketing’, assisting small to medium marketing agencies in accessing programmatic trade desks and using first-party data. The platform provides easy access to programmatic advertising, data cleansing and consolidation, and solutions to help manage the addressability challenge.

What is the market offering of Mortar Marketing?

With the demise of third-party cookies, ongoing challenges with device identifiers and emerging changes to privacy legislation, Mortar AI believes that global businesses now more than ever need to focus on first-party data strategies to attract new clients, retain existing ones, and drive revenue growth. However, most small to medium marketing agencies are unable directly access programmatic technology due to cost, size and lack of resources.

Mortar AI solves this issue by offering a suite of digital marketing tools that are affordable and accessible to all. The Mortar Marketing platform, developed using tech from Microsoft, Adform, and LiveRamp, bridges the gap between small and medium agencies’ problems.

Mortar AI’s SaaS marketing automation platform is powered by the robust and secure Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. Utilising Databricks, Mortar streamlines data cleansing, enrichment, analysis, and deployment of data engineering workflows for optimal efficiency.

Leveraging proprietary machine learning models running on Databricks, Mortar generates unprecedented insights for business owners. The data is visualised in the Mortar portal, providing a unified customer view for agencies while enabling advanced data segmentation for informed decision-making. Mortar’s partnership with Adform, a leading DSP and DMP services provider, facilitates seamless programmatic advertising activation through the portal.

This solution empowers businesses and agencies with precise targeting and retargeting capabilities, supporting all industry-standard ad formats and omnichannel targeting across specific audiences. Clients can employ either first-party look-a-like modeling, demographic or contextual targeting or purchase third-party audiences via the Mortar Marketing platform.

Why is this a timely collaboration?

“Access to programmatic tech and compliant identity solutions will be integral to the ongoing success of small to medium media agencies. We are thrilled to be partnering with Mortar AI and LiveRamp to bring an accessible solution to the market, enabling agencies to leverage best in class capability. We look forward to continuing the growth of our ongoing partnership across APAC,” said Amy Jansen-Flynn, Country Manager ANZ & Head of Sales APAC, Adform.

Mortar’s partnership with LiveRamp becomes increasingly vital as marketers look to build sustainable identity strategies, and increase utilisation of first-party data for businesses. This collaboration enables Mortar to connect, unify, control, and activate data across various channels and devices, optimising customer experiences and delivering superior results.

Commenting the solution, Grant Baker, Founder of Mortar AI, said, “We want to empower agencies of all sizes to deliver greater revenue, customer loyalty, and acquisition through personalised, AI-driven, automated campaigns across digital channels for their customers,”

Nilan Mihindukulasooriya, Founder of Mortar AI
Nilan Mihindukulasooriya, Founder of Mortar AI

Commenting the solution, Nilan Mihindukulasooriya, Founder of Mortar AI, said, “Our goal is to democratise tech for all agencies, levelling the playing field so that they can compete with larger competitors and deliver better results for their clients. It’s a win-win for all.”

“Marketers should understand that the benefits of developing a robust, sustainable first-party strategy are more important to their long-term business health than simply addressing the deprecation of third-party cookies and device-based identifiers. Our expansive, data-rich network of top-quality partners such as Adform helps us to enable the functionality the ecosystem demands,” said Melanie Hoptman, Chief Operating Officer, APAC, LiveRamp.

Mortar’s partnership with Microsoft has led to its selection for the Go Global program, where Microsoft and Austrade empower Aussie startups to expand into the United States market.

If your ad agency or marketing firm is ready to overcome the demise of third-party cookies, then Mortar Marketing is perfect for your business. Mortar Marketing is designed for small to mid-size digital agencies that want to enhance their capabilities, maximise their return on investment, and deliver superior results for their clients in an affordable and accessible way.

What is the wider industry context of this partnership?

Programmatic advertising is a rapidly growing field, and it is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes to understand how it can benefit them. In this conclusion, we will discuss some of the key benefits of programmatic advertising, as well as some of the challenges that businesses may face when implementing it.

One of the biggest benefits of programmatic advertising is its ability to reach a wider audience. With programmatic advertising, businesses can target their ads to specific audiences based on their demographics, interests, and even past purchase behavior. This allows businesses to ensure that their ads are seen by people who are most likely to be interested in what they have to offer.

Another benefit of programmatic advertising is its flexibility. With programmatic advertising, businesses can quickly and easily change their ad campaigns based on changing market conditions. This allows businesses to be more responsive to their customers and to ensure that their ads are always relevant.

Finally, programmatic advertising can help businesses to improve their return on investment (ROI). By using programmatic advertising, businesses can target their ads more effectively and can track the results of their campaigns more accurately. This allows businesses to make better decisions about where to allocate their advertising budget.

While there are many benefits to programmatic advertising, there are also some challenges that businesses may face when implementing it. One challenge is the complexity of the programmatic advertising ecosystem. There are a number of different platforms and technologies involved in programmatic advertising, and it can be difficult to keep track of them all.

Another challenge is the lack of transparency in the programmatic advertising market. It can be difficult to know exactly how much an ad will cost, and there is a risk of fraud.

Despite these challenges, programmatic advertising is a powerful tool that can help businesses to reach a wider audience, improve their ROI, and be more responsive to their customers. If you are considering implementing programmatic advertising, be sure to do your research and partner with a reputable company that can help you to navigate the complex world of programmatic advertising.

In addition to the challenges mentioned above, there are a number of other factors that businesses should consider when implementing programmatic advertising. These include:

  • The size of their budget
  • The type of audience they are trying to reach
  • The goals of their advertising campaign
  • The level of control they want to have over their campaigns

By carefully considering these factors, businesses can make the most of programmatic advertising and achieve their marketing goals.

Gerald Ainomugisha is a business news reporter and freelance B2B marketer with over 10 years of experience in writing high-converting copy and content for businesses of all kinds, especially SaaS providers in the niches of HR, IT, fintech, eCommerce and web3.

Gerald Ainomugisha, B2B marketing expert