Beyond product specs: 5 crucial factors to consider when buying an MMP
Every marketer’s dream is to get a clear, full, and unbiased picture of where every advertising dollar goes and how it affects their bottom line. This includes identifying which campaigns are working (or not) and which channels prove the most profitable.
In this day and age, the issue isn’t access to data. It’s whether you can act on it.
When you know your inputs are accurate, your outputs can help you make profitable decisions. That involves fighting fraud, and ensuring that your entire marketing efforts are measured as accurately as possible. After all, garbage in, garbage out.
That’s why choosing the right mobile measurement partner (MMP) is so important.
And while you’re probably familiar with the main benefits of using an MMP from a product perspective – like audience segmentation, deep linking, custom dashboards, and scheduled reporting, to name a few – there are a few not-so-obvious features to consider before making your decision.
By asking the right questions, you can identify the best partner to help you in your pursuit of actionable, trustworthy insights.
1. How committed are they to protecting the security and privacy of you and your customers?
There’s no way around it — data security is hugely important when it comes to choosing an MMP. In a world moving towards increased privacy, an ideal MMP proactively navigates the challenges around data protection, which can get complicated — especially for apps with users across the world.
Privacy doesn’t begin and end with GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
China’s Personal Information Protection Law, Japan’s Act on Protection of Personal Information, and Brazil’s General Data Protection Law — are just a few of the international compliance laws that a privacy-committed MMP must be diligent about.
Because an MMP is entrusted with your most valuable data, any breach or potential vulnerability will unquestionably impact your business. Legal fees, costly penalties, sanctions, and loss of user trust are all costly consequences of even the smallest mishaps.
Not every MMP abides by every safety standard, which is something to take into consideration when choosing one.
You want to work with an MMP that actively removes bad actors from the platform, continues to build reliable data partners, and takes fraud seriously. To do that, look for certified MMPs that are compliant and proactively following global safety standards.
2. How can they support your growth in a privacy-preserving way?
With scale
When it comes to MMPs, scale is directly correlated not only to the ability to deliver accurate measurement and faster insights, but to doing so while safeguarding your users’ privacy.
Common features including deep-linking, real-time data, and omni-channel LTV measurement — are difficult to execute without scale and without a solution that is built with compliance and privacy at its core.
This point is further highlighted in the post-SKAdNetwork era where advertisers need to contend with multiple sources of data and discrepancies between sources to prevent a cycle of bleeding cash flow. Without scale, MMPs won’t be able to give you the tools and insights you need while protecting customer privacy and vice versa.
In short: larger scale = faster, more accurate, privacy-preserving insights.
For a high-level view of the scale of the data a prospective MMP works with, identify the MMP’s market share, active mobile apps, historical uptime, and ad spend measured per year.
With privacy-preserving solutions
Data clean rooms, or DCRs, are a shared pool of vetted, first-party data from multiple trusted sources, which can be used for advertising without providing personally identifiable information (PII).
DCRs have strict controls in place to ensure the aggregated data matches their own data in a secure way. Dubbed the “Switzerland of data,” clean rooms are also encrypted and compliant with an increasing level of regulations.
Dig in to your prospective MMP’s data clean room solution and find out how it can help you maximize campaign performance while protecting your customers’ data.
3. How much downtime do they have?
At any given time most marketers are running campaigns across a wide range of channels and from a variety of sources. If an MMP is plagued with recurring outages, or can’t meet demand at peak times — guess what: even a few minutes of downtime will lead to an extremely costly gap in your data.
According to our recent study, the potential loss of revenue for the average app during a 24-hrs MMP data outage is estimated at $380,000. And when large apps are concerned, the potential loss surges to a staggering $640,000.
To learn more about exactly how costly a data outage can be for your business, have a look at this joint report with AWS.
And to avoid saying bye to that expensive ad buy, be sure to identify a reliable MMP that transparently shares their uptime status and history.
Get the latest marketing news and expert insights delivered to your inbox
4. How quickly can they innovate?
Mobile marketers are no strangers to seismic changes that occur on almost a daily basis. The mobile landscape is constantly in flux: GDPR, CCPA, Apple’s iOS 14+, and Facebook’s user-level data ban — are just a few of the changes that have affected measurement and monetization in recent years.
That’s why it’s crucial to work with an MMP that is always a few steps ahead, prioritizing privacy-preserving technology, and offering quick solutions to changing data regulations. This innovation is fueled by sizable R&D teams and robust, agile product roadmaps.
Conduct a litmus test by seeing how an MMP reacted to the changes with ATT and iOS 14+.
What new products and features did they roll out to accommodate the tightening lack of access to user-level data? How quickly did they innovate to meet your need to continue measuring performance with confidence?
5. Are they putting you – the customer – first?
Any MMP can promise dedication to their customers, but those claims must be backed up with action.
It starts with an obsessive dedication to preserving customer privacy and security, and the ways their products are built and communicated are leading indicators of their commitment.
Other indicators that an MMP is truly customer-centric include:
- A large and well-resourced customer success team
- A comprehensive and updated knowledge base to continually educate customers
- International offices to support unique regional challenges across a range of time-zones and cultures
- Full accessibility and 24/7 support
- An innovative product roadmap that continuously bakes in customer feedback
- Credible testimonial and success stories from your niche
The best way to determine how they prioritize their customer’s success is to speak directly to a sales representative, comb through their website, read their help desk articles, or read their reviews online.
Remember: privacy, stability, and a customer-first mindset aren’t negotiable
With so many risk factors to consider, choosing the right MMP may seem daunting.
But by asking the right questions, you’ll find one where your potential MMP stands on security, privacy, and stability. And while that may mean digging deep into their cloud security features, server uptime, and customer success stories, it’s worth investing that time now to get it right.
Your privacy — and your customers’ — aren’t worth gambling on, so choose wisely!
