This episode of Datalicious focuses on the OneID project: The major Swiss media companies have established a shared ID and adtech infrastructure to decrease dependence on US platforms. Carsten Sander speaks with Alexander Weissenfels (Adform), Stefan Deml (Decentriq), and Jochen Witte (OneLog) about data protection via data clean rooms, monetization via a proprietary DSP, and the advantages of deterministic IDs. They also discuss how the Swiss model can be transferred to Germany and Europe, and what role AI will play in the future of advertising.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- The origin of OneLog and OneID in Switzerland: How the major Swiss media companies (Ringier, TX Group, NZZ, CH Media) set up a joint venture to create their own ID and adtech infrastructure in response to the end of third-party cookies.
- Data security & data clean rooms: The role Decentriq plays as a technology provider, how confidential computing and data clean rooms enable secure data exchange between publishers, brands, and retailers, and why this is crucial for data protection and trust in the market.
- Monetization via OneDSP & deterministic IDs: How Adform, as a white-label DSP/SSP, provides the technical foundation, what advantages deterministic IDs offer in terms of frequency control, reach, and audience targeting, and how the OneLog ecosystem aims to bring revenue back from US platforms.
- The Swiss model as blueprint & glimpse into the future: To what extent the cooperative Swiss model (including TWINT analogy) can be transferred to Germany and other countries, what role associations, common DMP/ID standards, and AI will play in the future, and what a European counterpart to the “walled gardens” might look like.
Takeaways from this episode
- Cooperation as a competitive factor: Individual publishers are “big fish in small ponds”. But true scaling for data and IDs requires cooperation across companies, ideally in a neutral infrastructure not owned by any single marketer.
- Data protection is essential – but not an end in itself: Strict, proactive data protection (including data clean rooms) is mandatory, but the overarching goal remains clear: to bring advertising revenue from global platforms back to local media markets.
- Deterministic IDs significantly improve campaign management: Compared to third-party cookies, email-based or login-based IDs enable more precise frequency control, better reach measurement, and addressable campaigns.
- Europe needs its own standards, otherwise AI platforms will call the shots: If media companies and marketers fail to establish common ID-, DMP-, and booking standards, AI will give the global tech corporations even more control over users, content, and advertising dollars.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
02:33 – The starting point in Switzerland and the vision behind OneID
10:56 – Data protection, FDPIC, and economic objectives
13:35 – Adform’s role: OneDSP as white-label solution
15:12 – Added value of deterministic IDs for advertisers
18:47 – Cooperation in Switzerland and the TWINT analogy
23:15 – The model’s transferability to Germany
28:24 – Urgency and product focus instead of tech debate
37:35 – Google Privacy Sandbox and the post-cookie dynamic
46:24 – Next milestones and use cases for OneID
57:58 – “Time travel” to 2031
1:02:38 – Conclusion and outlook