AI typically steals the highlight as of late, however it’s nothing with no knowledge set.

In a nod to the interconnectedness of knowledge, the company holding firm Dentsu created a brand new knowledge and know-how group. And in March, Shirli Zelcer stepped in to steer the group as Dentsu’s first chief knowledge and know-how officer.

In her new position, Zelcer oversees three areas: merchandise and platforms, together with merchandise like Merkury, GenCX and Dentsu Join; analytics and insights, spanning analytics, attribution and knowledge engineering; and international providers, which incorporates Dentsu’s artistic, media and buyer expertise administration companies.

Zelcer beforehand spent 18 years at Merkle, Dentsu’s efficiency advertising and knowledge arm, most lately as international head of analytics and know-how. Whereas there, she developed GenCX AI, which makes use of generative AI to mix first-party and third-party knowledge.

Dentsu plans to tie GenCX to Merkury, its person-based (versus cookie-based) id decision platform, in keeping with Zelcer. The holdco will use generative AI to create viewers segments and lookalike audiences with better pace and accuracy, based mostly on shoppers’ first-party knowledge and Merkury’s third-party knowledge.

Zelcer has been within the knowledge and analytics area for a very long time – lengthy sufficient to see the time period “huge knowledge” rise in prominence and die away.

“Once I began my profession 20-plus years in the past versus the huge quantities of knowledge that we have now at our fingertips now, the whole lot is huge knowledge,” she stated.

Zelcer spoke with AdExchanger.

In your international position, have you ever observed regional variations?

Sure, particularly with regards to knowledge.

EMEA has completely different legal guidelines concerning first-party knowledge and what we are able to and may’t do from a media and measurement standpoint. For multinational manufacturers, it’s necessary to grasp the nuances in knowledge, id and measurement and to be constant, but in addition bear in mind the completely different laws in every market.

In EMEA, you may’t collect data on a person. It needs to be extra segment-based. That adjustments for first-party versus third-party knowledge. In case your clients have opted in and given you the best to make use of that knowledge, you may mark it otherwise.

In several areas around the globe, there are geographic limitations [to data collection]. It may be that you may go right down to the postal-code degree to get demographic data, however to not a family degree, for instance.

The AI Act lately handed within the EU. What’s Dentsu’s place on the act?

We’re scratching the floor of laws, and the regulation has not caught up with all of the capabilities of generative AI but. Our viewpoint is: We’re going to defend our consumer knowledge as a lot as we are able to and ensure we’re not placing false data into anyone’s arms.

However [apart] from id and knowledge, the generative AI work we’re doing is worldwide. There’s nothing stopping us from utilizing the fashions we’re constructing globally.

Switching gears, how are third-party cookie deprecation conversations going with shoppers?

The entire premise of Merkury is to do media activation concentrating on an individual relatively than a cookie. We’re working with our shoppers on constructing out their id graphs and the way they’re going to have the ability to determine individuals as soon as there’s not cookies.

What are you recommending?

Information is energy. Be sure you know what [signal loss] means for the way in which that you simply do your online business at this time and what’s going to vary, from the way in which you purchase media to the way you measure efficiency.

Create a street map. You don’t have to vary the whole lot on day one. Let’s ensure we’re in a position to have a robust id. Let’s ensure we’re placing the best instruments in place and begin migrating a few of your knowledge into these instruments.

We’re going to see much more manufacturers realizing they should reap the benefits of their first-party knowledge. Manufacturers that try this in a significant method are going to be forward.

This interview has been edited and condensed.