The Customer Data Platform industry continued its rapid expansion during the first half of 2017, says a report by the CDP Institute. Evidence includes a sharp uptick on Google Trends, $74 million in new investment, and addition of 16 new companies to the Institute’s original list of 27 CDP vendors. Eight of the 27 firms increased their employee counts by 25% or more since January.
CDP vendor Segment announced a $64 million Series C investment, bringing its total funding to $109 million. Segment says more than 15,000 customers use its technology to connect Web site and mobile app data with 200+ analytics and marketing tools. Segment’s $64 million nearly equals the $74 million that all CDP vendors combined raised in the first half of 2017 (see yesterday’s newsletter for details).
With what must surely be a contemptuous sneer, Facebook has responded with rumors of minor concessions to publishers, including some ability to charge directly for articles read through Facebook and even a glimpse at precious subscriber data. Google’s response will have to wait for the next episode.
It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying. IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.