Global integrated advertising platform, Adform, has been chosen as the exclusive buy-side partner for the new European privacy-led digital authentic consent service, Utiq. Utiq is a joint venture by four of Europe’s largest telecom operators; Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Vodafone, which developed their own digital advertising platform as an alternative to third-party cookies, which will be phased out in 2024.

Utiq provides an authentic consent service and at launch will be exclusively available to advertisers via ID Fusion, Adform's universal identity solution. Two years after its launch, ID Fusion has won several prestigious industry awards and its efficiency has been independently proven by PwC. Europe's biggest telecom operators putting their trust in ID Fusion is yet another milestone for Adform’s advanced solution, built to help marketers future-proof their campaigns for a first-party ID world.

While large, non-European players are currently collecting, disseminating, and storing data at scale, the Utiq platform is specifically designed to give consumers more control, transparency, and protection of their data. Only the explicit consent of consumers gives brands the opportunity to communicate with them via publishers and media houses. The only data which is then passed on is a pseudonymised digital token that cannot be traced. Consumers can give or refuse consent with a single click and revoke any other consent already given.

In a pilot conducted by Vodafone in Germany last year, the platform was successfully tested on the Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom networks. Adform invested in the initiative from conception, supporting the partner telcos to develop solutions and bring the new service to brands and advertisers on the buy side.

Both Utiq’s shareholders and Adform share the same values around transparency and privacy. Unlike other DSP providers, Adform does not own or operate its own ID but is completely ID agnostic to all solutions in the market, making it a perfect fit for the Utiq proposition.

Adform’s chief operating officer, Oliver Whitten, comments: “We’re proud that Utiq has chosen us as its exclusive launch partner and excited that for its first implementation, this ground-breaking consent service will be available through Adform’s universal identity solution, ID Fusion. When the concept for Utiq was first proposed by our long-time clients Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, we were eager to work together to develop the solution. We believe this is an important step in creating a European ID oriented approach and a clear win for our digital ad buyers across Europe.”

"Where data is collected and how it is used is very confusing for most people, and the industry is struggling to comply with ever-changing international privacy regulations and consent standards. However, everyone should be able to give informed consent and have full control over their data, and these privacy choices should be respected by the industry. The launch of Utiq in Germany is the start of a Europe-wide initiative to guide our industry towards a more responsible digital world - through consent that is voluntary, clear, and informed," explains Marc Bresseel, CEO Utiq.

Utiq was officially launched on May 10^th at Online Marketing Rockstars in Hamburg, Germany. More information can be found here: https://utiq.com/