Facebook has signed a deal with DunnHumby in the UK to build a major joint dataset in conjunction with its existing data company Acxiom, as the social media giant attempts to strengthen its appeal to brand owners.
Acxiom has been working with Facebook since last year, providing advertisers with highly detailed personal information on its users.
As part of the partnership, Acxiom joined the Facebook Marketing Partners Program, meaning that Acxiom’s audience data – including on and offline customer and behavioural information – is available to Facebook marketers around the world.
The new scheme, which is being tested in the UK, will see Facebook matching up its 37 million-strong dataset with DunnHumby’s database of 17 million UK shoppers. Facebook’s data comprises information on which users have seen particular brand ads, while DunnHumby’s includes anonymised data on Tesco shoppers and additional modelling on the total UK grocery market.
According to reports, by matching the two sets of data, marketers will be able to see whether a set of users who saw a brand campaign then went on to buy its products.
Adam Smith, head of media strategy at Dunnhumby, said it was the first time these two datasets had come together. “It’s an exciting time, and a tipping point in media measurement.”
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