The popularity of mobile advertising solutions is anchored on the basis that they are very effective, as they can be personalised. This allows advertisers to reach people who are very likely to be interested in a product or service.

The OAID platform supports advertising solutions that have tracking, monetisation, security, personalisation and advertising identifier benefits for advertisers and marketers alike.

It has a key user privacy data protection feature that highlights the online security commitment by Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), whose Huawei Ads Kit features the OAID solution. In the era of big data, driven by mobile Internet, user privacy protection has become a legal and moral priority.

What is Huawei OAID?

The OAID is a non-permanent device identifier that helps advertisers to identify unique users. OAID assists third-party advertising platforms in delivering personalised ads and third-party monitoring platforms for seamless ad conversions, as ads are directed to the right users.

The benefits of OAID for advertisers include: 

1. OAID enables advertisers to track user activity

In mobile applications, there are no cookies that track user activity to aid the provision of bespoke advertising. But in order for mobile advertisers to get insight into the user's preferences for marketing purposes, they need user-resettable identifiers.

With Huawei OAID, mobile advertisers are able to track user's activity in one application and create a better advertising experience for users by showing adverts relevant to them.

2. OAID allows marketers to conduct conversion attribution analysis

There are certain actions that users perform that indicate their intent to purchase advertised products or services, such as clicking on the price of an advertised product. This is called conversion attribution, as a purchase can be made after clicking, which means the purchase is attributable to the click action.

Huawei OAID partners with the likes of Appsflyer and Adjust, which can provide advertisers with conversion attribution analysis. Attribution allows advertisers to determine which channels and messages had the greatest impact on the user's decision to purchase a product.

3. User data and privacy is protected

The protection of user information is central to OAID. In South Africa, where cybercrime such as debit order fraud is rife, the data security feature is essential. Unlike the IMEI identification (the unique number assigned to every mobile phone) that is permanent, the OAID is generated as soon as the device is started. Users can reset the advertisement identifier in the device settings to generate a new OAID.

This way, there will be no association between the device identifier and user information, making the device anonymous on the mobile Internet. The OAID provides personalised advertisements for users while respecting their privacy and guarding their personal data.

This feature protects advertisers from possible fines related to the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act of South Africa. Under the POPI Act, advertisers who process a lot of personal information risk hefty penalties if they compromise the information that they collect.

4. Ads are personalised

Advertising platforms can obtain the OAID and the Enable Ads Personalisation switch value through the open APIs of Huawei. Advertisers can use this feature to provide relevant adverts to users who are actually interested in the products or services, based on their activities.

5. OAID monetises apps on the advertising platform

By integrating the Ads Software Development Kit of an advertising platform that supports OAID into developer apps, marketers can deliver personalised ads and convert traffic into revenue via Huawei mobile phones.

In order to monetise their apps, advertisers or marketers need to integrate the OAID-enabled Ads Software Development Kit that is provided by the advertising platform and connect to the advertising platform in compliance with the required process. This feature has a positive impact on an advertiser's bottom line.

6. OAID enables access to data analytics and insights

Data forms the basis of advertisers' marketing decisions and provide a better understanding of ad campaigns. For this reason, Huawei has forged partnerships with industry-leading mobile marketing analytics and attribution companies, such as AppsFlyer and Adjust, to jointly provide advertisers with useful data analytics and insights.

Appsflyer and Adjust are some of the top third-party mobile analytics platforms and have more than 90% market share. This dynamic guarantees advertisers access to an omnipresent tracking platform.

Dr Wang Wei, general manager of AppsFlyer in China, says, "As a world leader in mobile marketing analytics and attribution that accounts for more than 70% of the global market, AppsFlyer fully supports OAID-based monitoring. [AppsFlyer] will ensure that customers can obtain the same accurate data and user experience with future ad purchase and placement. AppsFlyer will continue to focus on the openness and development of Huawei's HMS Core ecosystem in the future."

In the era of big data-driven by mobile internet usage — user privacy protection has become a priority for advertisers. The OAID solution addresses information security issues, ensures that users access relevant adverts and assures advertisers of monetisation benefits for their efforts.

Mr. Likun Zhao, vice president at Huawei consumer business group Middle East and Africa, concludes, "OAID not only effectively protects user privacy, but also helps developers build a more open and compliant mobile Internet ecosystem. It will play a crucial role in promoting the healthy and rapid development of the mobile industry as a whole. In the future, more and more partners will support Huawei's OAID. Together, we can jointly build an HMS core ecosystem for a better-connected, intelligent world."

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