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5 steps for making first-party data work for you

Maximizing1st Party Data

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Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 12, 2022 and was updated on August 20, 2026 to reflect changes in the industry, including developments related to third-party cookie deprecation.

As privacy expectations grow, first-party data remains an essential asset for marketers. 

At The Trade Desk, we’re evolving our toolkit to help advertisers make the most of third-party data across channels, formats, and identifiers — all while respecting privacy. 

What is first-party data? 

First-party data is information that a brand or web property owner collects directly from users who visit their site. That includes: 

  • Device identifiers like mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), connected TV (CTV) IDs, and IP addresses 

  • Customer relationship management (CRM) data like email addresses, phone numbers, and postal addresses 

These signals power everything from personalized targeting to customer loyalty, making them crucial for staying connected with your audience. 

Here’s how to turn first-party data into a valuable asset: 

1. Know your data 

Start by mapping what you already have. 

Email is especially valuable because it’s portable, persistent, and privacy-forward. 

CRM data can help you understand your audience’s online and offline actions and craft tailored campaigns. 

2. Grow your footprint 

Many brands have more first-party data than they realize. 

Make sure you’re capturing: 

  • Device IDs (like MAIDs) 

  • Partner IDs (like RampID) 

  • And especially emails 

Email is the connective tissue of your identity strategy. It works across the open web, CTV, point of sale, and retention programs. 

Grow it through newsletters, gated content, and checkout experiences. 

3. Build a durable identity foundation 

Turn emails into usable, privacy-conscious signals by converting them into pseudonymous identifiers like Unified ID 2.0 (UID2). 

UID2 helps you: 

  • Reach audiences across the open internet, mobile, and CTV 

  • Activate cross-platform strategies 

  • Use frequency capping and measurement all in one place 

4. Extend your reach 

Collecting email data is only step one. 

With our CRM onboarding, you can translate emails into UID2 for omnichannel activation. 

Then layer on: 

  • Identity Alliance for added scale 

  • Lookalike modeling for reach across IDs and devices 

  • Other identifiers like MAIDs, CTV IDs, and other partner IDs 

5. Connect across platforms 

New consumer touchpoints and digital identifiers are appearing on a regular basis, which means that any effective identity strategy requires interoperability. 

That’s why we’re launching UID2 integrations with leading customer data platforms (CDPs), data management platforms (DMPs), and clean rooms to support: 

  • Privacy-conscious audience creation 

  • Streamlined audience extension 

  • Unified measurement 

We’ve already announced our integration with Adobe’s Real-Time CDP, with more integrations on the way. 

For more information about first-party data activation and CRM onboarding, contact your account manager. You can also learn more about how to take full advantage of your CRM data with Adobe.