In today’s fragmented media landscape, the need for precision, personalisation, and performance has never been more critical.
Advertisers are under growing pressure to prove return on investment, while media environments continue to evolve rapidly.
Yet, at the heart of this evolution lies a powerful but often under-utilised asset: first-party data. When harnessed intentionally, it offers the opportunity to build smarter, more connected campaigns. But between its potential and its practical application sits an overlooked challenge, a gap.
A gap between what media buyers could do with client- owned data, and what they actually do. A gap in shared understanding, planning, and integration. A gap worth closing.
Cornerstone of effective media buying
First-party data is information collected directly from an audience, with consent through touchpoints like websites, mobile apps, social platforms, surveys, and loyalty programmes. It’s the most reliable form of audience intelligence, clean, relevant, and timely.
In a post-cookie world where third-party data is diminishing in value and accessibility, first-party data has emerged as a cornerstone of effective media buying. Advertisers and their media teams often sit in separate ecosystems with distinct objectives, processes, and timelines.
As a result, first-party data is not always integrated into campaign planning from the outset. It is treated as a secondary layer, rather than a foundational asset.
Some of the most prominent gaps
1. Fragmented planning structures
Media buying and client operations often function independently. Without integrated planning frameworks, data is left underused or entirely overlooked in campaign execution.
2. Misalignment in strategic frameworks or delivery models
Media buyers often optimise for KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) like CTR (click-through-rate), CPC (cost per click), or ROAS (return on ad spend), while client teams may prioritise brand health, reach or lifetime value.
Without unified measurement frameworks, first-party data rarely sits at the centre of decision-making.
3. Timing and agility
Client environments are fast-moving. Opportunities to extract and apply data insights require forward planning, shared timelines, and consistent collaboration.
4. Access and activation
Even when data is available, questions remain: Who owns it? Who activates it? How is it used across platforms? A lack of clarity around data ownership and governance delays effective activation.
Collaborative solution
The solution isn’t complex, it’s collaborative. Closing the gap between first-party data and media buying begins with intentional alignment and a few foundational shifts in approach.
- Early engagement: When media buyers are involved early, they can shape strategies that include first- party data from the outset, enabling more accurate targeting, better sequencing, and stronger performance.
- Audience matching and retargeting: First-party data offers powerful behavioural signals. These can be mapped to digital audiences for more effective targeting and retargeting across channels.
- Platform-agnostic planning: Rather than isolating campaign elements by platform, client and agency teams can co- create cross-channel journeys that use data to sequence messaging and improve audience experience.
- Transparent data governance: With privacy laws tightening globally, all data activation strategies must prioritise compliance. Establishing clear data sharing protocols builds trust and speeds execution.
As the landscape continues to evolve, the role of first-party data will only grow in importance. Its value, however, depends on how well it is integrated into media buying frameworks.
Transformational planning
This requires more than tools, it requires intention. This is not about overhauling everything overnight. It’s about shifting from transactional campaigns to transformational planning.
From isolated execution to integrated journeys. In a time where audiences are everywhere and attention is fleeting, data isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
But more than the data itself, it’s the quality of relationships between clients and media buyers that will define the next era of meaningful, measurable campaigns.
First-party data offers the blueprint. What remains is the willingness to bridge the gap, together.
Lerato Mapitsa is a media professional with 19 years in the industry. Her most recent position was campaign and media manager at the MultiChoice Group. She holds an IAB Digital Marketing Certification.
References:
1. IAB South Africa – Post-Cookie Future: First-Party Data as Currency (2025)
2. McKinsey & Co. – Media Buying in the Age of First-Party Data (2024)
3. Forrester – The Connected Consumer and the Rise of Cross-Platform Media Planning
4. Accenture – Unlocking the Value of Owned Data in the Digital Ecosystem
5. POPIA Act – South Africa’s Data Privacy Framework
6. Kantar – Audience Behavior and Media Integration Trends (2025)
