How Kidoz and Unity are building a safer digital space for children
CE: What is the original story behind Kidoz? JW: Kidoz first started as a developer of apps and other software specifically for children under 13. Through that experience, we identified one of the biggest challenges for advertisers and publishers is reach and monetization within young audiences. For example, we saw regulatory policies from Google and Apple tightening and becoming more stringent over time as they increased their privacy and security. At this time, there was an opportunity to launch a proprietary ad network using our own custom built SDK and partner with app developers whose target audience is children. CE: How do you work with publishers and advertisers? JW: We only use contextual targeting to identify unique segments within the thousands of apps we reach using the Kidoz SDK and through our direct supply partners. We execute special campaign plans for our advertising partners to whom compliance with COPPA, GDPR, Google and Apple is business and brand critical. This commitment to compliance and performance has made Kidoz the number one kid-safe mobile network. Kidoz has a large network of sales and agency partners that represent the Kidoz inventory globally and just last year in 2021 we activated deals in 58 different countries. CE: What kind of brands does Kidoz work with? JW: We work directly or through our sales partners with most of the global brands that advertise to children and families. These brands prioritize compliant child-safe media for their advertising and they know Kidoz can help them reach their audience at scale. In the toy industry, some of the brands we work with include Lego, Mattel, Hasbro, Playmobil, MGA, and Spinmaster. In entertainment, we work with Disney, Netflix, Universal, Paramount, Warner, Sony, Amazon Prime, Nickelodeon, and many more. These brands are global leaders and while they are the most active when it comes to child-directed media, they are also deeply committed to advertising compliance and therefore the Kidoz solution and our network partners must be completely compliant in technology and operations. CE: What should publishers and advertisers be thinking about to stay compliant while increasing their revenue? JW: First and foremost, advertisers and publishers need to ensure they’re working with COPPA and GDPR compliant partners that stay aligned with the latest policies and keep their technology up to date. There’s no room for mistakes when it comes to advertising to child audiences as the penalties can be large for those that are noncompliant. As children are a significant percentage of all app traffic, there’s a growing trend amongst developers to operate apps with an age gate that segments users into COPPA, which is currently under 13 years of age, and also non-COPPA users that are 13 and above. With age gating, publishers can operate two separate monetization technologies which allows for the distinct treatment of both user segments. This approach can facilitate compliant monetization of both user segments. CE: How do you see child advertising and COPPA evolving in the next decade? JW: The most important aspect of evolution over the last few years has been the tighter enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the issuance of penalties for infringements. This has forced game publishers, brands, and the platforms themselves to adopt and enforce COPPA and GDPR compliance. Many other countries […]
