The advertising industry is at a critical inflection point. Major holding companies are consolidating their identity resolution capabilities, and in May 2026 Publicis announced that it will be acquiring LiveRamp for $2.2 billion. While LiveRamp is purported to continue operating as a “neutral, interoperable platform,” new research reveals advertisers aren’t waiting around to see how it plays out—they’re already making defensive moves.
Our survey of 304 US advertising decision-makers paints a picture of a market in flux, with advertisers actively reassessing data partnerships and hedging their bets.
The Trust Gap: Over Half of LiveRamp Users Aren’t Taking Chances
LiveRamp maintains strong market penetration—52% of US advertisers polled by Advertiser Perceptions in July 2026 currently use it as either a primary or supplementary identity partner. But here’s where it gets interesting: neutrality concerns are driving widespread strategic hedging.
Among current and planned users, only 31% believe neutrality will be maintained without changes. Even more telling? An additional 39% are maintaining current integrations while actively establishing backup first-party data alternatives. Another 12% plan to reduce reliance or seek alternatives entirely.
The message is clear: trust, but verify—and build a Plan B.
Only 31%
believe neutrality can be maintained without changes
Among current and planned users
49%
plan to aggressively shift budgets toward walled gardens with built-in identity solutions
Among marketers who are Publicis clients
The Unintended Winner: Walled Gardens
When we asked how identity platform consolidation will impact budget allocation, the results revealed an ironic twist. Among marketers who are also clients of Publicis, 49% indicated they will aggressively shift budgets toward walled gardens (Google, Meta, and Amazon) that offer built-in identity solutions. Meanwhile, 45% will favor agencies with proprietary identity stacks, like Publicis, WPP and Omnicom. Here’s the paradox: holding company consolidation may be inadvertently accelerating the migration of budgets to the very platforms the industry has sought to counterbalance.
The advertising ecosystem hasn’t resigned itself to a binary choice. Nearly one-third (37%) of Publicis clients plan to prioritize independent ad-tech alternatives such as The Trade Desk’s UID2 and ID5 to remain agency-agnostic. This suggests substantial opportunity remains for neutral, interoperable identity solutions that can credibly position themselves as Switzerland in an increasingly fragmented landscape.
The Bottom Line
While over three-quarters of respondents (78%) are currently using or considering LiveRamp, the acquisition has introduced uncertainty into long-term partnerships. With only three in ten current users expressing confidence in LiveRamp’s continued independence, and four in ten actively building backup infrastructure, the market is delivering a clear message: neutrality will need to be proven through action, not assertion.
The challenge for platform-owning holding companies? Demonstrating authentic neutrality through governance structures and operational transparency—and doing it fast enough to prevent the budget migration that’s already underway.
Sources:
Advertiser Perceptions July 2026 Omnibus Study
