Bridg’ing the gap: Cardlytics’ newest acquisition gives advertisers the complete picture

The ink has only just dried on our first ever acquisition and we’re excited to announce our second! Bridg, a Los Angeles-based customer data platform, is the latest company to join our ranks. I spoke with Lynne Laube, CEO and co-founder of Cardlytics, as she explains why bringing Bridg on board is critical to our growth and how this deal could change the landscape of digital advertising.

AA: Here we are again, only weeks after announcing our acquisition of Dosh. Things at Cardlytics are moving fast! What can you tell us about Bridg?

LL: Bridg is truly unique. They’ve developed a technologically sophisticated platform that uses SKU-level product insights to empower marketers to better understand and reach their customers. Their cloud-based customer data platform is used by retailers and consumer packaged goods marketers for a wide range of applications, including analyzing customer behavior, marketing on digital platforms, and measuring the effectiveness of their business strategies, while following consumer privacy best practices.

AA: Two acquisitions in two months is no small feat. Why Bridg and why now?

LL: This really is an exciting time at Cardlytics.

Bridg has spent years building a tech platform that can personalize an individual customer’s shopping experience by applying machine learning algorithms that can show us their unique purchases while still protecting their privacy. In short, they see what we cannot. With the acquisition of Bridg, over time, we can combine our transaction level data with SKU-level insights to offer an even clearer picture of an individual customer’s purchase behavior.

This level of detail is incredibly powerful for both our financial partners and our advertisers.

AA: Can you explain how the Bridg platform supports our work?

LL: Their platform is the first of its kind to engage retailers and customers without the use of loyalty programs or receipt scanning. They can connect to 90% of point-of-sale systems in the United States and can ingest, categorize, and clean SKU data to create usable insights. Cardlytics currently has more than 168 million monthly active users. Adding Bridg to our business plays a key role in expanding the Cardlytics advertising platform into a holistic results-driven, self-serve, always-on solution for marketers.

AA: What should advertiser and bank partners know about this acquisition?

LL: Since the beginning, the Cardlytics vision has been to have a broad view into consumer spend with a detailed understanding of a customer’s individual product preference. This acquisition means we will be able to expand reach across retailers, gain product-level insights, and give marketers a comprehensive view of customer purchase behavior. On the bank side, we will work with our financial institution partners to integrate Bridg into future customer offerings so that they can convert this data into offers relevant to their clients. And all this will continue to be done through a privacy-first, brand-safe platform, which is incredible.

AA: What is the long-term plan for CDLX growth?

LL: We’re building something really special here. We have been working towards driving change in the industry for a while now and we are excited about what’s to come. By bringing both Dosh and Bridg on board we’re transforming the digital advertising landscape as we know it by offering advertisers a one-of-a-kind look at consumer spending while also offering our bank partners valuable incentives for their customers. It’s truly a win-win-win.