How New Consumer Data Marketplaces Are Changing Advertising -- Forever

The news that Spanish telecoms giant Telefónica is gearing up to launch a platform that will "let clients know what data Internet firms have, so the client can decide what to do with them," can be read as a move by the telco to get a leg up on the likes of Amazon, Facebook, and Google--which have the edge in the data trade. It's just one event in a flurry of activity as companies race to harness data owned by others to enable more contextually relevant and effective advertising--thus enabling brands and marketers to communicate with consumers in a way that produces positive results and deepens engagement.