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MainAd is an Italian programmatic retargeting and performance advertising platform headquartered in Milan and founded in 2007. It offers dynamic retargeting, prospecting, dynamic creative optimisation and conversion measurement, with an EU based controller and EU infrastructure. For European advertisers, MainAd is a GDPR friendly option that still requires explicit consent for cookies and personalised advertising.
MainAd is an Italian programmatic advertising and retargeting platform founded in 2007 and headquartered in Milan, with offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Operated by MainAd S.r.l., the platform offers dynamic retargeting, prospecting, dynamic creative optimisation (DCO), CTV and video advertising. MainAd is an IAB Europe member, supports the IAB TCF v2.2 and is one of the few major retargeting players with a true EU controller and EU infrastructure.
MainAd sets third party cookies on mainad.com for visitor identification, frequency capping and retargeting attribution. The advertiser side pixel captures product views, basket additions, search queries and conversions. Bid requests sent to partner exchanges include IP, user agent, page URL, ad placement and TCF consent string. Dynamic creatives are assembled from advertiser product feeds and personalised based on the visitor profile.
MainAd processes personal data and engages in cross-site profiling, so consent is required under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy and Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. The Italian Garante has issued repeated guidance on cookie banners and programmatic advertising, requiring clear, granular consent and rejecting dark patterns. MainAd''s Italian controller falls directly under the Garante''s supervision.
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Use an IAB certified CMP with TCF v2.2 and list MainAd in the global vendor list. Consent must be granular by purpose (storage, personalised advertising, ad measurement, audience research, content profiling). Reject buttons must be as prominent as accept. Italian visitors get the same consent UX as the rest of Europe, with the Garante watching the cookie wall and pre ticked box approaches.
MainAd''s core infrastructure is in the EU and the controller is Italian, so the core processing does not transfer data outside the EEA. The programmatic ecosystem itself distributes bid requests to many SSPs and exchanges globally, which may include non EU recipients; map and document those flows separately.
Sign MainAd''s DPA, run an IAB certified CMP with TCF v2.2 listing MainAd, load the retargeting pixel only after consent, complete a DPIA for cross site profiling, document the partner exchanges in your sub processor list, follow Italian Garante cookie guidance for Italian audiences and run regular consent UX audits.
Websites using MainAd must obtain user consent under GDPR regulations.
DPIA considerations
MainAd processes browsing behaviour, IP, user agent, referrer, basket and product views to deliver personalised retargeting. Key DPIA considerations: (1) third party cookies on mainad.com and partner exchanges require consent under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy; (2) the controller is Italian, simplifying the third country transfer story compared to US vendors; (3) partner exchanges and SSPs in the programmatic ecosystem may transfer bid request data outside the EU, which must be assessed; (4) dynamic creative optimisation builds a profile that should be disclosed; (5) the IAB TCF v2.2 should be used to capture and signal consent; (6) the Italian Garante has active enforcement on programmatic advertising and cookie banners.
Sample consent text
With your consent, we use MainAd, an Italian programmatic retargeting platform, to deliver personalised ads to you on partner sites. MainAd processes your browsing behaviour, IP and product interactions in the European Union to show you relevant advertising. You can withdraw consent at any time via our cookie settings.
Third-party domains contacted
mainad.comrtb.mainad.comlogger.mainad.compixel.mainad.comcreative.mainad.comCookies placed
| Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| mainad_uid | Marketing | 1 year | Third party visitor identifier set by MainAd to recognise the visitor across partner sites for retargeting purposes. |
| mainad_cap | Marketing | 7 days | Stores frequency capping information so the same retargeting creative is not shown too many times to the same visitor. |
| mainad_rtgt | Marketing | 30 days | Stores the retargeting state and the most recent product interactions used for dynamic creative optimisation. |
| mainad_conv | Marketing | 30 days | Tracks conversion events from the advertiser site to attribute them to a previous MainAd impression. |
MainAd places tracking cookies for advertising — comply with GDPR using FlowConsent.
MainAd sets third party cookies on mainad.com including mainad_uid (visitor identifier, 1 year), mainad_cap (frequency capping) and mainad_rtgt (retargeting state). The advertiser pixel may set its own first party cookie on the merchant domain for conversion attribution.
Yes. MainAd uses third party cookies and behavioural profiling for retargeting, which requires consent under Art. 5(3) ePrivacy and Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. Use a CMP with IAB TCF v2.2 listing MainAd.
Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) for retargeting cookies, audience profiling and dynamic creative personalisation. Legitimate interest is unsafe given EDPB and Garante guidance on cross site advertising.
MainAd is Italian and processes data in EU infrastructure. No cross border transfer for the core processing. Partner exchanges and SSPs may add their own transfers; document them in your sub processor list and DPIA.
A DPIA is recommended for cross site retargeting deployments. It should cover the cookies set, the behavioural profile built, the bid stream sharing with partner exchanges, retention periods and the right to object.
Sign MainAd's DPA, use an IAB certified CMP with TCF v2.2, list MainAd in the vendor list, load the pixel only after consent, document the partner exchanges, follow Garante guidance on cookie banners and provide a clear right to object via consent withdrawal.
EU based retargeting and performance alternatives include Adform (Denmark), RTB House (Poland), Smart AdServer/Equativ (France), Criteo (France, listed but global) and contextual networks like Seedtag (Spain) and GumGum that avoid cross site profiling.
Disclose MainAd as a separate controller for retargeting, list cookies and their duration, mention the IAB TCF v2.2 framework, document the partner exchanges as recipients, confirm EU processing for the core platform and link MainAd's privacy notice.