Abstract
- Time to adjust. Google Chrome's deadline for deprecating third-party cookies gives marketers time to adjust their first-party data and measurement strategies.
- Other issues. The timing will come as other technologies and issues are used and explored.
- Make the most of your extra time. Companies like Semasio are finding their footing to make the most of the time until the new deadline.
Browser cookies and electric vehicles are fundamentally different technologies, but they both face the same situation: slow adoption. Google's announcement that it will further postpone the deprecation of cookies in Chrome has created further delays in developing the best first-party data strategies for digital marketing. Marketers are now considering how their teams should spend their time before the new deadline.
More time is needed to evaluate responses to technical issues
The move away from third-party cookies in advertising (also known as cookie phase-out) highlights how difficult it can be to align our overall technology use. For years, many browser tasks relied on cookies, such as storing purchasing selections in an online cart or setting preferred language options on websites. These cookies enhanced our online activity and saved us the need to re-enter our details when pages were refreshed.
Cookies and Metrics
Cookies have played an important role in the world of web analytics, especially third-party cookies, which are being phased out due to cookie deprecation. Third-party cookies often link metrics of user behavior across different websites, apps, and landing pages. As a result, metrics based on third-party data have helped inform decisions about content optimization and user experience.
Analytical Data Flow
The analytics data flows mark the culmination of years of division. Advances in technology and new behaviors prompted by data privacy laws have made third-party cookies less effective at controlling customer privacy and accurately measuring user behavior across digital platforms. Consumers are increasingly blocking cookies, and major companies like Apple have introduced various identifier protocols, such as App Tracking Transparency (ATT) for apps. These trends have led marketers to question the accuracy of the data they are collecting with the demise of cookies.
Increasing turbidity
As marketers consider newly revealed factors about online customer behavior, the flow of data is becoming more opaque. The SEO community has been shaken by Google's accidental leak of documents outlining the signals it considers in ranking pages for search queries. These documents have sparked controversy as some of the factors highlighted seem to contradict Google's long-standing SEO advice. Google has acknowledged the authenticity of the documents but advises marketers not to read too much into them.
Enjoying the time
Combine this with the need to adapt strategies and it means that markets need to allow themselves plenty of time to determine appropriate adjustments to their measurement strategies before the cookie phase-out becomes a reality.
Related article: The end of third-party cookies: preparing for the future of marketing
Businesses are finding ways to make the most of their newfound time
Jeff Ragovin, CEO of Semasio, offered some insights: Semasio's technology is designed to help marketers effectively reach consumers across devices, using a suite of solutions that includes semantic technology and real-time targeting.
Not unexpected
While Ragovin said the delay was “not entirely unexpected,” he believes it has some benefits: “It should serve as a catalyst for marketers to prioritize consumer privacy, reevaluate their data practices and think hard about how they approach targeting, because true consumer relationships are formed when advertisers give consumers greater control over their data and how it is used,” he said.
The concerns expressed by groups such as the IAB Tech Lab, the CMA and the ICO highlight challenges with Google's Privacy Sandbox plans and necessitate the continued evolution of a viable solution.
4 actions to take before the new cookie retirement deadline
Ragovin went on to outline a four-pronged approach to dealing with changing deadlines.
1. Value privacy
“At the end of the day, we're all consumers,” Ragobin said, “and like the people we're trying to reach, we want our privacy to be respected. Businesses need to be proactive, rather than leaving it up to the big platforms to decide how they reach consumers. It makes perfect sense that the CMA is urging Google to update its Topics API consent interface to make it clear how it uses user data and to obtain specific consent before third parties access it. It also makes perfect sense for advertisers to collect their own first-party data compliantly and use it in accordance with those policies.”
2. Gain knowledge
“There are many solutions and alternative identifiers. To understand which solution is most appropriate for a given situation, decision makers need to understand the pros, cons, and 'best-case' scenarios of all the major players. For example, if your primary market is EMEA, UID 2.0 would not be your first choice of alternative identifier to test.”
3. Stakeholder engagement
“Foster open dialogue with customers, partners and platforms to increase transparency and foster better collaboration to address specific challenges. There is no silver bullet to killing cookies or respecting consumer privacy. To ensure seamless operations, effective advertising and financial health, we must embrace broad engagement and open discussion. Drive transparency and accountable governance across your organization and the industry.”
4. Stay Adaptable
“Earlier this year, we decided to move audience classification to always-on contextual classification to enable clients to test audiences against contextual segments in real time, before deprecation or loss of signal can make a huge difference in results and obscure optimization opportunities. We expect advertisers will continue to leverage cookies while they remain available. My caution is against leveraging them at the expense of practical experience in implementing alternative identifiers and contextual techniques. Adaptability is crucial in this day and age of changing privacy regulations and evolving Google strategies.”
Related article: Marketing executives react to Google's new cookie deprecation schedule
Cookie abolition: what's next?
With reduced visibility into how customer behavior connects with a brand’s website or app, marketing managers must adapt their digital strategies, from planning search and digital advertising campaigns to developing robust first-party data collection in analytics measurement.
Ragobin shares a similar view. “Ultimately, this delay should be a wake-up call to seriously consider a post-cookie targeting strategy,” he says. “Cookies have long served as the foundation for advertising, facilitating targeted ad delivery and performance analysis. But the industry has become reliant on them – a quick solution to reach audiences without truly understanding them. Moving away from cookies brings challenges, but also an opportunity to get back to basics: know your customer.”
With the cookie deadline approaching and third-party cookies gone, it will be interesting days ahead as marketers develop new methodologies to support their campaigns.
