📣 THE UPDATE
Google's recent announcement of its long-anticipated rollout of third-party cookie purging signals a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital advertising. With the initial phase affecting 1% of Chrome users—a staggering 30 million individuals—last week, Google plans to extend this action to 100% of users by Q3 2024 underscores the magnitude of this shift.
For advertisers, the end of third-party cookies carries significant implications, necessitating a fundamental reevaluation of advertising strategies and practices.
With growing concerns surrounding digital privacy across multiple markets, the depreciation of third-party cookies means the dawn of a new era characterized by privacy-centric solutions and evolving industry dynamics.
🏭 THE INDUSTRY
Despite the widespread understanding that cookies are becoming obsolete, we have been slow to embrace alternative channels. As of Q3 2023, cookies still accounted for 78% or more of programmatic ad purchases across various industries, with many of us even increasing our spending on cookie-based ads.
The overreliance on cookies presents a significant challenge. While third-party cookies have served as a go-to personalization tool for the majority of us, there's a noticeable absence of a singular replacement option. Instead, we must now adapt to a multitude of systems and data sources.
While there are emerging solutions post-cookie era, they are only beginning to enter the market. Google initiated the rollout of its new tracking solution, named "Privacy Sandbox," in July 2023. However, this leaves us with limited time to adjust, leading to speculation that Google might once again postpone the transition process.
🎤 OUR STRATEGY
We understand cookies have been the pillars of campaign targeting and measurement. Since 2023, we have run marketing audits and looked at alternative PIIs and tracking methods giving our client a competitive advantage and building partnerships.
Scout from Buxton offers location-based audiences using existing customers. They study the concentration of look-a-like households within each ZIP code in order to understand which ones have the highest concentration of potential customers. You can find these personas using PRIZM from Environics Analytics.
Triple Whale uses alternative methods to track user activity by appending custom UTMs but also gathering pixel data from first-party tools and media platforms. It gives me a much more accurate understanding when it comes to assisted conversions and added value.
What’s your progress in testing new identifiers and upgrading your existing measurement method? Share your thoughts with us!
If you have any questions or need help with your transition target and measurement, please contact me and we will be happy to provide more details.
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