By now you’ve probably heard about Chrome’s (albeit delayed) phasing out of third-party cookies, you’re also probably sick of hearing about Apple’s pledge to privacy. Whichever tech giant is making the headlines, we find ourselves in a time where online privacy is at the front of everyone’s mind. But what does a cookie-less, privacy-enhanced environment really mean for agencies and brands, and how will it influence media buying strategies to come?
For an industry that has long relied on the hyper-targeted capabilities of advertising platforms, the prospect of a cookie-less world is daunting. But why should it be? In recent years, advertisers have developed a dependency on algorithmic lookalike audiences without a second thought on how the data is sourced, what makes User A behave like User B or even the user behind the data point. It’s time the industry returned to marketing to people, not cookies.
The ever-approaching age of privacy brings a new challenge for agencies and brands. Will it be more difficult for brands to laser target? Yes. But could brands sell their products and services to audiences before cookie-based targeting was possible? Yes.
Marketing strategy isn’t dead. We’ve just lost a tactic – and a shady one at that. So, everything Brands have argued about for generations continues. Brands and Agencies thrived before the conception of third-party cookies and will adapt to a world without them.
Key drivers to success in the post-cookie world include accurate market segmentation, strong positioning of product offering to the needs of our audience and selecting the right channel mix for optimal effect, powered by attention-grabbing creativity.
Publishers, and advertisers alike, find themselves in an arms race to offset the impending disruption created by cookie-less browsing. Two examples of emerging technologies include Verizon Media ConnectID and Nielsen’s ID Resolution System both of which employ consumer-first values and advanced advertising technologies to support advertisers and publishers with cross-media measurement outcomes.
With this in mind, brands must focus on impactful, engaging campaigns, instead of ads that follow users around the internet for weeks attempting to sell irrelevant and unnecessary junk. People don’t hate advertising. People hate being stalked online.
For more information on our digital services, click here.
