This week, a key leader dropped out of a major campaign.
Oh, you thought we meant the national competition in the United States? No, it’s news, but it’s a different kind of news.
This week, Google decided to say, “Hey, remember third-party cookies—the thing we’ve been telling you for four years is going away because we’re working on alternatives. Just kidding, we’re going to keep them after all.”
Is this really possible? In recent years, entire companies have launched to take advantage of a “cookieless” future.
Marketing experts, such as CMI’s Robert Rose, have been saying for years that the cookie-less future is here and you need to deal with it. And now, they are wrong.
So we went back to the chief strategist this week to ask him what he thought. Watch the video, or read on to find out what he has to say now:
Internet users know best
The world of digital advertising and marketing This week was rocking. in a Blog article On Tuesday, Google announced an “updated approach to improving user choice.” It is ending its efforts to deprecate third-party cookies. Instead, it will “allow people to make informed choices that apply to their web browsing…”
In other words, the customer knows best.
Wait a moment. I think I’ve heard it before.
Yes, that’s what Coca-Cola’s president said when he admitted New Coke was a bad idea.
But do customers really know?
The biscuit saga continues
If you haven’t seen Cookie Drama, well, it turns out you’re better suited for it.
In 2020, Google pledged to prioritize consumer privacy and eliminate third-party cookies from its web browser Chrome. It highlights how marketers and advertisers can accomplish tasks such as personalizing content, targeting ads across websites, social media, and even similarity targeting based on browsing behavior.
If you follow us here at Content Marketing Institute, you know I have a lot to say about this.
in May, I wrote about Google delaying its decision to end cookies for the third time in as many years. In February, I discuss Google’s Privacy Sandbox and the “promising” experience it offers advertisers. March, The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) released a report saying marketers are confused about the whole thing, which I say is a mistake.
I’ve been talking about a world without third-party cookies since January 2020, When I noticed that Google was about to embark on this great adventure.
Heck, maybe I should have learned my lesson over the past four years, but you can’t blame me for asking this question over and over again. exist January, Google has actually started testing a fair number of browsers without third-party cookies enabled.
Is the cookie drama really over?
Anyway, that’s enough. What’s the ultimate takeaway for marketers?
Google’s reversal of third-party cookies doesn’t diminish the importance of keeping your first-party data warehouse in order. This does mean that personalization of consumption data based on social media, websites and other media is here to stay.
As a data point, when Apple turned personalized ads into an opt-in feature, Only 25% of users Say yes. But when users must opt out of tracking, only 23% Set up their browser that way.
Google will almost certainly make opting out of tracking an option that users must turn on.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing for marketers?
Well, this is bad for all the technological solutions that are paving the way for a cookie-free future in marketing and advertising.
But ultimately, I think the whole thing might just be a short-term reprieve.
As the US election approaches, depending on which side wins, privacy legislation may finally be introduced and resolve the cookie debate in some way. Google can do both. It gets the benefit of third-party cookies (which means you can only target within its ecosystem), and it can safely claim that it’s not its fault.
I don’t think the story of deprecating third-party cookies is over yet. But, you know, you might want to keep my track record in mind and make your own decision.
Featured related content: Don’t wait to see how the cookie crumbles; develop a new data strategy now
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
