Life after cookies
/Google announced that Chrome will be joining Apple (Safari) and Mozilla (Firefox) in phasing out third-party cookies, once the backbone of programmatic advertising, by 2022. While the long-term outlook is unclear, brands and agencies should use this time as an opportunity to rethink their targeting strategies.
1st Party Data Strategy: Many third-party audience data sources used for targeting will become obsolete in the new cookieless landscape, so advertisers need to make aggregating data of their own a priority. Brands should establish a unique value exchange with consumers in order to collect their personal information (e.g. email addresses, phone numbers, names, and postal addresses) so that they can be retargeted.
Contextual Targeting: Reaching relevant audiences by serving ads adjacent to a specific type of content, AKA contextual targeting, doesn't rely on cookies. Knowing what type of content your target audience engages with and where they consume it will be key to reaching them in a post-cookie world. Personalizing ads based on context rather than user behavior is one way to increase the likelihood of messaging resonating with audiences.
Walled Gardens: Platforms with endemic data sets such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon, will be well-equipped for highly targeted advertising due to their identity graphs. Partnering with experts in these channels will be more important than ever in order for brands to adapt to the evolving ecosystem.
