Maybe you started off the year with a renewed commitment to an increase in your physical fitness and healthier choices. For marketers, the new year bring a new focus on data privacy, which is forcing many to re-think how they approach their digital advertising – especially as it relates to cookies.
Digital tracking as we now know it is changing, and this (as well as other indicators) is pointing to the need for us to rethink our cookie addiction. Some of these changes include:
• The EU’s privacy regulations (also know as GDPR)
• Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature in Safari
• California’s Consumer Privacy Act (a.k.a CCPA)
• Chrome’s popular cookie blockers
• Google’s removal of the DoubleClick ID (now the Google ID) from its log files
Data privacy concerns are not the sole reason the cookie is crumbling. A few years ago, people spent most of their time online on desktops and laptops. Today it’s estimated that in the U.S., adults spend over an hour more on their mobile devices each day than on their computers. The bid deal here is that almost 90% (87% according to Neilson) of that time is spent in various apps – making it very difficult to track consumers. Every mobile app is a separate environment that does not share data across other apps.
What does that mean for the future of your digital advertising? Simply stated: cookies are on their way out. We’ve got to come up with better ways to target and reach out customers. There are a few ideas to held you navigate a cookieless world:
- What if you provide something of value in exchange for data? Submit an email, and the the brand with give the consumer X in return.
- Leverage the data you already own. Most organizations have a ton of information on their existing customer. Dive deeper into that data for insights on how to generate more business from existing customers and/or use customer profiles for better (cookie less) targeting.
- Put new KPI’s in place. We’re going to have to shift our mindset from audiences to media, messaging, and outcomes. It will be important to test messages and environment that receive the most traction.
Need help navigating a new cookie-free diet? We’re here for you. Please feel free to contact us to set up a consultation today.
Reference: Neilson.com
Additional Reading:
https://ccpa-info.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Handbook-of-FAQs-Cookies.pdf
Jan 2020: AdWeek.com
Why the End of the Cookie Will Usher in a Great New Era for Marketing
July 2019: AdMonserts.com
A Future Bright and Cookieless
