We all know the impact this is going to have on marketing, whether it be on advertisers ability to target consumers in an effective way, or attribution.
‘The death of the third party cookie’ has become a phrase that we’re all used to, and the idea of third party cookies disappearing did not necessarily come as a surprise to marketers. Whilst we wait for the phaseout to be complete, all that can be done is to figure out solutions and make apt preparations.
Attribution is an essential tool for analysing the touchpoints which drive conversions and within performance marketing, being able to determine attribution is key. Marketers need to ask the question of what will happen to attribution, and what methodologies can replace it?
Focus on customer relationship management
First-party data that is still accessible is something that should seriously be taken advantage of.
Brands should make customer relationships a key focus, as some of the information which will be key for developing future strategies will be most easily accessible from the horse’s mouth, if you will.
Customers are more likely to be willing to share their data with you if you have a trusting relationship, meaning their satisfaction should be a key focus.
Whilst access to information about customer activity on your site will not give you insight into what they’re doing elsewhere on the web, it should be helpful, and should allow you to bridge the gaps between data from addressable channels if properly analysed.
If you’re not already doing so, consider focusing on identity resolution. It’s privacy friendly, and can help you get to grips with customers behaviour.
Contextual targeting
It may seem an obvious statement, but contextual targeting could become more useful than ever. It doesn’t require third-party cookies, as customers are not being targeted directly.
Putting a considerable amount of time and effort into ensuring your ads are placed on the most suitable sites will enable you to reach customers in useful ways.
Instead of them feeling interrupted and invaded, they should feel as if ads are helpful. This, in turn, will aid in improving and establishing customer relationships.
There will most likely be patterns that emerge about specific groups of consumers and their behaviour on specific sites, leading you to information which could be valuable when tracking attribution.
A sophisticated measurement strategy
We are dealing with data loss here, so what it comes down to is a need to utilise the data we have, whilst we have it. Choosing a holistic and effective way of measurement through experimentation is essential.
It is the time to experiment with and validate various measurement strategies. It is also the time to future-proof these strategies to reduce the need for cookies, considering future privacy laws that may come into light. Think about looking beyond the cookie.
There are various softwares being developed and released which are being designed to measure the data you already have in order to determine strategies for the future. It’s worth having a look around at these, as well as making a real effort to decide on a data collection and analysis strategy for the future.
Whichever solution you favour, it’s no secret that the death of the third party cookie is going to have a huge knock-on effect. What the issue comes down to, at the core, is how can marketers effectively interact with consumers whilst safeguarding their privacy. And there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution – which is why planning ahead is key, and truthfully the only thing that can be done right now.
It could be looked upon as an exciting step-forward towards better relationships and privacy, which could work wonders in the long run.
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