Adweekly: Google Delays Cookie Deprecation for the Third Time

Welcome to Adweekly, the LinkedIn newsletter giving you an inside look at the advertising industry. Each edition will highlight some of Adweek's most important stories from the past week to help marketers, agency leaders, creatives and publishers better understand the industry they work in. By senior media reporter Mark Stenberg

Good morning, and welcome back to Adweekly.

In a move that surprised no one, Google announced this week that it was once again delaying its planned deprecation of third-party cookies.

Now, according to the search giant, the deprecation of the tech will begin no earlier than 2025, giving the digital advertising ecosystem several more months to prepare for a massive loss of tracking signals across Chrome and other Google environments.

The move marks the third time Google has delayed the much-dreaded deprecation, which has gradually led to a cry-wolf dynamic among marketers. Will this delay be the last?

Read more: Between the CMA and general inadequacy of Privacy Sandbox, the delay came as little surprise to many in the marketing community.

Under the Hood of Tesla’s Fleeting Foray Into Advertising

Tesla has eschewed any kind of advertising since its inception, with founder Elon Musk famously writing off marketing as unnecessary if the product is good enough.

Last May, however, Musk reversed course, and Tesla gradually began building out an advertising arm. Over the course of 10 months, the team spent $6.4 million on digital advertising, mostly on social platforms.

But earlier this week, Musk cut the entire 40-person "global growth" team, part of a broader 10% reduction in headcount enacted by the company.

Tesla has run into many of the same headwinds buffeting the rest of the electric vehicle industry, and cutting costs is a natural response.

But without marketing, the company could struggle to expand its consumer base beyond its core audience of early adopters.

Read more: One Tesla ad highlighted a feature that allowed users to turn the car lock sound into a fart noise.

Related | Long Averse to Advertising, Tesla Takes a U-Turn. Here's Why It Matters

Here's My Beef With Ad Agencies

Why do brands hire agencies?

According to Stephanie McCarty , the chief marketing and communications officer at Taylor Morrison , companies hire creative agencies in large part because they bring an outsider perspective to their company.

They bring fresh eyes, new ideas and novel creative—all of which can be difficult to produce when you are too close to a brand.

That's why, according to McCarty, she has grown frustrated with the agency model. Upon being hired, many agencies begin months-long immersion processes, do extensive paneling and comb through consumer insights.

Brands already have these insights, and it costs a lot to let agencies reproduce them. They have data, know their product and know their audience. What they want is outside-the-box thinking—the kinds of ideas that familiarity is at odds with.

For these reasons, McCarty has moved her marketing operations in-house, a decision she recommends. But she also has a subtle exhortation to agencies: remember that your outsider status is your value proposition.

Read more: Creative agencies need to remember that their creativity—not their data and insights—is what clients want.