Cookieless Future! Are you ready?

Since 2018, this has been a significant topic for marketers. Cookies! It's been two years since we wrote our blog on First-Party Data. Now, two years later, there have been significant developments in the field of cookies. The phasing out of third-party cookies is a result of strict regulations. With the advent of the GDPR, many marketers have had to think creatively. In this blog, you'll read how to prepare for a cookieless future!

What is First-Party Data?

First-party data is the data that customers directly share with the company. This can include general data such as interests, purchase history, website visits, and newsletter interactions. General data can also include personal information like an email address, date of birth, or phone number. You can collect and use this information for marketing purposes with permission.

What happens to Third-Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies are placed on your website by third parties and shared. An example of this is cookies from Google and Meta. After Apple, Google will also phase out these cookies by the end of 2025. The plan was initially to phase them out by 2022, but this has been delayed to early 2025. 2025 might seem far away, but the sooner you start, the more accurate data you will have collected by the time third-party cookies disappear!

Many methods like remarketing, look-a-like targeting, and interest targeting will disappear. But what will remain? Audience targeting will not completely disappear, but the data will be less, so you will need to enrich the data differently. Do you use Google Analytics? Keep in mind that this data will no longer be 100% accurate.

How to prepare for a Cookieless Future?

There are already a number of features you can apply in your organisation. Here are some examples:

Enhanced Conversions & Advanced Matching

Data can sometimes be inaccurate due to different attribution models used within Google Ads. Enhanced conversions is a feature within Google Ads that improves conversion accuracy by matching user data with relevant ads. The first-party data from your website is collected and hashed back to Google. This way, the data is linked back to Google profiles, allowing you to make better analyses in Google Analytics.

Privacy Sandbox

Privacy Sandbox, or Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC), is a Google Chrome feature. It is a Google initiative that has been on the market since 2019. By using a Privacy Sandbox, you can set up personalised ads without the usable data being traceable to individuals. Google Chrome analyses your online activities. It looks at your browsing history and, based on your behavior and interests, only shows relevant ads. Note that this feature can also be turned off in Google Chrome.

Server-Side Tracking & Facebook Conversion API

The Server-Side Tag Manager is a variant of Google Tag Manager. The only difference is that the Server-Side Tag Manager is hosted on your own server, making the pixels you implement first-party data. A follow-up step is the Facebook Conversion API. By implementing this on your website, you have a better and more direct connection with your data in Facebook. Conversions and other measurements are much more accurate.

Methods

Customer Matching

With customer matching, you can match online and offline data and reach new customers on Google platforms (such as Gmail, display, and YouTube). The data from your CRM and the platform IDs are stored together in one place. Customer matching is an ideal alternative to third-party cookies. This way, you can reach both current and new customers and target look-a-likes. This data collection method is very accurate and GDPR proof!

Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting means that the ad is shown to the right reader at the right time. This is because you advertise in places that are most relevant to the user. This way, you effectively reach the right audience! Contextual targeting uses AI to understand and analyze the content. Ads are then shown on relevant web pages.

No need to panic; there are plenty of ways to continue collecting relevant data in the future! Want to prepare your organisation as best as possible for the cookieless future? Our specialists are happy to help you!