Don't Call it a Comeback!

The quiet but steady resurgence of third-party cookie targeting could ultimately lead to one of the biggest “comeback” stories in digital marketing history . After Google’s initial 2020 announcement that it would eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome, most in the industry were counting out the third-party cookie for good. However, the tech giant has since rowed back on its initial ambition, instead proposing an opt-in, consent-based approach to third-party cookie tracking. Despite many still arguing that opt-in rates are likely to be low, the door has been left ajar for third-party cookies, sparking renewed engagement with this medium of data exchange, as part of a portfolio-based approach to personalisation.

Third-party cookies have long been criticised as a medium of collecting and transferring data, with critics highlighting concerns in three main areas, (1) privacy, (2) a limited lifespan, and (3) effective match rates. Yet, if we take these criticisms in turn, we see that:

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(1)?Evolutions in privacy regulation, particularly the emergence of GDPR and similar regulatory frameworks have largely acted to reduce the gap between cookie-based data collection and other forms of 1st party data. Historic challenges related to transparency, preference management and explicit opt-in have now been largely addressed creating closer parity between third-party cookies and alternative 1st party data sets.

(2)?In certain contexts, a short cookie lifespan can be seen as a strategic advantage, particularly when viewed through the lens of low-latency data collection and high-speed activation. Cookies allow brands to gather behavioural data on users quickly, enabling real-time responses based on recent interactions and intent signals. This immediacy can be valuable for real-time campaigns, such as retargeting consumers who have shown interest in a product or content within the last few minutes, hours or days.

(3)?The core benefit of third-party cookies has always been their utility for cross-site tracking and multi-platform connectivity, allowing marketers to track users across different websites and push audiences from one platform to another. This largely relies on cookie/ID matching, which has become increasingly difficult with consent requirements, adblocking and the volume of partners being matched. Despite this, match rates have remained robust, and if we were to compare the volume of users that could be accurately matched using third-party cookies, to a traditional market research panel of a few thousand people, there remains a stark advantage in favour of cookie-based data collection for insights development, measurement and activation.?

Relying solely on third-party cookies would be foolish, and this certainly isn’t an argument in favour of that. A single-data-source approach is inherently vulnerable, especially as browsers like Safari and Firefox block third-party cookies by default, and there are continued restrictions on the use of third-party cookies, including those imposed by users in the form of opt-out and private browsing. Brands need to adopt a portfolio-based data strategy. A modern data portfolio combines third-party cookies with a range of other data sources, including first-party data using authenticated customer data (e.g. email). In this multi-layered data approach, third-party cookies serve as an immediate-action tool, while first-party data—collected directly from customers on owned platforms—offers richer, more reliable insights over time.

This portfolio approach not only supports a more resilient data strategy in the face of evolving privacy regulations but also enables marketers to apply each data type to its best use case. Third-party cookies may no longer serve as the cornerstone of digital marketing, but they could remain a valuable part of the toolkit, especially for campaigns focused on speed and immediacy. Don’t count them out just yet.

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