Google delay gives marketers more time to hone first-party data, identity resolution strategies

Google has delayed cookie deprecation once again as it gives marketers and industry regulators more time to provide feedback on its Privacy Sandbox solutions.

But that doesn’t mean marketers should be pulling back on post-cookie plans.

“This changes nothing for us,” said Rob Myers, senior product manager for martech company NextRoll. “From our perspective, the more time we have, the more time we have to refine solutions, and I think that's the case for everyone in the [digital advertising] space.”

Adjusting expectations: Marketers expecting that any solution will match up to the effectiveness of cookies may need to reconsider what’s possible in a more privacy-focused environment.

“If you look at some of the feedback [on the Sandbox], a lot of it’s “Well, I can't do X or Y” with it. But you're not supposed to be able to do that in this new world because we're preserving privacy.”

• To achieve success in a post-cookie world, the industry needs to come together to advocate for “reasonable change,” said Myers.
• “It's a matter of building what we need, testing it, and making sure that we maintain an open and free web,” said Myers, which is a win-win for consumers (who get access to content for free) and advertisers (who are able to use ads across digital spaces to drive business outcomes).

Building trust: Without third-party cookies, marketers will need to rely more heavily on zero- and first-party data to target and measure campaigns. “Build a relationship with consumers,” said ​​Myers. “Users will share information with you because they trust you and they know you won’t misuse it.”

• Myers recommends establishing a value exchange for consumers’ data, like early access to sales or discounts.
• To establish long-term trust, brands must act responsibly with consumer data and be transparent about how and when they are using it.
• This opens the door for consumers to share more data, helping brands to learn more about their audience and more accurately target them with ads.

Embracing change: Identity resolution will also play a major role in a post-cookie world. It’s likely no single solution ever replaces the effectiveness of cookies. Instead, the focus should be on making sure the identity solutions can work together to provide a more robust picture of consumer behavior.

“It may not be as important which ID you work with, but that they are interoperable with others,” said Myers.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.