• by Alex Rexha , March 8, 2024

After much delay, the inevitable has finally happened. At the start of 2024, Google officially rolled out third-party cookie deprecation for 1% of its users globally. As we adjust to this new normal, let’s unravel some of the myths swirling around about cookie deprecation and talk through what this means for marketers.

Myth #1: Third-party cookies will vanish overnight. The death of third-party cookies seems to be a slow one. Pending consultation with the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority and subject to resolving any competition concerns, Google will gradually increase the rollout starting in August 2024. This means it’s more important than ever to have a plan in place for implementing and testing new alternative solutions for efficient brand targeting and performance assessment before 100% cookie deprecation.

Myth #2: Current ad tech will be obsolete post-cookie deprecation. Most in the industry have prepared for the transition to a cookie-less world and have solutions in place that can mitigate the impact on targeting and measurement. For example, Meta and TikTok have API connections, many data clean rooms and CDPs have entered the industry, and Google has its Privacy Sandbox solution. More work is needed to implement and test these new solutions, but advertisers can feel confident that the industry is building solutions.

Myth #3: Every brand will face the same implications from cookie deprecation. Each brand will be impacted differently, depending on several key factors. First, the quality and quantity of first-party data will play a significant role in determining how impactful cookie deprecation will be. It also depends on how fast or slow a brand is to implement substitute point solutions and test specific partner and platform alternatives. Also, appraise other elements like targeting strategies, measurement KPIs, media mix, and investment in cookie-dependent targeting tactics that affect brand performance.

Myth #4: Cookie deprecation will further fragment the media ecosystem.  Realistically, we’ve been in a fragmented ecosystem for years now! Apple’s slow, incremental, and eventually final, removal of third-party cookies from Safari has affected the industry since 2013.  The growth of the mobile advertising ecosystem produced the cookie-less mobile device ID and introduced the problem of cross-device attribution. Google Campaign Manager and Meta already include modeled conversions in their measurement to make up for the loss of cookie signals.

Myth #5: There’s a single silver bullet solution that will solve for cookie deprecation. Previously, every publisher, advertiser, and ad-tech partner had their own version of a third-party cookie and a unique ecosystem of technology partners, such as data management platforms, demand-side platforms, ad servers, and more. Soon, every company will have its own new set of addressable IDs, its own aggregated audiences, and its own roster of tech partners. Advertisers cannot rely on a single platform or ID to rectify everything, but must audit their current tools and identify the cookie-less solutions to make up for the gap.

A Tailored Approach for the Cookie-less World

It’s vital for marketers to embrace transformation as a constant state of being, and work with partners who are agile with a future-forward strategic mindset. There won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach to counter the deprecation of digital identifiers. Successful brand outcomes will depend on testing alternative solutions to build an ecosystem of verified tools for meaningful audience targeting.