• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 25, 2024

Publishers are at least somewhat ready for third-party cookie deprecation. And most are moving toward the best practice of replacing cookies with first-party data, according to a study by BlueConic and WBR Insights.

But there are many hurdles and not all respondents are at the same level. The 100 publishers polled say they are:

• Very prepared: We have a clear plan in place to help us take advantage of third-party cookie deprecation to grow our revenue—12% 
• Mostly prepared: We have a plan in place to minimize any negative impact to our revenue—45% 
• Somewhat prepared: We have a plan in place that is not yet finalized, but should minimize any negative impact to our revenue—36% 
• Not prepared at all: We do not have a plan in place and we are concerned about losing significant revenue—3% 
• Not a priority: Third-party cookie deprecation will not have a significant impact on our business—3% 

Here is what they are doing about it:

• Building our own first-party data asset with a customer data platform, data warehouse, or other data collection technology—78% 
• Investing in alternative identity providers to replace cookies—66% 
• Investing in Data Clean Rooms to build second-party audiences—60% 
• Using the Google Privacy Sandbox to replace cookies—51% 
• I don’t know/none of these apply—1% 

Of those surveyed, 85% have customer data platforms. 

Are companies really using first-party data? Yes—to some degree. They say:

• First-party data is fundamental to our revenue strategy—38% 
• We use first-party data in some areas of our revenue strategy, but not extensively—37%
• We underutilize first-party data as part of our revenue strategy—8% 
• We do not use first-party data at all as part of our revenue strategy—37%

However, there are serious challenges that can affect a brand's ability to evolve over the next five years: 

• Changes to social media platform algorithms—59% 
• Navigating privacy and data regulations—48%
• Economic and market fluctuations—47% 
• Subscription fatigue—33% 
• Impact of AI on content generation—23% 
• Lack of first-party data and customer understanding—20% 
• Cash flow and expenses—20%
• Competing with emerging platforms (e.g., TikTok, virtual/augmented)—17% 
• Adopting to third-party cookie deprecation—17% 
• Impact of AI on search—16%

Advertising remains the leading activity as publishers offer these products: 

• Programmatic advertising—75% 
• Direct sold advertising—61% 
• Events—60%
• Premium Services (e.g., data products, org charts, etc.)—55%
• Individual subscriptions—43% 
• Commerce (i.e., selling your own products)—41%
• Group subscriptions—37% 
• Affiliate—28%

And how do they expect to make money over the next five years? They cite:

• Advertising revenue—92% 
• Events—61% 
• Subscription models—54%
• Ecommerce—39% 
• Pay-per-content or microtransactions—35%
• Affiliate—31% 

Publishers cite economic headwinds as their greatest concern in 2024. But a scale that includes all levels of concern, that problem is second:

• Decreasing web traffic—3.45
• Economic headwinds—3.26
• Third-party cookie deprecation—3.02
• Subscription fatigue—2.69
• The impact of generative AI—2.58

The survey was conducted in February and March 2024. The respondents described their businesses as follows:

• Broadcasting—39%
• B2C digital-only publisher—21% 
• B2C magazine or special interest—15% 
• B2B publisher—13%
• B2C newspaper—12%