How to align your marketing in the Cookie-less future of 2025 & beyond
Google may have made a huge U-turn on deprecating third-party cookie tracking across its Chrome browser, but the dire challenges this decision poses to marketers remain.
A world without our favorite chocolate chips!
Third-party tracking, or Cookies as we know them, has existed since the early 1990s. The idea behind them is simple; to help advertisers track user behaviors across websites and recommend targeted ads as they browse.
However, recent shifts in data protection and privacy laws are gradually making major browser vendors begin to phase out third-party data collection in their apps, with Safari and Mozilla taking the lead.
To stay competitive, marketers need to shift focus on how customer data is collected and used in advertising campaigns with demand gen platforms like Google & Microsoft Ads.
In this article, we will be exploring the consequences of Google’s decision to phase 3rd Party data, the regulatory frameworks, and why marketers need to start focusing on first-party data for their business.
What are third-party Cookies?
Third-party cookies are small amounts of data stored on your device as you browse certain pages by advertisers. This is to understand your browsing behavior and recommend targeted ads towards you. Third-party cookies are shared by several advertisers solely for advertising purposes.
Timeline for browser Cookie phase-out
Since its inception in the early 1990s, third-party cookies have experienced several setbacks from privacy & Anti-trust institutions with the Financial Times declaring cookies “Unsafe” in 1997.
Since then, there have been several near-ban moments of 3rd party tracking with browsers like Mozilla and Apple Safari leading the charge to block third-party tracking completely by 2020.
That same year in 2020, Google announced plans to phase out third-party tracking in its Chrome browser. Initially planned to be completed in 2022, Google has postponed this decision every year till its final decision to halt deprecating third-party cookies and implement a system called Privacy Sandbox in mid-2024.
While Google may still have some questions to answer to privacy watchdog organizations in the future, enabling Privacy Sandbox in its Chrome browser is an ingenious way to keep Ads on for publishers.
According to Google, Privacy Sandbox is an innovative system to help users “opt-out of third-party cookies if they want to, but continue serving ads to users who still want to see them.”
The shift: Why Marketers need to prioritize first-party data
While third-party cookie tracking may not be going away soon because of Google’s U-turn, as marketers, envisioning a cookie-less world is in order. Data protection & privacy concerns have become a driving factor in ousting cookies since the early 2000’s.
With that, Marketers need to shift their focus from third to first-party data.
First-party data is all the information you collect from your customers willingly and store in your company database. Customers may revoke their data with you anytime they please, protecting their privacy. First-party data may include;
- Behavior on your customer website, app, or product
- Customer purchase history
- Survey data & feedback
- Company website forms
- Data from social media
- Email marketing data
- Data in your CRM
Why First-party data is significant for marketers in 2025 and beyond
1. Customer Insights:
Because customers give data to the brand freely, marketers can collaborate with customers to get detailed data for personalization purposes compared to data collected from other sources. This way, you can drill deep into customer pain points, while serving them with Ads that don’t feel like spying.
2. Meet Privacy Guidelines
One of the biggest disadvantages of third-party data that first-party data seeks to correct is privacy and data protection. Since First-party data is stored on the brand’s database and CPD platforms, customers can manage how their data is collected by the company helping them opt out or change preferences based on how they receive Ads.
3. InprovedData Accuracy
With third-party data, you are given customer behavior from third-party applications which may be incomplete or inferred. Take it this way, customers may reject cookie notices served on browsers. This may affect how data is collected as cookies need to be stored to collect all data from the customer. First-party data may be cross-checked to ensure accuracy and consistency.
How to align your marketing in the Cookie-less future of 2025 & beyond
- Focus on First-party data: Brands need to start focusing on mechanisms to collect data from customers without being invasive. This data will aid them in delivering personalized Ads that resonate well with the customers.
- Collaborate with Privacy Sandbox: Collaborate with Google and partners on how best to implement privacy sandbox to the benefit of your brand while keeping customers safe.
- Implement Contextual Advertising: Begin showing relevant ads on context to customers rather than their behavioral or individual identity. For example, If someone is reading an article about hiking gear, the ads shown might be for outdoor apparel, hiking boots, or camping equipment. Customers may appreciate this form of Ad compared to showing them ads on crypto.
- Build Data Transparency with Customers: Gain customer trust by communicating how data is collected and used. Transparent practices show respect for their privacy, making them more likely to share their information willingly.
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