After multiple delays, it’s official. The third-party cookie wasn’t the problem after all, and it’s here to stay.
Well, sort of.
In case you missed it, Google Chrome and the Privacy Sandbox team posted an update today (July 22nd), proposing a different approach to user choice “instead of deprecating third-party cookies”.
So that’s it folks. We can forget the Privacy Sandbox, turn off the alternative ID solutions, and shred those first-party data strategies… because the cookie lives on!
The reality is something quite different. The outlook for the future isn’t changing, the path to get there just may be a little smoother without a drop-dead date for the cookie and the chaos that may have caused.
See, the problem all along has been about user choice and respecting privacy rights. That’s still in view here, as Chrome is going to be making it easier for users to make informed choices and opt out of cookie-based targeting – an approach some of us at Freestar have argued would have been a better starting point years ago. And there’s a reason Chrome isn’t ditching the Privacy Sandbox, as they still see the need for “privacy-preserving alternatives”.
The relative market coverage of third-party cookies will only continue to decline over time. Privacy regulations continue to come in focus across the globe, where user choice can already prevent the use of third-party cookies. I haven’t seen any announcement about Safari bringing back cookies, have you? We’re also bringing up a generation that is more tech-savvy than ever and capable of ensuring their rights are respected in a technical arena. And that doesn’t even get into the shortcomings of the third-party cookie itself as it doesn’t solve for cross-device identity.
We’ve already posted about the huge opportunity that exists now in cookie-challenged environments, where publishers can recover significant revenue by improving the accessibility and addressability of this inventory for buyers.
So the industry MUST continue to progress on developing privacy-friendly advertising solutions that will operate in the absence of third-party cookies. Otherwise, advertisers will be competing with a shrinking subset of users in Chrome and missing out on the positive outcomes that premium audiences in cookieless environments and emerging channels can deliver.
Freestar will continue to invest in solutions that respect user privacy preferences and drive value for publishers and advertisers across all browsers – with or without cookies. We will still lead innovation across our strategic pillars: Supporting first-party data, testing alternative identity solutions, and advocating for publishers in industry working groups.
