3rd-party Cookies

Over the past two years, the entire advertising industry has been lively discussing the impending deprecation of third-party cookies and its implications for each side of the ecosystem. There are countless articles outlining the general concept of Google’s Privacy Sandbox and its alternatives, as well as assumptions on what will happen to the industry as a whole. However, when it comes to frequency capping – one of the most important tools for both publishers and advertisers, and arguably the least controversial one privacy-wise – there is not enough media coverage, apart from some calls to address the topic.

The testing season of cookieless tools has started with the announcement of Origin Trials for the Privacy Sandbox proposals. Adtech is now filled with various opportunities for testing – contextual targeting, identity solutions, first-party publisher’s audience data, or group-based methods. It is high time to leave feedback about specific tools in the places where it matters.

In this Media Review, we describe the most important findings from the 2022 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, the status of Google’s preparations for disabling third-party cookies, Apple’s updates in its SKAdNetwork documentation that change the game for mobile ad-tech, and more.

In this media review, you can find out more about the latest Google announcements concerning the 3rd-party cookie phase out being postponed until 2024 [Note: In April 2024, it was further postponed until early 2025] and the tests expansion for the Privacy Sandbox for the Web, the news connected with Google’s Origin Trials and Topics API, as well as the reboot to the EU’s digital rulebook by the European parliament—DSA and DMA.

Consumer tech companies, like Samsung, operate in an environment with high average order values (AOVs) but long gaps between conversions. This means it is essential to maximize individual sales and build brand loyalty that lasts long after a purchase is complete. Companies can best do this by building direct connections with their customers across a variety of sales channels. However, this means overcoming the challenges posed by the loss of access to third-party cookies in the oncoming cookieless future.

The end of third-party tracking cookies is on the horizon, but it’s not as bad as you might think. Despite concerns from some advertisers that losing third-party cookies will make it impossible to deliver personalized advertising, there are already a number of effective solutions in the works to ensure that users can still enjoy relevant ads, without any privacy fears.

Let’s take a quick dive into why third-party tracking cookies are being retired, what that means for your advertising strategy, and why it’s actually a good thing for both customers and advertisers.