With the clock ticking on third-party cookies, brands need to plan for the disruptions tomorrow by rethinking data strategies today. Download the new dentsu global report, The Cookieless World - A Guide for the New Era of Digital Marketing, to read our latest insights on the topic.  

The global demand for privacy is one of the most consequential consumer dynamics at play today. Across the globe, 91% of consumers are concerned about the amount of data companies can collect about them,ⁱ and 42% have taken steps to reduce the amount of data they share online.ⁱⁱ In light of this demand for increased privacy, most technology platforms have recently implemented or announced restrictions around data collection and user tracking through their web browsers and operating systems. 

The end of third-party cookies and the rise of other types of tracking prevention impact organisations across three key dimensions. 

• First, it transforms the conditions of data management, making the notions of user consent and positive value exchange key considerations for organisations. 
• Then, it modifies how brands engage with people online, limiting some of the most widespread digital marketing tactics, such as retargeting. 
• Finally, it changes how brands measure performance, making the path to conversion murkier.

Some alternative routes are already known, such as the all-important first-party data sources. Other routes are still in development, such as Google’s Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoCs), each with different potentials for scale, levels of investment needed, and infrastructure requirements.

For most brands, business continuation and growth are not likely to come from a single alternative, but from a blend of alternatives unique to their needs. In many instances, we believe it will likely be based on a combination of first-party data relationships, partnerships with walled gardens, non audience-based targeting solutions such as contextual targeting, and hybrid measurement models. 

It is fine if your organisation hasn’t figured out the best option yet. You are not running behind as there is still time to adapt – but you shouldn’t wait any longer to plan your transition to a new model. 

To help you be ready when the world becomes cookieless, our marketing and data specialists share their latest insights in the new dentsu report, The Cookieless World - A Guide for the New Era of Digital Marketing. Download your complimentary copy today.

^{i Microsoft Advertising in partnership with iProspect, 2020 Consumer Privacy and Brand Trust Survey, Dec 2019 – Mar 2020, as featured in the report In Brands We Trust, published in April 2020} 

^{ii Dentsu, Decoding Data Dynamics: Digital Society Index 2020, Global survey of 32,000 respondents}