Emerging identity solutions in the face of a cookie-less future

Emerging identity solutions in the face of a cookie-less future

04 November 2021 |

Media and Advertising Industry

With new laws and regulations surfacing around website transparency and data collection, advertisers have been scrambling to find a solution for the death of the cookie. The phasing out of third-party cookies, however, isn’t a recent thing. It has been occurring slowly over the past few years, most notably with browsers blocking third party tracking such as Safari in 2017, Firefox in 2018, and Chrome in 2020. Apple has also begun implementing new changes to its software and how it tracks users with its iOS 14.15 update and app tracking transparency feature.

 

However, the sunsetting of third-party cookies is not necessarily the end. When one door closes, another one usually opens. In this case, that door leads to a variety of new and innovative ways for brands & advertisers to continue to reach the right consumers in the right environment. These alternatives include:

  • Unique IDs: which use login details to track and target a user online
  • Publisher 1st Party Data: which is 1st-party cookie data from a publisher’s website
  • Predictive Audiences: which helps classify an unknown user or audience into distinct personas
  • IP address identification: relying on the user’s IP address to track and serve targeted ads
  • The Chrome Privacy Sandbox: rolled out in early 2021, this will enable the Chrome browser to track your browsing activity and predict advertising you may be interested in (rather than relying on the third-party cookie).

 

While these emerging solutions remain new and aren’t widely tested, they look promising. With 45% of Australian users now unreachable via traditional audience targeting using cookies, the potential benefits are well worth any initial adjustment period or learning curve.

Using one or more of these unique cookliesless alternatives in conjunction with existing strategies such as contextual targeting can enable brands to reach the right users. Implementing these solutions will ultimately help advertisers drive more effective media outcomes.

 

Brands now face the challenge of investigating which identity solution is right for them; and learning how to activate it. ADMATIC’s team of dedicated experts are willing to help your brand understand the ins and outs of identity targeting and how to prepare for a cookie-less future. Reach out to your ADMATICian with any concerns or queries.