The Cookie Lives On...

Jamie Clilverd on Google's latest stance on tracking cookies

Google have delayed their planned elimination of 3rd party cookies that are used on Chrome until late 2023. Previously they were planning to eliminate cookies by mid 2022.

The promise of protecting users is still in focus, but Google are also now considering the importance of providing publishers and tech companies protection from liquidity! Since the initial plans were shared in February, we’ve seen share prices plummet from some of the big tech players like The Trade Desk, Criteo, Adobe and many more. This delay ensures that by the time 3rd party cookies do fall off of Chrome, there will be identifiers in place which enable personalised targeting and unaffected digital measurement, whilst at the same time charting a better course for their ‘Privacy Sandbox’. We know that Google were heavily pressured from regulators to come up with an alternative solution to 3rd party cookies and lawsuits were being filed aplenty, but whether this delay is Google’s decision or their hand has been forced…the jury is still out on that one.

What shall we do now?

  1. Let’s not rest on our laurels...
    Yes Google have pushed the decision back, but 3rd party cookies will still come off Chrome eventually. When Google originally announced their plans, UM advised our clients that savvier targeting would be the result of this news as well as alternative measurement solutions to questionable post impression solutions. Targeting & measurement should still be challenged for more effectiveness, in some cases 3rd party cookies have clouded best practice. Essentially, we will ignore the 2023 deadline and continue with these spirited changes for the better…from now!

  2. 3rd party cookies aren’t all bad...
    They can allow us to understand site user behaviour and in turn, build audience frameworks to be utilised offline and online. Two years is a long time in digital media and certainly provides plenty of time to build a robust understanding of a site or brand’s users.

  3. Stay cynical...
    If Google announce they are U-turning on this decision completely as there are no better identifiers, will we be surprised? Absolutely not. Shock decisions from tech giants have been, and will continue to be, common place. There was a ripple of panic when Google released the initial news and now that panic has hopefully been alleviated…remember when TV was dead? 14m watched the Line of Duty finale this year…mother of god!

We would love to discuss our approach to Futureproofing data strategies with you in more detail, please let us know if you would like to arrange a meeting or have us present our approach to your teams