According to Advertiser Perceptions newest Cookieless Future Report, publishers and advertisers were enthusiastic and unprepared just before Google Chrome postponed its phaseout of third-party cookies until late 2023.
The research is based on surveys and interviews conducted in April and May of this year. Still, the data is also an intriguing “snapshot in time” of the business, according to Advertiser Perceptions EVP of Business Intelligence Lauren Fisher.
Many publishers and advertisers had done little to no testing of new targeting and measurement technologies or developing a first-party data strategy.
On the other hand, Publishers and advertisers were hopeful that the reforms would be beneficial to the industry and their businesses.
Advertiser Perceptions polled 71% of advertisers and 67% of publishers, who stated they were optimistic that data privacy measures would benefit the industry in the long run.
Fisher believes that some of the industry’s optimism stems from GDPR and CCPA preparation. Advertisers, publishers, and ad tech have already seen tectonic shifts that threatened to bring their businesses to a halt. When real-world solutions were unavailable, the industry trusted that solutions would arise to address new regulations.
Despite the optimism, the poll results show that the sector required Google’s deadline extension.
According to the report, 58% of marketers are expanding their first-party data collecting capabilities, and 85% are assessing their ad tech and marketing partners to address the problem. According to Fisher, preparing for a cookie-free future can entail actively exploring new identity solutions or simply having internal strategic talks and educating senior teams.
Publishers have progressed further in their post-third-party cookie transition, according to Fisher. It’s no surprise, she says, because publishers are on the “front lines” of this transformation. Brands must rethink their marketing spending, but it’s a matter of life and death for publishers.
The key challenge, according to Fisher, is sustaining a sense of urgency now that the pressing deadline at the end of the year has passed.
According to Fisher, publishers are expected to keep the momentum going by investing in first-party data targeting and measurement tools. According to Advertiser Perceptions statistics, 71% of publishers spend in first-party collection, and a third invest on Privacy Sandbox plans in the next six months.
They will have more time to authenticate their audience based on email addresses if they wait for a few years longer. She explained that publishers could use the data to create targeting features such as improved contextual offerings or cohort-based bundles.
According to Fisher, only one out of every ten advertisers examined had a sophisticated first-party data strategy. Advertisers who have reviewed their ad tech providers and measurement procedures for third-party cookie deprecation are much more likely to be experimenting with new targeting options.
According to Fisher, if marketers continue to evaluate their ad tech stack and programmatic methods, demand for new targeting strategies should grow.
