Third-Party Cookies Are Here to Stay, At Least for Now!

Preparations for a major shift in the digital advertising industry were put on pause this week as Google’s plans for a big change on the horizon were abruptly canceled.

Amid growing data privacy concerns, Google announced in 2020 that it was officially phasing out third-party cookies, a mechanism used for online tracking and advertising. However, after multiple delays and scrutiny from advertisers and government organizations (including the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority), Google has reconsidered and will now explore a new path for protecting user privacy while keeping cookies in place.

The 2020 announcement came in the wake of several other key privacy-oriented developments in the industry at the time, such as:

• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which have expanded to Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and Utah
• iOS 14.5 in 2021, which offered users new privacy controls

Encouraged by the stability and, in many cases, growth of our digital campaigns over the last few years, TriMark’s Paid Media team has come to embrace these privacy initiatives with eyes and arms wide open.

The Latest Update

Google shared the news on Monday in an article published on their Privacy Sandbox blog. Regarding what prompted the change, Google stated that eliminating third-party cookies would require “significant work” by members of the online advertising community and would have a major impact on both advertisers and publishers. They noted that, therefore, they will now focus on a new approach that instead “elevates user choice” when it comes to their privacy.

Another development noted in the blog is Google’s intention to offer more privacy controls for all users, including IP Protection in Incognito mode on Chrome, similar to Apple’s iCloud Private Relay feature that launched alongside iOS 15 in 2021.

For context, Google’s Privacy Sandbox launched in 2019 as a set of open standards designed to protect user privacy while still allowing companies to build thriving online businesses through ads.

Originally slated to disappear in 2022, the balancing act of appeasing both regulatory bodies and advertisers forced Google to push the cookie deprecation initiative three times since 2020, the latest of which occurred in April of this year.

What’s Next?

Initial commentary suggests that the onus of privacy protection will be placed back on the users. On Chrome, users will have the option to share their information with websites and advertisers, similar to iOS’s “ask app not to track” option. It seems like Google is taking a page from its fellow FAANG member’s playbook, Apple, to find practical but effective ways to handle this delicate situation.

Although the convenience of this change not happening is undeniable, advertisers should remain committed to collecting first-party data and leveraging privacy-conscious solutions for their clients and the end user. 

The Path Forward for Digital Advertising

Ultimately, TriMark’s goal is to drive strong performance while also providing privacy, security and peace of mind for your web visitors.

We balance both goals without compromising campaign performance by:

• Capturing and acting on first-party data wherever possible, both for use in retargeting and building lookalike models
• Using Salesforce and other CRM integrations to track leads through to the final sale
• Implementing cookieless solutions like Adelphic/TTD/El Toro, which allow us to target without relying on third-party cookies
• Appending opt-in language on ad units when necessary, like Meta Instant Forms

Are your campaigns set up for success in today’s shifting paid media landscape? Let’s talk.