Markets, Don't Just Rest on Your Laurels Because Google Cookie Wipeout is Delayed

Most companies worldwide might have heaved a sigh of relief when Google further delayed the deprecation of third-party cookies. Whether this was an expected move by Google or not, it certainly benefits many within the industry. While businesses and marketers are rejoicing, consumers are now left wondering what would be of their privacy.

Wunderman Thompson's Asia Pacific chief strategy and transformation officer, Justin Peyton, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that this is disappointing from a consumer point of view. "The move away from cookies was designed to protect consumer privacy and further delays to the changes equate to further delays to protecting that privacy," he said. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that it is probably an indication that many advertisers are still unprepared for the switch.

Anthony Chavez, Google's VP, Privacy Sandbox said in a recent blog post that the team received feedback that the industry needed more time to evaluate and test the Privacy Sandbox before wiping out third-party cookies. Peyton agreed, saying that Google is not working to protect its own interests. Instead, this was likely a response to industry readiness. "The truth is that the deprivation of cookies has the potential to be a value driver for Google as it makes their logged in understanding even more valuable," he added.

Nonetheless, this extended period does not mean companies should rest on their laurels. "These delays should not be seen by brands as a window of opportunity in which to relax, but rather a period where good strategy can offer a significant advantage when the change does happen," Peyton said. Hence, he encourages brands to develop and test sustainable targeting strategies such as using contextual data signals, logged-in user data from the platforms and a first-party data strategy.

‍

Read more 👉 here.

‍