Google Chrome Eliminating Third-Party Cookies: Through The Eyes Of A Digital Marketer

Death of Third-Party Cookies – The New Normal

2023 is the year where digital marketers, advertisers, and publishers, who are heavily dependent on third-party cookies, will encounter a major change as well as face new challenges. The demise of third-party cookies has been on the horizon for some time and Google has announced that these third-party cookies will permanently be taken away.

As a normal user, you wouldn’t have to see those windows popping up with your favorite dress or the latest gadget you have viewed.

But what about digital marketing experts?

Cookies are a small bit of information that a website stores on our devices. And when we revisit that particular website, the browser remembers this information and resends the data back to our site. For instance, if we browse about a dress, the cookies would record details regarding the particular brand, type of dress, size, etc.

When you revert to this site, it would suggest you dress from that particular brand, price range, size. In simple words, cookies transform a general website into our personalized website, storing the user’s preference on the site. Cookies are basically of three types such as HTTP cookies, Session cookies, and Third-Party cookies.

What are third-party cookies?

Google’s declaration of the death of third-party cookies by 2023 had eventually turned out to be a privacy revolution in the digital world. Third-party cookies are created by domains that are not the domain (website) you’re visiting. They are small data collectors that analyze the way you are using a website, track your search history, your interest, and your behavior. If third-party cookies get your browsing information, there is a high risk of them misusing it, as these sites are sometimes run by hackers.

They can also log in to your account without a password using these cookies. Though the change in privacy setting was supposed to happen this year, Google has decided to extend it to 2023. This gives ample time for marketers and advertisers to adapt to the new changes.

What Is The Role Of Third-Party Cookies in Digital Marketing?

Cookies play a vital role in marketing and advertising strategies. They are used for site tracking techniques and display through email retargeting. It helps in understanding the customer’s interests, behavior, and demands. The death of third-party cookies will change how digital ads are targeted and tracked.

To cater to the new normal: without the use of third-party cookies, advertisers and marketers must have an effective digital marketing strategy that encompasses personalized marketing to replace one-on-one interactions to stay connected with the customers. And not all cookies are banned and marketers can use first-party generate and store data related to the customers.

How Digital Marketing Is Going To Survive?

The declaration of the death of third-party cookies by 2023 has created great uncertainty among digital marketers and advertisers. We know for sure one cannot give up on digital marketing for this sole reason.

According to Google, most publishers could lose 50-70% of their income if they don’t rethink their approach to data management by 2022. The elimination of third-party cookies will lead to the shrinking of ad personalization. Digital Marketers and advertisers have to focus on developing a new method completely relying on first-party data or should develop some alternative strategies that are not third-parties cookies.

Even though Google delayed blocking third-party cookies until 2023, it is still necessary to be prepared at the earliest with an alternate strategy for a cookie-less world that is approaching.

If you haven’t still started with an alternate plan, here are some tips to navigate a cookie-free future for your digital world:

• Rely on your first-party data to retarget existing customers and use that data to create lookalike audiences.
• Convert to a Single Sign-On platform, where while logging onto your app, customers are automatically logged onto other apps, giving you data to track their behavior by providing a better online experience.
• Survey at regular intervals by inviting customers to voluntarily share their likes dislikes habits using polls, questions, etc.
• Marketers should take advantage of datasets that will help to identify the core audience and partners to work with.

How Digital Marketers Will Benefit From The Elimination of Third-Party Cookies?

Along with the announcement of the elimination of third-party cookies, Google has also made it clear they would not be developing any alternative to replace third-party cookies. In a way, it is a great step in ensuring the safety of the users as it helps us to be in control of our data. This provides an opportunity for marketers to try other methods such as:

Final Thoughts

Businesses need to be cautious about the elimination of third-party cookies as they were one of the prime influencing factors behind a successful digital marketing campaign. A lot of brainstorming is required to find a way around it, and digital marketing experts always are on the lookout for new and innovative ways that would help their clients adapt to the ever-changing ecosystem.