47% Of Marketers Have Already Replaced Third-Party Cookies With Identity

After years of kicking the can and multiple failed replacement experiments, Google finally abandoned all plans to get rid of third-party cookies on Google Chrome.

So, after all that, how do marketers feel about the decision?

Well, some are most likely breathing a sigh of relief. But many forward-thinking brands have already ditched their dependency on third-party cookies and found a better way to do things. Wunderkind, the AI-powered performance marketing platform helping 700+ brands trade cookies for identity, surveyed 100+ marketing executives to see how they truly feel about the tracking system.

At A Topline: 

• 61% expressed concern over Google’s plans to phase out its cookie-tracking technology.
• 63% said 3P cookies still play a major role in their brands’ advertising strategies.

How Brands Are Preparing: 

• 69% are turning to owned channels like email and SMS.
• 75% are turning to 1P data collected on their own sites as an alternative.
• 52% are implementing zero-party data.

Future-Proof Replacements: 

• However, 78% said their marketing teams are extremely or very concerned about consumer privacy. 
• That's why nearly half (47%) are turning to identity resolution as 3P cookie alternative.

"If Google does continue with third-party cookies, the brands that continue to rely on them will struggle to fund that ad channel as CPMs continue to increase, especially come election year which drives costs even higher," said Tim Glomb, VP of digital, content and AI at Wunderkind.

"This will open doors to the brands that have invested heavily in first-party data, which can power hyper-personalized messaging on owned channels like email and SMS and are proven to beat banner ads or third-party advertising by well over 100%. There was never a question if first-party data was better than third-party cookies, it was just a question of who cared to build direct relationships with their consumers versus snooping, tracking, and relying on advertising to drive short-term revenue. The brands that build direct relationships with consumers will win their categories with increased revenue and higher customer lifetime value through loyalty and advocacy."