Beyond the ‘crumble’: A publisher’s perspective on the cookie demise
Third-party cookies put publishers in a unique position for marketers to leverage. But how can they do this properly to get the best results? News Corp Australia's commercial product director, William Ryan, tells all.
Publisher networks are a rich source of first party data, and experts in understanding how to engage their audience (proven by the simple fact that they have an audience to begin with). The demise of third-party cookies places publishers in a unique position to continue to evolve the digital space, helping marketers translate data into business outcomes.
So how do marketers and agencies navigate the Australian publisher market to make the best long term choices in the pursuit of replacing what cookies are leaving behind?
It starts by choosing partners who can offer a diverse understanding of audience interests; sporting fans can also be fashion lovers, fashion lovers are tech enthusiasts. People aren’t one dimensional. The greater diversity publishers can offer brands in assessing the content which holds audience attention, the greater the insight they can offer in the pursuit of engaging them.
Enabling brands to connect with users on a deeper level, understanding their multifaceted interests and creating relevant advertising strategies without reliance on invasive tracking methods. In tandem, the more publishers invest in content strategies designed to capture broader audiences, the more valuable their data becomes.
An example of this is the development of News.com.au Checkout – finding, reaching and influencing high-intent audiences ready to buy is the underpinning of all performance marketing strategies. News.com.au’s Checkout is designed to capture retail-led search with content which guides users through the purchase decision; obviously a benefit for the user, but also enhancing the opportunity for brands to reach these shoppers at the heart of their decision making process.
Diverse content enables more precise audience segmentation. Audiences’ varied interests mirror brands’ complex narratives, and partnering with those who can profile your buyers and reach them with tailored communication is crucial.
Beyond the importance of a diverse first-party offering is the partnerships that publishers bring to the table. Brands can gain a comprehensive view of their target market through secured data partnerships independent of third-party technology, which provide segmentation not easily or readily attainable alone.
Keeping with the theme of data accessibility; who makes it easy to access and market to a brand’s own customers? Remarketing has been a core underpinning of the “third-party sell” for more than a decade. A simple strategy that allows you to reach your customers easily. As third party cookies depreciate, choosing the right data clean room or ID solution needs to be looked at by businesses through a dual lens; deciding on the right technology fit for their marketing needs, and assessing your ability to utilise IDs on relevant publisher platforms that deliver the benefits to achieve your advertising needs.
Publishers invested in content and audience diversity, beneficial data partnerships and an array of customer match solutions deliver the means to successfully navigate away from marketing’s reliance on third-party infrastructure.
News Corp Australia’s growth in each of these areas since 2020 has been purposefully crafted to help Australian marketers continue to deliver high quality data driven business outcomes. Intent Connect, the underpinning of NCAs audience capability, offers access to near unlimited audience possibilities ensuring partners can find, reach and convert high-intent audiences from the content that inspires them.
This also offers multiple avenues for clients to match their data safely and securely to News Corp Australia’s 16.8 million monthly digital audience through partnered solutions like LiveRamp and Infosum, as well as integrated customer match solutions, which continue to deliver customer value post conversion.
When all of this comes together, the results speak for themselves. In a recent travel industry study, News Corp Australia was able to deliver 75% uplift to client conversion rates through the targeting of complex intender audiences, paired with an immersive interactive video experience. In another study, combining in-house data science capabilities with high-intent audiences generated through News.com.au Checkout drove a 61% uplift to video engagement rates. News Corp Australia is well-equipped to guide marketers through the intricacies of audience segmentation in a cookieless future, leveraging advanced data analytics and audience insights to deliver significant performance enhancements.
Publisher networks are at the forefront of the shift from third-party cookies, offering marketers a gateway to deep audience engagement. First party data sourced from direct user interactions with a broad spectrum of content, provides a complex view of your target market, revealing detailed consumer interests and behaviours. News Corp Australia is at the forefront of this trend, crafting tools and technologies that enable marketers to harness data for optimal outcomes as the digital landscape evolves.
William Ryan is commercial product director at News Corp Australia.
