Experienced marketer says Google’s delay of third-party cookies a ‘lifeline for marketers’

Google announced last week that it is delaying its plans to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome browser for campaign management, targeting, and measurement to mid-late 2023.

Google said the delay would give publishers, advertisers and regulators more time to adapt to the “new technologies it’s creating” to enable targeted ads after cookies are phased out, providing the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) signs-off on Google’s commitments and updated timeline.

Founder of Landmarks ID, James Fogelberg said Google’s delay of third-party cookies is a ‘lifeline for marketers’

And experienced marketer and founder James Fogelberg of Landmarks ID, a mobile location intelligence platform, told Mumbrella the delay is a “lifeline for marketers” and the industry really needs to shift its focus to first-party data.

“In our world, there are two types of marketers, those who have invested in first-party data, and future-proofed themselves, and those who have not. If you’re in the latter group, you’ve just been given a lifeline by Google to get yourselves in a better position prior to the exchange that will soon take place,” Fogelberg said.

“We look at it as if a marketer can either continue to tread water for the next two years, or you can jump on-board the first-party life-raft, and for us first-party is the future, and brands who have invested in that space are already seeing the benefits.”

Fogelberg added that when it comes to advertising on mobile devices, 84% of Australian consumers opted out of sharing their mobile advertising ID.

“This tells us that most consumers aren’t particularly happy with third-party advertising, they’re not okay with the status quo. So, if you’re a brand or a media company, do you want to continue with the status quo or move to the future,” Fogelberg said.

The head of regulatory and advisory, at the Association for Data-Driven Advertising and Marketing (ADMA), Sarla Fernando added: “While this is a welcomed change as it gives marketers more time, this does not mean we should delay our activity in addressing cookies as this just gives us more time to be thorough. This also still doesn’t change what Apple is doing and what Safari and Firefox have already done, deprecating cookies.

“This gives marketers a good opportunity. We knew that cookies were not necessarily the most effective and efficient way to target people in the way they wanted to be targeted. We also know that cookies’ policies are becoming a part of privacy laws in any case. ”

Fernando shared that consumer expectation, requirements of transparency together with changes to privacy are all moving in the same direction as Google.

“Prudent and responsible marketers need to continue on the same path they were on a couple of weeks ago, preparing themselves for an inevitable future, regardless of the application date just one of the platforms gives.

“Essentially cookies made us lazy marketers in some areas. Why would we go back? We shouldn’t squander this opportunity to build first party data and understand other targeting opportunities which will inevitably be better for our consumers, our brands, our team’s skill sets and ultimately our marketing budgets,” she said.

Fernando concluded that regulators around the world are shaking things up, and that cookies shouldn’t be seen in isolation to that shake up.