Cookies have been foundational to programmatic advertising for more than a quarter century. Now that they are being discontinued, brands, marketers, and advertisers all have cause for concern. But here is the catch: consumers never liked cookies—and that matters. Customer experience (CX) has become one of the most crucial drivers of business success, so the end of cookies should be embraced as not only an inevitability, but an opportunity.
The fact is that people are tired of being the product. They no longer want to feel like brands are following them around the web, and that their data is being bought and sold without their consent. With 25 years of internet advertising methods being disrupted, it is time to decide what the next quarter century will look like.
As consumer privacy controls increase, advertisers face signal loss. Campaign ROI is diminishing, measurability and targetability for marketing programs have been reduced, and brands are trying to gauge how to communicate effectively without being able to concretely identify consumer interests and behaviours.
How can brands continue to deliver relevant digital advertising to consumers in a post-cookie world? The answer to that question is a work in progress, but as we saw in the MasterConnect panel discussion, industry leaders are already thinking about how to adjust and adapt. Here are three of the top themes they shared.
Customer sentiment needs to be taken seriously
Alexandra Panousis from Dentsu Media Canada puts it simply: “Start with your customer,” she says. “Figure out what’s working. Stop the jargon and stop the antiquated ways of measuring performance. Look at your entire funnel.”
This monumental shift in the industry was instigated by consumer demands. So it is up to brands to honour those demands by uncovering ways to engage, understand, and delight users. First-party data will be a major differentiator in the near future, but in order to collect it, organizations have to think critically about the value exchange they offer consumers.
“If you’re going to ask for information, make sure you’re entertaining consumers or sharing something of importance,” says Panousis. While it may be nearly impossible to have a perfect view of the customer in a privacy-first future, brands can consider asking for additional data points during the registration process, while also doubling down on owned channels like email, loyalty programs, brand apps, and social media.
Ultimately, it is important to remain focused on the fundamental metrics of profits and sales, while uncovering new ways to measure user touchpoints. “I would audit your CX value chain and then look at solutions that are built for the long term,” says Panousis.
The months ahead are a major learning opportunity
The changes that are coming may be dramatic, but that does not mean they should be a source of panic…
