The age of tracking customers with cookies is nearly over. Firefox and Safari already block tracking cookies by default, and Google is set to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome by 2024.
Marketers are well-aware of this looming deadline, but less clear about what to do next. But one thing’s for sure, in a cookieless future, they’ll need a new way to build meaningful customer relationships based on respect, understanding, and truth.
What will this look like in reality? And how will the big stakeholders in the programmatic ecosystem be affected when brands execute media based primarily on first-party data?
A chance to build authentic brand relationships
We believe first-party PII (Personally Identifiable Information) will be the currency of this new media ecosystem. Which, when you consider the current state of play, represents a major shift.
Today, data onboarders such as Liveramp and Neustar sit between brands and the media ecosystem: they take in a brand’s PII and push an anonymized audience (identified by third-party cookies) to publishers and trade desks.
But with the end of third-party cookies, brands will be able to establish a direct connection with publishers and deliver more tailored messaging that resonates more deeply with their desired audience.
However, the strength of those relationships will hinge on brand trust. To earn that, brands will need to source and use PII in a way that’s responsible and respects customer privacy.
How should publishers respond?
Premium publishers will be at an advantage in this PII-driven future, having already adopted first-party data collection (via subscriptions).
However, most publishers live in Programmatic’s ‘Goldilocks zone’ — they have desirable content, desirable audiences, and just enough of both that they could sustain themselves on cookies alone.
Similarly to brands, these publishers will need to walk their own tightrope — finding ways to engage their audiences while capturing PII (such as an email address) to generate revenue, all in a privacy-compliant way.
How to succeed in a PII-driven era.
By shifting to a PII-based approach for analytics and audience reach, digital marketers will earn a seat at the big table when it comes to performance measurement. And brands will be closer to their ad spend and its efficiency.
Of course, there’ll be challenges along the way. As brands start to receive vast amounts of raw media performance data, they’ll need to consolidate and analyze it to identify meaningful audience trends and insights.
In a privacy-first era, brands and partners will also need to compliantly handle and manage PII to maintain customer trust. Those that do will have a clear advantage in this future ecosystem, as a fumble or misuse of data will still be disastrous for brands and publishers alike.
At Acxiom, we have decades of experience as leaders in data privacy and compliance. Our first-party identity solution, Real Identity, can help you understand your audience on a human level, and connect with them in ways that always feel respectful.
To find out more, including how we can help you create a first-party PII strategy, get in touch today.
