Google’s Shift Away from Third-Party Cookies and What it Means for Marketers

Here’s what marketers like you can do to avoid the challenges that come with the death of third-party cookies:

Emphasize First- and Zero-Party Data

As third-party cookies phase out, marketers are turning to:

• • First-party data: info collected directly from your audience or customers through their interactions with your website, app, or business.
    
    

• Examples: 

• • • • Website analytics (pages visited, time spent on site)
      • Purchase history from your online store
      • Email interaction data (open and click-through rates)
      • Customer feedback collected through surveys on your website
        
        
  • Zero-party data: information that customers intentionally share with a brand, such as preferences or how they want to be recognized by the brand.
    
    

• Examples:

• • • Preferences and interests shared through a preference center or profile settings
    • Responses to interactive quizzes or assessments that ask for personal insights
    • Direct feedback or product preferences shared via social media polls or surveys
    • Information shared during personalized marketing experiences, like choosing specific content topics or communication preferences

First-party cookies will never disappear—they’re strictly necessary for a website’s performance. Many marketing automation platforms use first-party cookies, such as Marketo. You can leverage this platform to continue with your tracking activities.

Zero-party data is equally important. We recommend tailoring your strategies to include interactive elements that encourage customers to voluntarily share their preferences.

Adapt to Privacy-Focused Alternatives

Embrace privacy-centric solutions, such as Google’s Privacy Sandbox, for improved privacy. Google is moving toward greater user privacy and improving audience engagement without intrusive tracking methods.

Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiatives, including the Topics API and Attribution Reporting API, enable interest-based ad targeting and performance analysis while preserving privacy. Pretty cool, right?

Focus on Native Advertising and Privacy-Preserving Ads

Marketers are turning to native advertising and privacy-preserving ad platforms, seamlessly integrating ads without invasive tracking.

These approaches match user privacy expectations to build trust between brands and audiences. By prioritizing valuable content and platforms that respect data protection, you can maintain your organization’s positive reputation and build meaningful relationships with your customers.

Return to Contextual Marketing

Want to know a great alternative to cookies?

Keyword research and context-based keyword advertising. 

Think of it this way—the focus of display ads is shifting toward optimizing the timing, placement, and relevance to drive higher click-through rates.

The emphasis is no longer on clients’ past online activity, but on tailoring ads based on the user’s current interests and behaviors.

Use your CRM to create precise customer profiles using first-party data. Then, leverage the data gathered from customer interactions to personalize marketing efforts through automation at scale.

Focus on Personalization

Since we’re on the topic of personalization, let’s dig into this concept some more.

When companies reframe their strategy around first-party data, the surge of in-session observations creates data that enables unique personalization.

According to the Commerce Next report Let’s Make a Deal, customers say a brand that “speaks to them”:

• Delivers messages effectively (47%)
• Showcases irresistible offers (30%)
• Demonstrates authenticity and transparency (29%)

This is not just an alternative strategy to collect customers’ data, as personalization also boosts engagement and enhances your brand’s image in the eyes of customers.

(Reminder: if you have no idea where to start with this, that’s a great reason to hire a certified CRM/marketing automation consultant to help you!)