Digital Recap: What to Do Without Cookies

Here are the latest digital marketing news and trends for the week of January 24, 2020.

What Are We Going to Do Without Cookies?

Google announced last week its intention of phasing out third-party cookies on its Chrome browser by 2022. This was huge news in the digital ad industry, as blocking cookies would force a massive shift in strategy for digital advertisers everywhere. Third-party cookies are at the center of the current digital universe because they allow advertisers to track, target, and serve ads to consumers.

While this might sound like doomsday for advertisers, Brad Nunn of Mediapost encourages us to consider it a “fresh opportunity” to transform. Here are a couple of strategies that Nunn thinks could be the next step in digital advertising.

User Logins: First-party data will become the predominant way to target users, giving the giants of digital media like Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon an even greater advantage when it comes to securing ad spend. The lack of third-party data will also, Nunn writes, lead to more publishers requiring user logins to read content as a way of bolstering their own first-party data.

OTT Advertising: OTT (over-the-top) advertising devices include Smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, Playstation, and any other online device that allows users to stream content. Nunn points to two advantages that OTT will enjoy in this new environment. As we already mentioned, login data from these devices will give advertisers the best targeting information. Second, OTT has never relied on cookies, which will upgrade its value on a more level playing field.

For more insight, read the full post here.

Mindfulness and Digital Marketing Can Co-Exist

The digital marketing world can be hectic and disorienting, which doesn’t necessarily lend itself to alignment as practiced in mindfulness. As Ria Sankar of Search Engine Journal explains, “In mindful practices like yoga, with every pose, we bring our mind, body, and breath in alignment to stretch out of our comfort zones…The same principles can be applied to excel in digital marketing.” So how can you stay introspective as a digital marketer?

Finding Purpose: This principle encourages us to look at the why instead of the what. Digital marketers are often distracted with the shiny object, looking to incorporate the newest tools and features as quickly as possible. Mindfulness allows marketers to step back and examine the purpose of the shiny object and then decide whether it will provide value to the customer.

Developing Empathy: Of the four principles put forth by Sankar, developing empathy provides the most direct correlation to marketing. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is at the heart of any marketing initiative. If a marketer can understand the unique goals of their audience, they can help them tackle their unique challenges.

For more mindful practices, including staying positive and expanding perspective, read Sankar’s full post here.