Google Delays Cookieless Tracking, yet again!

It seems like just a few months ago (in January to be exact) we were talking about the deprecation of third-party cookies in 2024 and How to Navigate the New Normal in Digital Marketing, but like many failed new year resolutions, this diet just got pushed to next year!

Google announced they are postponing until early 2025. This doesn’t necessarily come as a shock to many marketers, due to the history of delays and complications this process has already seen. 

“This is the third time Google has postponed the deprecation of 3rd party cookies from their Chrome browser.” states Vera Shafiq, our VP of Digital Strategy. “This is largely because the rollout of their Privacy Sandbox – an initiative led by Google to develop new technologies that balance user privacy with the needs of online advertisers – has been delayed.” 

The main reasons for the delay? 

• Technical challenges that Google has faced with addressing proper functionality of targeting in Privacy Sandbox 
• Google having to address regulatory scrutiny, especially from the UK’s CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) who believe that Privacy Sandbox could give Google an unfair advantage.
  

In January of this year, Google began restricting third-party cookie access for 1% of users on Chrome. The original plan was for this percentage to gradually increase to 100% by the end of 2024. Browsers like Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge have already dropped the crumbs in prior years, but with Chrome making up nearly 65% of browser usage there is still over half of the web being tracked.

Advertisers have relied on cookies to follow user behavior and target ads with pinpoint precision. Going forward, we can get creative, and shift focus to things like contextual targeting but ultimately brands will need to ensure clean, accurate and detailed data of their customers and followers to leverage for future proof marketing. 

And while the deprecation of cookies have been delayed again, don’t let your sweet tooth distract you from the end goal. With continued support for regulatory changes and evolving privacy concerns, marketers must prepare. Our VP of Marketing Technology, Jim Halligan, urges marketers to take this additional time seriously; “With this updated timeline, Google is giving brands more time to master their first party data and measurement strategies, so the next 2 quarters will be paramount in getting those solutions in place”. 

So whether you crave them or not, this is not a fad diet. Cookieless marketing is here to stay. Are you prepared for the deprecation of third-party cookies? Reach out to Location3 for help, we can guide you through the new way of marketing!