Adapting to Cookie Changes

3rd Party Cookies(3PC) connect two unconnected instances of the user's action across the web. The digital advertising ecosystem has become more and more powerful in the last decade due to 3PC. Apple introduced intelligent tracking prevention(ITP) in 2018 and subsequently sharpened it over the next 3 years. It blocked 3PC in Safari as part of ITP. Event browsers like Firefox and Brave did the same. Everyone expects Chrome to do the same. Apple has been quite vocal about its ad campaign lately. However, overall, Chrome browser's market share has remained the same for the last 3 to 4 years. Also, Chrome couldn't come up with any alternative to 3PC that would satisfy the regulator. Hence, they decided not to deprecate 3PC and planned to keep it as an opt-out option. However, the most valuable users for them and other tech companies come from iOS. So, what are you doing to fight the third-party cookie depreciation? Moving to first-party data(FPD). But, the FPD is constrained by its reach. Lately, tech giants have been consolidating their data. - Meta joined hands with Amazon for direct shopping ads. - Pinterest opened its inventory to Google Ads. - Shopify opens its site's data to Meta (Shopify's audience). - Twitter opens its ad inventory to Google Ads. - Google indexing TikTok and Instagram videos to enrich their search results. One more partnership happened on this list recently. TikTok is partnering with Amazon to offer in-app shopping. This list will grow further in the coming days. Until there is no difference between the first-party and the third-party data.

The pressure is increasing on channel marketing to deliver at a new level of scale, complexity, and personalization, and to figure out the people, processes, programs and underlying technology that will drive competitive advantage in the AI era. Gone are the days where you could kick out some MDF dollars, co-sponsor a few customer events, slap your partner's logo on a brochure, and call it a day. With the emergence of a new digital-first (or digital-only) buyer, a platform economy which favors numerous (concurrent) partnerships surrounding this buyer, the end of the cookie resulting in less powerful martech/adtech tools, and a marketing journey that doesn't end at the SQL hand-off, we are at a major inflection point. The responsibility of recognizing early buyer intent signals is moving from growth hackers in the marketing department to channel marketers. Without access to third-party data, companies must now ramp up their second- and first-party data strategies which includes: 1. Having more partners, especially co-selling and co-marketing partners (affiliates, affinity, advocates, ambassadors, influencers), executing their social, search, email, and syndicated content strategies on a vendor-owned platform. Through-channel marketing (TCMA) is having its moment in the sun as the need for buyer intent data can be shared among partners, vendors, distributors, and digital marketplaces - and doesn't require purchasing from Google or Facebook. 2. More emphasis on data sharing throughout the customer journey. Mapping tools (think Crossbeam or PartnerTap) are the next layer of the stack that will create partnering moments when two (or more) companies are sharing important customer moments from their CRM and marketing automation platforms. Attribution tools (think impact.com or Partnerize) also layer in here as the clicks, likes, and other engagement tell an important story about the 28 moments on average a customer spends in their considered purchase. Attribution is quickly moving from B2C to B2B as buying behaviors merge between consumer and business. 3. Rethinking program elements such as deal registration, opportunity management, and lead passing. These resell-oriented processes (which require human workflows) will become more powerful as AI copilots and agents autonomously leverage these tools to the benefit of the partner (protection in deals, visibility, and profitability coming from extra margins or points). 4. Leveraging ecosystem orchestration tools (such as WorkSpan, PartnerStack, or TIDWIT) to map the 7 partners surrounding a deal and the 7 layers of the tech stack that will drive the customer outcome. Also leverage orchestration players such as traditional distribution, cloud distribution, telco TSDs, managed services platforms, and perhaps most importantly, digital marketplaces to get visibility to second-party data. Channel marketers can't underestimate the power of AI in this new era.

Google has begun phasing out third-party cookies, signalling a significant shift for publishers and advertisers. This change necessitates reevaluating strategies to maintain audience insights while respecting user privacy. As third-party cookies become obsolete, several alternatives have surfaced: ✅Privacy Sandbox: Google's initiative introduces APIs like Topics and Protected Audience to enable interest-based advertising without individual tracking. ✅Publisher-Side and Server-Side Tracking: Leverage first-party data collected directly from user interactions on your site. ✅Universal IDS and Identity Graphs: Anonymised identifiers track behaviour across platforms, balancing personalisation and privacy. ✅Fingerprinting: Uses device traits for identification (effective but ethically debated). Navigating this shift demands balancing innovation with ethics. While alternatives like Privacy Sandbox and server-side tracking fill gaps, success lies in combining these tools with user-centric strategies. Prioritise solutions that respect consent and transparency, like first-party data and contextual ads, to sustain relevance and trust. This isn’t just compliance; it’s a chance to rebuild audience relationships on ethical grounds. Here are the key takeaways for publishers: 1.    Invest in First-Party Data: Grow repositories via registrations, subscriptions, and direct engagement. 2.    Embrace Contextual Advertising: Align ads with content, not just user behaviour. 3. Prioritise Transparency: Clearly explain data use and obtain explicit consent. 4.    Adopt Privacy-Centric Tech: Choose tools that balance insights with compliance. Adapting to a cookieless world turns challenge into opportunity; ethical practices foster deeper trust. How is your team adapting? Share your strategies in the comments below! #CookielessFuture #FirstPartyData #PrivacyFirst #DigitalPublishing #AdTech

This week marks a turning point in programmatic buying. For B2B companies, the sunsetting of the Xandr DSP translates into a fundamental reshaping of the advertising playing field: -Walled gardens will proliferate as platforms lock down behind authenticated data walls. -Invitation-only PMPs will become the baseline for quality, transparency, and compliance. -The black-box problem deepens…closed ecosystems strip away visibility into performance and audiences. -AI-native channels emerge as the ultimate proving ground, with tools like our Agentbase Outcomes Agent transforming raw signals into real-time, conversational campaigns. These shifts will impact buying teams: Buyers will prioritize data unification. Success hinges on activating first-party account signals (and stitching CRM, web analytics, and intent feeds into a single account profile). Buyers will co-create their tech stack. Vendor relationships will evolve into true co-innovation: expect to co-develop PMP integrations, share APIs, and iterate side by side. Buyers will demand unshakeable vendor stability. Buyers will vet DSP providers not just on functionality, but on financial health, roadmaps, and long-term commitment to B2B. We recognized that retrofitted, consumer-grade DSPs and walled gardens simply can’t proliferate seven-person buying committees or nine-month sales cycles. That’s why we built our own B2B DSP from the ground up: a platform that prioritizes the real decision-makers over anonymous cookies and uses AI to balance spend across enterprise tiers and nurture accounts. Context isn’t an afterthought; it’s the very foundation that guides every campaign from first impression to renewal. If you’re wondering what to do today to adapt, here are 3 steps to take right now. 1) Unify your data by merging CRM, web analytics, and intent feeds into a single, buying engine. 2) Identify the handful of suppliers that most influence your ICP. Negotiate PMP access, guaranteed impressions against your target list, and custom data integrations (e.g., matched audiences). 3) Audit your DSP dependence. If your advertising platform owns a purpose-built B2B DSP, you’ve removed the largest single point of failure. Otherwise, list every buy engine you “rent” and identify black-box risks. Identify a backup activation path (alternative DSP, direct publisher buys, or programmatic partner). Consider this “fire drill”: Could you switch in under 24 hours in an emergency if the supply chain is cut off?

2024 will not be the year you drop Google Ads. Digital ad spend is slowing, dropping below 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the first time in a decade according to Insider Intelligence. Tight budgets and a saturated market mean tougher decisions: Google Ads, mobile, or ad-supported streaming? Alongside the usual budget concerns is user privacy. Changes slated for 2024: > Google’s deprecation of 3rd party cookies > Launch of Google’s Privacy Sandbox > Potential US federal privacy law Reality check: some of these will be delayed. Delayed or not, it’s not the doom and gloom situation some would have you believe. The key is prep. Globally, over $626 bn is generated in digital ad revenues, with 3 out of 4 marketers relying on 3rd party cookies. [Ref: Statista] So, potential impact is huge. Relevance is crucial, especially in B2B account-based marketing.  So, how can B2B marketers get their product in front of the right person at the right business without cookies? 1) Capitalise on 1st-party data, collected through website visits, paywall content sign-ups, or opt-in surveys. Audit your site content. Is it engaging? Solves a user problem? Delivers the right message? To the right person? At the right time? Good content has a compounding effect. Appeals to your target audience, encouraging them to take action, leading to more data and more conversions. 2) Leverage contextual & behavioural targeting Identify the topics and themes your key personas care about. Optimise for relevant keywords to get ads in front of them. Plus, more 1st-party data from (1) gives you more insights into behaviour, which you can use to personalise ads and user experience. You have most control over (1) and (2), but there’s a 3rd option. 3) Incorporate 3rd-party cookie alternatives Won’t go into these now, but worth keeping an eye on the emerging solutions: > Distributed ID Systems > Google Privacy Sandbox > Publisher Provided IDs Google is playing catch-up to the likes of Apple and Mozilla in the privacy game, but it remains relevant for marketers – in mobile advertising, 70% of mobile searches are via Google Search.  Though market share has dropped (to 83.49%, as of 2023), advertising is still a core offering, making up 80% of total revenue. Cookies won’t erode Google’s relevance (Google won’t let it). Google Ads are here to stay. So, do your homework and put your cash where your audience is, whether Google, socials, or mobile. Need to know more? I curated various ad stats, including from Insider Intelligence. Sources: Statista, Insider Intelligence, Dentsu, Zipdo, VoluumBlog #marketing #advertising #digitalmarketing Found this insightful? Check out my newsletter. It's on my profile.

"𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞" In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, building a reliable digital identity spine has become both more crucial and more challenging than ever. As privacy regulations tighten and third-party cookies crumble, businesses need to adapt their identity strategies. The key lies in building a flexible, privacy-first identity spine that can evolve with the changing tides of data protection. Here's how we can approach it: 👉 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕-𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂: Shift focus to collecting and leveraging your own customer data with transparent consent. 👉 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒄𝒚-𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 (𝑷𝑬𝑻𝒔): Explore solutions like data clean rooms and federated learning. 👉 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒍 𝑰𝑫 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔: Consider privacy-compliant alternatives to third-party cookies. 👉 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆: Ensure your data practices are ethically sound and compliant with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. 👉 𝑬𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: Complement your identity-based strategies with context-driven approaches. 👉 𝑭𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔: Collaborate with trusted partners to enrich your identity graph while respecting privacy boundaries. Remember, building a digital identity spine isn't a one-time project—it's an ongoing process of adaptation and refinement. The goal is to create a system that's robust enough to withstand regulatory changes, yet flexible enough to evolve with technological advancements. As we navigate this complex landscape, one thing is clear: the future belongs to those who can balance the power of identity with the imperative of privacy. What strategies are you employing to future-proof your digital identity approach? #DigitalIdentity #DataPrivacy #MarTech #CustomerTechnology

For years, cookies were the lifeblood of digital marketing—powering tracking, targeting, and personalization. But with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA gaining momentum and tech giants like Google and Apple phasing out third-party cookies, the game has changed. The cookieless future is here, and it’s reshaping Martech as we know it. I strongly believe while this shift introduces undeniable challenges, it’s also a unique opportunity to rebuild marketing on a foundation of trust, creativity, and ethical data use. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 1️⃣ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 The absence of third-party cookies makes tracking and retargeting harder. 2️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 Tailoring experiences without granular tracking becomes a puzzle. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 ✅ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 Brands can cultivate direct relationships through email subscriptions, loyalty programs, and gated content. Trust becomes the new currency. ✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 Instead of invasive tracking, serve ads based on content users engage with in real time. 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 1. 𝐀𝐈-𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 Leverage aggregated trends to anticipate behavior without personal identifiers. 2. 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 (𝐂𝐃𝐏𝐬) Unify and activate first-party data for seamless personalization. 3. 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 Keep data secure and compliant by managing tracking on your terms. This isn’t just about adapting—it’s about transforming. As marketers, we’re being challenged to pivot from reliance on data-driven automation to creating campaigns rooted in genuine connection and creativity. This shift has the potential to redefine marketing as a force for trust and transparency, not just conversions. The cookieless future is daunting, but it’s also exciting. It’s a chance to prioritize the “human” in Martech. Are we ready to step up? How is your business preparing for this evolution? Let’s exchange ideas. #marketing #technology #innovation #leadership

After years of planning to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome, Google has now decided to keep them around, indefinitely. Why the change? The Privacy Sandbox didn’t gain the necessary trust from the industry, regulatory pressure is increasing, and Google’s ad business still thrives on cookies. As Captify’s Amelia Waddington said: “If they don’t have Chrome, they will need cookies for targeting, just like everyone else.” For marketers, this brings mixed news: - You get to maintain your reach (for now) - But if your data strategy isn’t evolving, you’re setting yourself up for challenges in a privacy-first world. Here’s what’s clear: Google’s priorities are in the right place for their business, not necessarily your users' privacy. Waiting for Google or any platform to define your data future is a risky play. The time to act is now. Diversifying your data strategy isn’t just a good idea—it’s essential. Whether it’s relying on first-party data, using clean rooms, or shifting to more contextual targeting, the cookie is on borrowed time, and trust is the new currency. It’s time to make data decisions that protect your business and your customers. I use Piwik PRO for my data analytics, and I’m able to prioritize privacy while gaining the insights I need to make smarter decisions—without relying on third-party cookies.

The cookie is crumbling but data-driven marketing isn’t going anywhere. 🍪❌ With third-party cookies on their way out, brands that relied heavily on them for targeting and personalization face a big challenge: how to reach the right audience without losing relevance. 👉 The answer lies in First-Party Data Strategies. Instead of borrowing data, brands must now own their customer relationships and collect insights directly through trusted interactions. Some key shifts we’re seeing: 🔹 Value exchange: Customers share data when they see clear benefits (personalized offers, loyalty rewards, exclusive content). 🔹 Omnichannel collection: Websites, apps, email, and offline touchpoints are now crucial data sources. 🔹 Privacy-first personalization: Respecting consent and transparency builds long-term trust while enabling targeted campaigns. 🔹 Smarter tech: CDPs and AI tools help unify, analyze, and activate first-party data for real-time decision-making. In short, the brands that master first-party data will win in the post-cookie era. It’s not about tracking, it’s about trust. 💡 Question for you: How is your organization preparing for a cookieless future? LinkedIn LinkedIn News LinkedIn for Marketing LinkedIn for Learning LinkedIn News India

Third-party data isn't just "declining", it’s becoming a liability. Between privacy shifts, cookie deprecation, and the rise of LLMs, the "old way" of buying intent lists is officially a race to the bottom. For years, we’ve been fed "black box" dashboards promising to show us which accounts are in-market. The result? -Stale lists. -Unreliable attribution. -Reps reaching out to prospects who have zero clue why they're being called. While most marketers are fighting over the same stale 3rd-party data, the winners have moved to Signal-Based Selling. In my latest interview with Oren Greenberg, we broke down why the industry is seeing a massive shift toward First-Party and Social Signal-Based Marketing. Here is the reality for B2B marketers and founders in 2025: 1. Third-Party is in Decline Privacy changes, cookie deprecation, and LLM-driven shifts in tracking have made external intent data less performant. Research shows that first-party data (data YOU own from your website and CRM) can increase lead-to-customer conversions by up to 50% compared to third-party insights. 2. The Rise of "Instantaneous Social Data" We are entering the era of "Signal-Based Selling." Instead of generic lists, the winners are scraping real-time signals from Reddit, LinkedIn, and community socials. The Goal: Spot a problem a prospect is having today and turn it into an outbound sequence tomorrow. 3. Context > Volume Generic "Hi {First_Name}" emails are noise. High-performance teams are now quoting things prospects have actually said in social threads or podcasts. This isn't just "personalization"—it’s relevance. Signal-based outbound is currently seeing 3-5x higher response rates than traditional cold outreach. 4. The New Stack Whether it’s Clay for orchestration or Common Room for community signals, the tools are changing. Marketers are no longer just "buying lists", they are buying context. The bottom line: If you aren't shifting your budget from "Black Box" vendors to first-party signal systems, you're paying to be ignored. Stop being a "dashboard marketer" and start being a "signal-driven" revenue generator. How are you evolving your tech stack to handle the shift to first-party data? Are you still relying on third-party intent providers? Let’s discuss in the comments. 👇 P.S. Watch the full interview with Oren to see exactly how to build a signal-based engine. Link in the comments! #B2BMarketing #GTM #GTMEngineering #DemandGen #SaaS