Rising above the crumbs: How publishers can thrive in a cookie-free world
The digital advertising industry is at a pivotal crossroads as Google finally bids goodbye to cookies. While much attention has been focused on the repercussions of cookie deprecation for audience targeting, less has been discussed about the impact on publishers who have long hosted cookies on their sites.
Ashton De Santis, director of inventory partnerships, ANZ at The Trade Desk explains how publishers can thrive in a cookie-free world.
With estimates suggesting that as much as 75 percent of journalism’s funding comes from advertising, the stakes are high for publishers. And if advertisers suddenly lose the ability to understand who is reading the news, the value of ads will nosedive, resulting in less funding for our most trusted news.
But let’s be clear – cookies were never intended to deliver advanced digital advertising tracking. They only work in browser environments and are absent from the fastest-growing parts of the internet. In the last few years, new online environments have gained huge traction as Aussies pivoted from traditional TV and radio to streaming TV and digital audio.
It’s in these emerging digital channels where a lot of the groundwork for designing these new identity frameworks has taken place. Where authenticated, logged-in audiences are available, advertisers are placing an increased premium as they have a clear sense of who they are reaching. For example, a shared feature of all streaming services is the log-in process, which sees users create online accounts in exchange for video content. Whether the service requires a subscription fee or not, the login process is consistent.
