The Cookie is Not Crumbling After All

In a shocking turn of events, Google announced last week that it will not continue towards the deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome. This saga first started in 2020 and the full roll out has since been delayed three times. The latest delay was a push to 2025 but now the plan is on pause. 

Instead, Google announced a plan to capture consumer consent instead; however, the details of this plan were not released. From what was shared, it seems that this new plan is similar to what Apple released with App Tracking Transparency (ATT). 

At this time, there are a lot of unknowns. It is not clear yet whether Google will move ahead with an opt-in (like ATT) or opt-out. Based on Apple’s rollout of ATT, data shows about a 30% opt-in rate on average which means that the majority of users are still untrackable. 

So far industry response has been frustration but also relief as many did not believe that we were ready. In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of negative feedback on the status of the privacy sandbox. For now, it seems folks are staying the course as many have already invested in/adapted to third-party cookie alternative strategies - or at least a lessened reliance on third-party cookies.

What Does This Mean for Chicory?

At Chicory, we believe in the power of combining contextually relevant content with engaging media experiences to inspire consumers and expedite the path to purchase. We believe that by engaging with consumers in a contextually relevant way that we are going to see better outcomes because they are in the right mindset.

Whether Google reverses course again or not, our industry has already made great strides in the last four years to move to a cookie-less way of operating. At Chicory, we have invested in creating better consumer experiences by meeting them at the right moment - which to us is in a contextually relevant environment. Additionally, the cookie technology is just one piece of the overall shift, our industry has also seen an increase in demand from consumers about how they are advertised to and how their data is used.

Privacy is a hot topic and that is not something that Google’s announcement will lessen. Google’s pivot on cookies does not solve consumers' increasing concerns about privacy or have any impact on the challenge that advertisers face to deliver messaging in brand safe environments - which we address directly with contextual commerce. There also continues to be scrutiny over how the industry uses data, its quality and an increased concern about fraud, including the rise of made-for-advertising sites (MFAs). This is set to be exacerbated by the obfuscating function of “AI”.

Ultimately, this is a surprise from Google but really, it will not change much in terms of how we are operating or the value that we provide our customers. Contextual commerce is a long-term, stable, reliable strategy that should be in everyone’s always-on mix.