Google followed through on its resolution to give up cookies.
Well, maybe “give up” is too strong to describe Google’s deprecation of its third-party cookies. It stopped tracking 1% of Chrome browser users to display content based on the attributes discovered in that tracking.
Estimates put global Chrome users at 3.2 billion people, so Google just killed off cookie access to about 32 million —that’s more than the population of Texas.
Are you ready for this Cookiepocalypse? Or in the UK, Biscuitpocalypse?
We’ve asked CMI’s chief strategy advisor, Robert Rose, to crack open this cookie and read the fortune for marketers. Watch or read on:
What is a cookie?
Before jumping into the impact of a cookie-less world, let me give you a quick 101 class on cookies. A cookie is a small file containing data about the user — or, more specifically, the device the person uses to browse the internet. This unique identification can inform other sites about where the user has been, the products they looked for, the searches they’ve conducted, etc.
Some internet users find cookies helpful. They allow them to stay logged into sites without re-entering their username and password, personalize the content, and remember the users’ preferences.
But most don’t realize there’s a difference between first-party and third-party cookies. The website viewed by the user gives them first-party cookies. Third-party cookies allow marketers, for example, to follow users with an ad for the same product a hundred times across different websites.
So, Google’s move really relates to the degradation of the third-party cookie as it relates to advertising. If you feel like you’ve already heard this news, you have. You’ve heard about it for at least a decade.
In 2013, Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox restricted cookies from third-party advertisers. A few years later, Microsoft and other browser providers did the same. But they represent the minority of web users.
Google’s Chrome owns over 60% of the market share. So, its recent steps crumble the cookie world a lot more quickly.
Read More at Content Marketing Institute