Cookies are on the way out and harnessing first-party data in – how to personalise your marketing efforts in a fast-evolving data landscape.

Since Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in 2018, it’s had a ripple effect on Australia’s privacy act, known as the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and big tech globally.

Google Chrome is set to join Firefox and Safari in eliminating third-party cookies by late 2024, and Google plans to cease using IDs in favour of privacy-preserving APIs for advertisers and publishers.

Marketers will soon embrace alternative technologies combined with a return to marketing fundamentals: leveraging first party data, research and understanding the psychology of their audiences.

Cookies are out, first-party data is in: what is Google’s Privacy Sandbox?

Google’s response to invasive tracking technologies is The Privacy Sandbox – their bid to replace third-party cookies with the latest privacy techniques.

A key feature of The Privacy Sandbox is The Topics API which enables a browser to share user interest information with third parties. This API groups users into fewer categories (in the form of ‘topics’) to enhance data anonymisation.

A key functionality of The Topics API is allowing ‘interest-based advertising (IBA)’ without the necessity of tracking the specific sites visited by the user. IBA personalises ads based on a user’s inferred interests derived from their recent site visits. For example, a customer researching real estate firms in their local area may receive an interest-based ad about an award- winning agent in the area. Instead of ads from the literal companies they just viewed websites thereof, they are served with similar industry ads. On this occasion, personal data is used to serve an ad based on the user’s activity in a way that is a level less invasive than Cookies yet more personal than simply contextual advertising (ads served based on the content of the page at hand without using any personal data).

A return to key word marketing

Understanding the volume of key word searches in your market will help guide where you will play and provide insights into the messaging for short term Google Ads (SEM) with less access to retargeting measures. While not directly ‘personal,’ being across relevant keywords in your market, and evaluating keyword performance of ads, means you’re more likely convert leads into email addresses. And here’s why this is a big win.

Client side over server side

While big tech are determined to still allow advertisers to serve relevant content and ads to their audiences based on these inferred interests or topics (and/or other similar APIs) – a mindset change is also required here.

In this new landscape, email addresses trump all and take precedence over IP addresses. Businesses are now tasked with leveraging the data they have at hand to differentiate themselves in a market that is becoming more generalised and inferred.

➡ Understand your customer journey by investing in sophisticated email marketing tools

Leverage your CRM system to gain insights into how your current clients and potential prospects are interacting with the content you provide and engaging across your channels. When it comes to email marketing, extend your efforts beyond merely tracking the engagement rates of an eDM sent. Instead, focus on observing and tracking how various customer segments engage with your content right from the initial stages and throughout their journey.

➡ Understanding the psychology of your audience

While it may seem traditional, investing time in listening to and understanding your audience’s purchasing behavior will be crucial for setting yourself apart. This could be as straightforward as polling your LinkedIn followers, initiating targeted market research, or asking for feedback from clients and prospects.

Adopting these changes has unexpected benefits for businesses

A marketing plan that adopts these new data technologies combined with a reset to how data is captured and insights leveraged, will not only ensure you adhere to privacy regulation and limit your cyber security threats – your business will implement a differentiated strategy that with value for the longer term.