{"id":17904,"date":"2024-01-24T13:29:40","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T17:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/illumin.com\/?p=17904"},"modified":"2025-01-30T06:05:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T11:05:48","slug":"the-death-of-third-party-cookies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/illumin.com\/insights\/blog\/the-death-of-third-party-cookies\/","title":{"rendered":"The first cookie crumbles – the death of third-party cookies is upon us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google announced on January 4, 2024, that after years of hurdles and regulation, it\u2019s finally starting to phase out third-party cookies. But are marketers on the open web prepped and ready to go?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a long time coming; marketers who\u2019ve prepared ahead of time are ready and able to pivot \u2013 adjusting their strategies and targeting approaches to still reach their audience effectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some marketers and advertisers will be unaffected by the elimination of third-party cookies. But for those working and targeting on the open web, adjustments need to be made. And they need to be made quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 4, the Tracking Protection tool was made available to the first cohort of Chrome users, a long-anticipated move from the search giant towards eliminating third-party cookies from its platforms. This is only the first step: by the end of 2024 marketers should completely eliminate third-party cookies from their strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This process is the culmination of years of effort to advocate for user privacy, empowering consumers to consent to where and when their information is gathered and to whom that information is shared. That\u2019s why the two core principles all marketers need to consider when building a post-cookie approach to targeting are <\/span>consent<\/b> and <\/span>privacy<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And since customer consent and privacy are at the core of these plans, they need to also be at the core of marketing strategies going forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s first step toward cookieless\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

On January 4, 2024, a <\/span>random 1 percent of global Chrome users<\/span><\/a> received the new Tracking Protection web-browsing feature, receiving a notification on desktop Chrome or their Android devices. The feature restricts third-party cookies by default, limiting tracking capabilities for many marketers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google has planned to eliminate third-party cookies for years, but the company continually <\/span>pushed back deadlines<\/span><\/a> due to advertiser opposition and regulatory issues in the UK. Now, it appears everything is on track and Google users can expect to say goodbye to third-party cookies by the second half of 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google isn\u2019t the only web browser with removal plans; <\/span>Firefox already removed third-party cookies<\/span><\/a> in 2023. However, what concerns many marketers is Google Chrome accounts for a massive 65% of browser usage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the company gave marketers ample warning \u2013 and pushed back its plans several times \u2013 the Wall Street Journal reports that many marketers <\/span>still aren\u2019t ready<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For those marketers looking to brush up on cookieless marketing, our <\/span><\/i>full guide<\/span><\/i><\/a> is here to lend a helping hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

According to eMarketer, <\/span>cookies were used to target 78% or more<\/span><\/a> of programmatic ad buys as recently as Q3 2023, showing an <\/span>increase<\/span><\/i> in cookie use. Many advertisers were even seen to be increasing their cookie ad spend. This is despite Google and Firefox\u2019s plans to eliminate third-party cookie use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketers still relying on third-party cookies to build their 2024 strategies are in for a difficult year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s third-party cookie depreciation trial<\/span><\/h2>\n

Google knows that removing these cookies leaves a void in many marketers’ strategies. To help them along and address potential compatibility concerns, it\u2019s also announced a\u00a0 <\/span>third-party cookie deprecation trial<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal is to eliminate third-party use of cookies on Chrome by 2024\u2019s third quarter, but this program would let eligible brands extend that deadline until December 27, 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Qualifying websites can enable third-party cookie deprecation trials by providing unique access tokens in Chrome using JavaScript.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To meet the requirements for this program brands must meet the following criteria:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n