Marketers 'can't wait for third-party cookies to die'

Google may have given third-party cookies yet another stay of execution but for the vast majority of marketers their demise cannot come soon enough, with nearly 8 out of 10 (78%) believing the move will have a positive impact on their advertising strategy.

So says a new study from LiveRamp, in collaboration with Censuswide, which reveals marketers are anticipating improvements in audience targeting, reaching audiences at scale, frequency capping and measurement.

And when asked what alternative ad strategies and solutions the respondents would be looking to implement, diversifying formats and channels (49%), first-party authenticated data (45%), identity solutions (43%) and contextual targeting (41%) were the most popular responses.

In welcome news for online publishers, the research also reveals brands are looking for more direct contact with them, with 85% of respondents believing that their brand would benefit from a closer relationship with their key target publishers.

When asked what publishers could do to help convince them to run more campaigns, a compelling value exchange (53%), new consumer-centric or engagement-based metrics (48%), working with trusted identity partners (46%) and increasing their percentage of first-party authenticated data (43%), were cited as of high importance.

The loss of third-party cookies and mobile identifiers for ad inventory across paid channels means advertisers will be eager to explore new ways to maintain their reach levels and engage high-value audiences.

Marketers also revealed they would be willing to pay more for media and identity data, a market LiveRamp is actively pursuing, of course.

The company claims that results from Microsoft Advertising show CPMs alone increased by over 40% with LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS), while FitBit achieved double the rate of return on advertising spend; just two examples of the power and value of advertising without cookies, LiveRamp maintains.

LiveRamp Europe managing director of addressability Tim Geenen said: “Our research highlights that marketers have already thought through the implications of the digital ad industry’s shift towards greater respect for consumer privacy and the available solutions. The publisher community, by comparison, currently risks falling behind.

“At LiveRamp, we believe that optimising the value of authenticated first-party data will be a key factor in the future success of publishers. And the good news for publishers is that, according to our research, more direct contact with publishers is exactly what marketers are looking for. The opportunity available to publishers is real. It’s time to act.”