Two-thirds of CMOs still clueless on post-cookie world

Google’s decision to pull the plug on third-party cookies may have been nearly four years in the making, but nearly two-thirds (63%) of UK marketers still have no clear strategy for personalisation in a cookieless world.

That is according to a survey from Optimizely, that highlights the urgent need for marketers to reassess their personalisation strategies for 2024.

Google’s withdrawal of cookies was first announced as far back as February 2020 – and there have been three stays of execution since – but the tech giant has stuck to its guns this time with the phasing out of the tech set to start early next year.

The research, which quizzed 100 senior UK marketing professionals across the UK, found that more than half (54%) also lack a clearly defined strategy for personalisation using first-party data.

This indicates a critical gap in preparation for the post-cookie era, where personalised experiences will rely heavily on direct user interactions, the study claims.

Currently, 83% of marketers feel that their current personalisation efforts are primarily based on assumptions about customers rather than data-driven insights. To prepare for the future, marketers will need to re-evaluate their personalisation technologies and move from using third-party cookies to first- and zero-party data.

This shift will require brands to securely manage and use the data that customers provide, which most marketers feel they can prepare for.

The survey revealed that three-quarters (73%) of marketers believe privacy and personalisation can coexist – suggesting a growing awareness within the industry of the need to balance tailored experiences with robust privacy measures.

Even so, the report found that a virtually identical number of marketers (74%) express concerns about the obsolescence of their current personalisation technology – signalling the need for more reliable and privacy-conscious first-party data-based platforms.

Optimizely CMO Shafqat Islam said: “With Google set to abandon cookies next year, now is the time for marketers to stop thinking in terms of third-party data, and start building campaigns and strategies around the data that consumers are open to sharing.

“Right now, 70% of marketers are combining multiple technologies to achieve their current level of personalisation. Having a single platform that integrates with – and brings data in from – each channel a brand has is critical in developing comprehensive customer identities and creating personalised experiences based on those real-time insights.

“Making these changes now will ensure brands are prepared for a cookieless future and are able to deliver the digital experiences that customers have come to expect.”