The Silver Lining to the Death of the Cookie: Better Measurement

As the use of third-party cookies is being limited or restricted, the ad tech ecosystem is facing profound changes. The industry has relied on these cookies to identify ad exposure, but now Google is joining Firefox and Safari to phase them out in less than two years. This shift will lead to more accurate measurement solutions and a better understanding of a company's audience and campaign performance.

The cookie has its shortcomings such as unreliable shelf lives, not being captured at all due to ad blockers, and being device-specific. To address these issues, marketers have been looking for more meaningful and complete measurement solutions outside of changing regulations, such as first-party, permission-based audiences and technology. Identity-based publishers have direct relationships with users making them uniquely positioned to take advantage of this change.

For publishers that don't have identity-based measurement, the cookie-less future brings challenges. They must find a unique approach to measurement, resorting to spot measurement or lower CPMs with a spray and pray model. However, this shift will ultimately lead to better solutions and more effective advertising.