Worried about Solutions for a Cookieless World? Get Your Data Basics in Order First

In the first quarter of this year, Google plans to disable third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users. If all goes well and regulators agree to it, the world’s most popular internet browser will be an entirely cookieless experience by Q3 2024.

As we all know, this is a massive challenge for brands and agencies. The finely tuned 1-1 targeting many have come to rely on is going to become all but impossible, unless they can find new solutions. From first and second party data to contextual strategies, every alternative has its pros and cons. 

In my experience, finding alternative solutions isn’t the only challenge in this process. Getting the fundamentals in place and understanding data usage firstly has been a major consideration before any job.  

From what I’ve observed, there are six core basics brands and agencies need to get set-up properly that can help aid your transition to a cookieless world, ensuring consent, safety and compliance best practices throughout. 

1. Total transparency about consent

Brands need to use customer data in the correct way, making sure there is total transparency about how it is gathered and used to help retain consumer confidence. Marketing consent prompts need to be front and centre on your website and across any online advertising and be extremely clear about what giving consent means and how a person’s data will be used. As obvious as it might sound, use of customers data shouldn’t be in the small print as any miscommunication can break user trust. 

You also need to give consumers multiple opportunities to review their consent options over time. As maybe several months down the line, someone may decide they want to opt out. Trust is paramount in relationships with customers, so it’s in our interest to give them as many opportunities as possible.

2. Know what your business needs 

Unifying data across platforms and systems to create a complete picture of customers and their buying journeys is going to be crucial in the cookieless world; but one of the biggest challenges I’ve seen is brands not knowing which solutions to invest in. 

There are tons of different data and customer management platforms out there which offer different levels of service and expertise - and with the rapid pace of change in digital marketing, what’s relevant today might not be in a few months’ time. 

Before you can even think about unifying your data, you need to define what your business actually needs. A platform might offer 10 different functionalities, but maybe you only need four of them. Know what your business needs to solve; then, find the right tech partner to deliver the solution. 

3. Ensure your own systems are working first and data is refreshed 

On the other side of that coin, before you can plug your data into any new sophisticated platform, you need to ensure your brand’s own internal infrastructure is advanced enough to cope with the transition. 

Make sure your CRM platform is up to task when embarking on your data journey. Some businesses have CRM platforms that are outdated and clunky, with data that might not have been refreshed in over a year.  Customers in that system might not be relevant anymore and will invalidate your targeting if data passing through is old. 

As a business, you also have to make sure you’re housekeeping your own data. That’s not an easy task - it takes time, resource, and money. But it’s absolutely crucial. 

4. The right expertise

If a brand wants to use their own first-party data, they need to have a data protection officer (DPO) on hand to handle the heavy workflow that is likely to ensue. Where that data is used is likely to cause a chain reaction among all stakeholders, and DPOs will need to be on hand to review and provide sign-off. Every stakeholder in the chain needs a DPO as a best practice recommendation. It’s unwise to get your account team to try and shift through all the legal jargon as the wrong decisions can be made if an expert isn’t in place. 

Making DPOs talk to one another will also be beneficial. Organising them can be difficult - they’re legal experts, not marketers. It’s the DPO’s job to provide governance and the brand’s and agency's job to help facilitate all conversations. Try to consider this when starting any legal exchange. 

5. Work out a roadmap

It’s an agency’s job to bring in new and innovative strategies to the table, especially with cookies depreciating in Q1 this year. However, bringing too many ideas at once and over-promising in what you can deliver can do more harm than good. If you promise everything in Q1 and it takes longer than expected, you’ve potentially wasted the opportunity or worse allowed the competition to get there first.  

Roadmaps should be worked up that outline how data will be used throughout the year and against which campaigns. It sounds basic, but I’ve seen this mishandled before - especially when you have multiple planners on an account. Make sure you’re being realistic and that all parties are in constant communication. 

6. Flexibility to adapt

Finally, brands need to make sure they are flexible enough to accept change. It’s an agency’s job to research and bring forward solutions when the landscape changes, but rigidity on a brand’s side can be a major blocker. With data and technology advancing so rapidly, an inflexible approach will inevitably leave some brands in the dust. 

There are hundreds of data solutions out there which brands can use to thrive in a cookieless world, but they have to be implemented on top of strong foundations. 

So before you start taking steps along that road, get these basics in order first to help avoid confusion, inefficiency or even mistakes.