Cookiepocalypse: What are the most effective strategies for advertisers to reshape the future of display advertising?

Nadr El Hana, Maria Mercanti-Guérin and Ouidade Sabri

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2023, vol. 188, issue C

Abstract: A third-party cookie is a tracking code set by a third-party platform or a technology provider on the website the user is visiting. This small amount of text identifies users online, reveals their interests, and provides powerful information useful in enhancing online display advertising. With the passing of new legislation protecting the user's privacy, the phasing out of third-party cookies has started. By the end of 2024, all major browsers will block all third-party cookies and identifiers for advertiser (IDFA) tracking. Therefore, advertisers and marketers are becoming more restricted in their ability to create user profiles, personalize ads, and analyze performances. Advertisers need to start pivoting now to prepare for what is next. In that context, the purpose of this study is to investigate different alternatives and forecast technological progress to help advertisers implement the most appropriate strategies and technologies to effectively overcome the disappearance of third-party cookies. By conducting two qualitative studies, semistructured interviews with 15 experts and a focus group, we established a framework that categorizes the alternative strategies into six categories as well as the technological progress made by different actors in the value chain. The study has strong implications for advertisers and policy-makers.

Keywords: Third-party cookie; Display advertising; Web tracking; Online behavioral targeting; Attribution; User privacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:188:y:2023:i:c:s0040162522008186

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122297

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