Search for a ring on Google and the next thing you know Instagram is ready for you to get married.
Or consider this. It’s your husband’s birthday and you looked for a men’s bag. The next few days could be a ‘wallet fest’ for you on social media.
Does this make sense?
Especially these days, when the term ‘personalization’ seems to be getting thrown around like no other (no offense ChatGPT!)
When a brand tracks users’ clicks and search history and then uses that data to show users ads that are tailored to their interests, that’s what one calls behavioral targeting in digital marketing. The protagonists of this version are third-party cookies.
Third-party cookies track the user’s browsing activity on multiple websites and create a history of their preferences.
However, it is no secret that the world is going crazy lately.
In this way they enter the trade of goods.
Consider this. You’re browsing a makeup blog, when you see an ad for Nykaa or Shuga pop up on the screen. This is nothing but regular advertising, where user data is not tracked to display ads. But they are placed on pages or pages related to what the user is searching for. More on this later, below.
For the uninitiated, Google Chrome has been planning to stop using third-party cookies. Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox already have features that block third-party cookies by default.
What does this mean for quality control?
Experts are of the opinion that this redirection process should be done when cookies are disabled. However, they also note that other options (the first and zero party) should not be removed from the picture.
Karan Kumar, marketing and group growth manager, ART Fertility Clinics believes that consumers will become more aware of the misuse of their data as third-party cookies become increasingly disruptive.
However, Kumar does not see this as a binary equation. “Businesses can still collect zero data, which includes preferences, interests and, in addition, behavior, voluntary sharing. So even if not all, some behavior-driven information can still be found without snooping and digital descendants as they do now,” he said.
(Zero party materials are provided voluntarily by the buyer to the company. This can be preferences, demographics, purchase history etc.)
This may mean that third-party cookies do not track the user anywhere. Instead, user data provided by the customer is used to create personalized experiences. In some cases, the use of zero party can be useful, because the content is personal and limited when it comes to consumers.
For example, let’s go back to the wallet example. It was basically a gift for a man, and a woman wouldn’t really want to see ads for men’s bags all the time. Therefore, third-party data can be misleading in such cases.
However, if the woman is providing information to the brand about her preferences, then it can work well in creating a personalized experience.
Ankur Pujari, co-founder and head of growth at digital agency Hyper Connect Asia feels that for retailers who rely solely on third-party cookies to build their businesses, it will be difficult to reach consumers.
Having said that, there are also ways to reduce consumer penetration. A study conducted by ComScore found that consumers exposed to ‘relevant advertising’ had 14% higher brand recall than those exposed to non-event advertising.
Another report by Criteo stated that interactive advertising had a 30 percent higher conversion rate compared to non-event advertising.
Moving forward with Contextual Marketing
This method of analysis also takes into account the perspective of other factors. For example, if a user is searching for hotels, the ads for other hotels in the area being searched may go up.
Experts believe that the future of commodity trading is very bright.
Adding to the idea, Pujari explained, “If the user is reading about food, he is offered an ad for a pizza or a delivery program. This targeting method allows you to reach users when they are in the mood. It does not collect information about users and therefore does not fall under the GDPR rules.”
The future of targeting
Would you, as a consumer, be surprised to be bombarded with ads that you want to follow more closely or choose what is relevant to what is happening, based on what you are searching for?
Kumar believes that audiences are more open to contextual messages than behavioral ones. “I’ve found that a lot of times that makes the message worse,” he said.
However, cookies have not yet expired and, therefore, tracking behavior is still in play. Pujari feels that the mixed method is very effective in the marketing that is being done.
“Human behavior is unpredictable and although apps can place ads that are close to the right place but maintaining a controllable view will improve the consumer’s experience in the shopping journey,” he added.
Ending a cookie-free world
Without having it third party information, processing user profiles Customization can be a service for advertisers. A Statista report says that globally, 83 percent of advertisers rely on third-party cookies.
Ninety-nine percent of marketers believe that the removal of third-party cookies will have a greater impact than the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
These numbers are enough to rock commercial boats around the world.
Kumar says that while this is the reality of the future, there is no need to panic. “Publishers will be able to keep their revenue and advertisers will be able to keep track of more than 50 strategies and tactics released by the top adtech companies,” he said.
However, in a cookie-free future, they’re seeing more direct action because it’s less complicated. “Even though what we’re talking about isn’t going to be new, I’m seeing a shift that’s leading to new things being used to look at what’s going on,” Kumar said.
Pujari pointed out that official marketing still rules the game. “The white lies in legitimate advertising where users give permission to access and help expand the data over time. What has become the basis of reliable marketing is very important in a world of privacy without cookies,” he added.
Data usage – The right way
Multitouch processing using a reverse IP lookup is one way to think about data recovery and consumer recovery, according to experts.
Multi Touch attribution is a method of measuring customer interactions, such as advertisements, email campaigns, social media posts and website visits, during the customer conversion journey.
“It can help you identify the areas that are related to the data on your website. You know which parts of your website have been visited the most and which have been used the most. This can give the marketer a starting point to start again, which leads to conversions through nurturing and leads,” Kumar explained. .
“And in my opinion, to say that the content of the conversion is the best way for businesses to see the ROI of their marketing efforts and what they want to do.”
Pujari shared that adopting an integrated approach that covers long-term, short-term and immediate conversions is essential. “Zero’s party tools will help brands deliver max ROI in the immediate and long term,” he added.
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