Future of Cookieless: Key Takeaways from the Paris Event
The Future of Cookieless event, held on October 8th, 2024, in Paris, gathered over 350 professionals from agencies, advertisers, and ad tech providers. The event focused on the rapid decline of third-party cookies.This event emphasized the urgent need for the digital marketing industry to pivot towards cookieless alternatives, sparking insightful conversations about the future of digital advertising and privacy.
1. The End of Testing—Time for Implementation
In one panel discussion, leaders from Dentsu, Weborama, and GroupM France explored the transition from testing to implementation of cookieless solutions. Antoine Beillan from GroupM noted the need to adapt while maintaining effective targeting and measurement capabilities. Margarita Zlatkova from Weborama shared insights on their semantic contextual targeting solution, highlighting its ability to connect words to create meaningful user engagement. Arthur Aurienris from Dentsu stressed the dual impact of the loss of cookies—both in targeting and measurement—while underlining the importance of choosing the right partners and technologies.
2. The Challenge of Shared ID Solutions
Another discussion centered around shared ID solutions, featuring Sophie Poncin from Utiq and Damien Prybis from OMD France. Poncin pointed out the need to offer advertisers robust attribution measurement, which Utiq aims to deliver by the end of the year. Prybis added that by 2025, the goal is to integrate Utiq’s solutions with connected TV (CTV), showcasing the growing importance of cross-platform cookieless strategies.
3. The Privacy Sandbox—A Balancing Act
Olivier Galichere from RTB House emphasized the dual importance of privacy and rich data in the post-cookie landscape. He described Google’s Privacy Sandbox as a solution that balances user privacy with the ability to continue retargeting. Even with the disappearance of cookies, the need for behavioral data remains, and Privacy Sandbox offers a viable alternative by replacing traditional cookie-based technologies.
4. Progress Without Google
During a panel with The Trade Desk, 79™, and Figaro Medias, participants discussed how to move forward with or without Google. Laurent Cordier from The Trade Desk emphasized the use of first-party data, which is becoming more crucial as third-party cookies fade. Camille Quiqueret from 79™ shared a successful test of reconciling eID and CRM databases without relying on third-party cookies, while Karine Rielland-Mardirossian from Figaro Medias pointed out the increasing use of ID and CRM data to drive measurement and sharing.
5. The State of Cookieless Adoption
A presentation by NPA Conseil’s Philippe Bailly and MediaSquare’s Erwan Le Page provided a snapshot of the industry’s adoption of cookieless solutions. By September 2024, 92% of ad tech platforms had signed contracts with at least one ID solution, with 76% of publishers offering an ID alternative to cookies—a significant increase from earlier in the year. These stats reflect the industry’s accelerated adoption of cookieless technologies, driven by the impending cookie phase-out.
6. Media Agencies and the Cookieless Challenge
Jean-Baptiste Rouet from UDECAM and Publicis Media emphasized that the end of third-party cookies brings media planning back to the forefront, viewing it as an opportunity rather than a setback. Despite the phase-out, cookie-first strategies continue to hold relevance for some agencies.
7. Everyone Is Affected by Cookieless
In a keynote by Paul Ripart from Prisma Media, the focus was on the implications of the cookieless future. He highlighted that 70% of iOS users reject third-party apps, predicting that Chrome’s new user experience will likely lead to a similar rejection of third-party cookies. Ripart warned that targeting and retargeting will become much more difficult as third-party cookies disappear, urging advertisers to act swiftly.
8. Common Pitfalls in Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)
The final keynote by Guilhem Bodin from Converteo explored common mistakes in marketing mix modeling projects. He identified several critical errors, including ignoring key variables, mismatches between media planning and data analysis, and treating all channels the same. Bodin stressed the need to account for each channel’s unique characteristics and avoid overlooking the overall picture when interpreting results.
Conclusion: A Time of Transformation
The event underlined that the disappearance of third-party cookies isn’t just a challenge—it’s an opportunity for the digital advertising industry to innovate. From leveraging first-party data and shared ID solutions to adopting new privacy-centric technologies like the Privacy Sandbox, advertisers and agencies are now on the cusp of a significant transformation. The time for experimentation is over; the future of cookieless is here, and the industry must move quickly to adapt.
