CX
Ready for a Cookieless World?
How post-cookie marketing works
What promising marketing tools can be used in the post-cookie era?
Starting January 2022, Google has announced that it will no longer support third-party cookies. The cookie era has thus apparently ended and marketers will have to say goodbye to the once so popular data packages. But there are alternative targeting methods that are more in line with data protection and – used correctly – can be just as effective.
For many years, so-called third-party cookies were considered the online marketing tool par excellence.
Data from the website visited is stored directly on the user’s computer. The stored data packages make it possible to comprehensively analyse user behaviour. When the same page is visited again, individual and personalised information tailored to the user is displayed. Third-party cookies can include information about a user’s general behaviour on the web and thus enable very specific and extremely effective targeting. However, this approach is no longer compliant with increasingly strict data protection regulations such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to this regulation, the consent of the person concerned must be explicitly obtained for the processing of personal data. However, this is not always guaranteed in a legally secure manner when generating and processing cookie data with Google. Marketeers therefore need to rethink and find new ways to personalise their offering.
The most important points of the blog
Many marketing managers fear that without third-party cookies, online marketing campaigns can no longer be effective
Many marketing managers fear that without third-party cookies, online marketing campaigns can no longer be effective because they now lack the possibilities of evaluation, performance measurement and retargeting. But…
… there are promising alternatives. They, however, require some creativity. The magic word is cookieless tracking. With data on user behaviour no longer being passed on to companies or advertisers, other methods must be used for personalised targeting.
Hashed IDs
Hashed IDs
Some providers rely on alternative unique identifiers such as hashed IDs. They analyse data about user behaviour anonymously, but still unambiguously. Hashed IDs track the user’s surfing and click history with the help of IDs that are attached to the respective URLs. This creates a digital image of an individual person and their interests, to whom personalised advertising can be displayed. At the same time, this digital image cannot be linked to a real person and therefore privacy is preserved.
Another, technically oriented, cookieless tracking method is so-called fingerprinting
Another, technically oriented, cookieless tracking method is so-called fingerprinting.
Here, website visitors are identified very precisely via their browser settings, such as font size, screen sharpness or colour. However, there is a limitation in terms of accuracy: the fingerprints can be assigned to several users in a few cases. Still, this method is convincing due to its comparatively high accuracy.
Clean third party Audiences are another alternative that complies with data protection regulations.
Habits and preferences of users are not determined with cookies or the analysis of browser behaviour, but with voluntary, interactive actions such as quiz games or surveys. The participant consents to transmitting personal data that indicates his or her interests and thus enables effective targeting. This ensures that he provides all information consciously and voluntarily. At the same time, it offers a good opportunity to provide added value to users directly through valuable interactions. This also strengthens the relationship with users in the long term – for example, through recognition with positive connotations.
In addition, companies can use single sign-on platforms to track the behaviour of users in compliance with data protection regulations
In addition, companies can use single sign-on platforms to track the behaviour of users in compliance with data protection regulations.
They register once and enter their data. This enables access to different online services and applications. The user consents to the use of his or her personal data and in return benefits from free content. At the same time, this platform can be a starting point for a community of like-minded people on a certain topic. This gives companies the opportunity to interact directly with (potential) customers who are already interested in a certain topic.
Tracking is not the ultimate way
For end users who want security, transparency and privacy with regard to tracking, so-called ‘Brave Browsers’ offer another option. These browsers already block cookies in their factory settings. Users of these browsers can conscioulsy decide whether they want to agree to cookies in a fully transparent way. Alternatively, they accept not being shown personalised advertising. This middle ground strikes a compromise between guaranteed reach for advertisers and transparency and security around tracking for users.
With contextual advertising, targeting is done purely via keywords: this means that the user remains anonymous. Only certain interests can be assigned to them, but no personal data.
Contextual Advertising
In addition to technical cookieless tracking methods, there are also content-based methods that allow precise targeting. These include contextual advertising - also called semantic marketing. Content on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, XING or YouTube could be marked with keywords that cover potential search queries or interests. In this case, targeting is done purely via the keywords. This means that the user remains anonymous. Only certain interests can be assigned to them, but no personal data.
Moment Marketing
Another content-based cookieless alternative is moment marketing. Here, the aim is to react at short notice to current topics discussed in public or in the media with targeted marketing campaigns. Of course, this requires a certain amount of attention, creativity and quick action in order to take advantage of the moment in time. If such a campaign is successful, it can achieve a very high reach. Since a certain high-profile topic is being played on, marketers can meet an interested public simply by choosing the right topic.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The end of the cookie era does not mean – as predicted by some augurs – the end of online marketing. There are definitely alternatives, but they require a rethink and a focus on first-party data. However, customer trust always comes first. Building and sustainably securing this trust is the best guarantee for successful customer loyalty and good sales. With its many years of experience and expertise in online marketing, KPS can provide professional advice and develop promising strategies and measures for a personalised customer experience.
You may also be interested in:
Future Ready Sales
Today, sales organisations are confronted with a veritable flood of data and increasing customer demands on a daily basis. That is why companies need powerful yet flexible CRM systems.
Black Friday 2025: The timeline that sets leading eCommerce brands apart
Black Friday readiness guide: plan, test, and optimize your digital operations to ensure peak performance, seamless checkout, and top customer experience.
Load Testing Before Peak: Don’t Skip It This Year
Peak is make-or-break. Without early load testing, you’re rolling the dice on your busiest trading days, and the cost of failure is lost sales, frustrated customers, and lasting brand damage.
Test Data Management (TDM): An Area that must not be neglected
Test Data Management (TDM) is a crucial aspect of the testing process that is often underestimated.
