Google Extended the 3rd Party Cookie Deadline Again - Are marketers really safe?

The dramatic collapse of the digital marketing status quo looms large with 2.7 billion Chrome users soon going cold-turkey from third party cookies. 

Google has promised to pull the plug on the third-party cookie system, which advertisers have relied on for decades, and the sense of impending doom has even the sharpest digital marketers begging Google for repeated deadline extensions.

What are 3rd Party Cookies?

Third-party cookies track user behavior between sites to allow websites to create personalized content and ads while they also monitor campaign performance. As late as Q3 of 2024, advertisers were seen increasing their cookied ad spend, and it appeared the marketing world was in denial.

Now, the tide is rolling in… and it’s time to do the necessary Spring cleaning, however frenzied, and take a meaningful step in the right direction. Pulling away from a reliance on 3rd party cookies may cause some initial upheaval, but the end result can be a benefit if handled strategically.

Where to Start? 

We recommend starting by enabling Google Tags to your website as an excellent first step to making your advertising campaigns watertight and more disruption-proof.

This simple action is a key one, because it allows you to watch conversion actions on your website without the need for cookies. 

Here’s a tutorial from Google to get you there: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6331314

If you’re ready to take additional steps to prepare for the Third Party Cookie cliff, read our article:  Third Party Cookies: Goodbye (and Good Riddance?) 5 alternatives to cookies that are actually sweeter:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/third-party-cookies-goodbye-good-riddance-5-reasons-ksvhe/

Massive changes are ahead but you can stay ahead of the game and supercharged as always. Be first to every market shift, and stay ready to call 3rd party cookies “out” with the confidence that comes from being proactive.

Keep following Centerfield and discover all the steps to prepare for the rapid changes in the digital marketing and personalization space, which we will be sharing over the coming weeks.

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