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After years of back-and-forth between Google and regulators, news finally came yesterday that Google is abandoning its plans to kill third-party cookies in Chrome.

Not surprisingly, advertisers had something to say about it.

Emotions ranged from no surprise to relief. Many see it as good news for advertisers, while some have mixed feelings.

Most importantly, they implore us to continue to emphasize first-party data and a privacy-first strategy with our customers.

Skepticism and lack of surprise

Nicky Grant, a paid media specialist, said she had always been skeptical of the magical world of 2024 where third-party cookies were considered obsolete, so she wasn’t particularly surprised by the news:

• “Those of us who have had to actively look for alternatives are only too aware of the limitations of most cookie-free solutions, and I personally think that the privacy concerns surrounding third-party cookies were overblown in the first instance anyway!”
• “It seemed good for people like Google to be super proactive in finding an alternative, but I’d be amazed if they actually identified a viable alternative in just a few years.” The proof will be in the pudding for Chrome users; in the meantime, I appreciate Google’s candor over the muddled do-and-fix solution to save face.”

Julie Bacchini, president and founder of Neptune Moon, isn’t shocked by Google’s change of course either:

• “The Google Ads ecosystem (and all advertising platforms, to be honest) is so dependent on cookie data that it’s always been difficult to imagine how the platform as we know it could function without cookie data. There are still many questions surrounding what exactly they mean by offering users more control. But it’s a bit of a sigh of relief as it’s one less thing to figure out over the next few months or next year!”

Gil Gildner, the co-founder of Discosloth, compared this to the fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”:

• “Google always seems to announce upcoming changes, then push back the date or cancel plans altogether. This is how they try to motivate users (who otherwise wouldn’t care) to adopt new technologies. They did it with GA4 and they will do it with something else next.”

Paid search specialist Sarah Stemen said Google’s delay in phasing out third-party cookies is likely strategic:

• “As the dominant browser owner, Google is under scrutiny for antitrust. The proposed Privacy Sandbox, while touted as a privacy-enhancing tool, likely raises barriers to competitors. This could lead to less competition and more market consolidation in the ad tech industry.
• “By delaying cookie amortization, Google is buying time to either refine the Privacy Sandbox or make its implications less transparent.” Another alternative is that they just don’t have a solution, but I think it’s probably a delay.

Relief and positive reactions

Asher Mirza, a digital and performance marketing specialist, said it was great news to wake up to as a performance marketer and shocking as a consumer.

• “It seems that the big corporation went too far ahead with the new era of privacy and realized that it would be a loss for everyone and decided to take this huge U-turn. What a time to work in marketing where no one can decide what will happen tomorrow.”

Sophie Fell, director of paid media, Two Trees PPC, said this is good news for advertisers as so many still don’t have a decent understanding of their first-party data and this is proving to be a big hurdle to overcome.

• “I think the question now is, ‘What’s next?'” It will be interesting to see what the perception of the privacy ‘switch’ is as a percentage of Android and Chrome users, and then how that affects audience targeting. For example, will fewer people over 55 change their privacy settings and therefore will marketing to this age group using cookies be much easier than marketing to <35 who may be more likely to use it ? Lots of very interesting data to come in the coming months and no doubt a few more hurdles for advertisers along the way."

Digital marketer Brett Bodofsky wondered if that kind of audience could come back now.

• “Google Ads has withdrawn similar audiences due to third-party cookie restrictions. Now that the plan has been cancelled, I would hate to see them come back. I understand there have been launches to explain their withdrawal. But to be honest, I liked that kind of audience.”

Digital marketing specialist Robert Brady said the removal of the deadline (which had been constantly pushed back) was a positive.

• “Google needs to manage expectations, and there is simply too much uncertainty from regulators and the technology itself to set a firm date for the cancellation of cookies.” I fully expect Google to continue its efforts.”

Mixed feelings/need to adapt

John Gbemileke Adeoti, Marketing Growth Lead, Expedier, said the news was both annoying and a relief.

• “Relieved to be able to put my worries to rest. But I’m annoyed that advertisers and brands don’t have to go through this many changes in a short amount of time. I mean, when you think about how many brands and marketers are still struggling with the transition from UA to GA4! Big tech should do better than play with our time and effort, to be honest.”

Veronika Höller, head of global search, Tresorit, said the privacy debate isn’t going away anytime soon, adding that having an alternative (like the Privacy Sandbox) doesn’t guarantee it will be effective.

• “The real focus should be on empowering users to share their data voluntarily, for a truly personalized experience. It’s about building trust, brand recognition and thinking outside the box. We shouldn’t expect data to be handed to us on a silver platter. Most of them are already there, scattered across the different platforms we use. Let’s connect these dots and suddenly every change is not a disaster.
• “And even if Google decides to shut down completely — which, let’s face it, is always a possibility — we’ll be prepared.” Ultimately, we control what users share with us. This happens best when we are honest, highlight the benefits, combine data sources and communicate directly with our audience.
• “Instead of waiting for incomplete analytics and crying about it, let’s be proactive. Let’s build relationships and earn that data. It’s a much more sustainable and rewarding approach.”

Meanwhile, Nava Hopkins, brand evangelist, Optmyzr, said advertisers have essentially “won” a game of chicken with Google, but:

• “That doesn’t change the fact that the world of privacy is here through GDPR, CCPA and other regulatory considerations. Just because we have an extension of our ability to target website traffic, to see users (depending on the device) across multiple devices and domains, doesn’t change the fact that many markets have adopted privacy-era rules and regulations.
• “Just because Chrome gives the extension doesn’t mean other channels will follow suit. So while we can all laugh and smile and be glad that cookies are “here to stay,” people shouldn’t be complacent. So here are three important things every user should do to prepare for the privacy-first world, whether cookies are here or not:
  • Build consent into every single thing you do.
  • Make sure your stakeholders understand that reporting effectiveness will depend on the ad channel and device.
  • Think beyond Google and Chrome.”

Emphasis on first-party data and privacy

Digital marketing strategist Nicholas James said Google’s reversal was expected for several reasons, including the unfinished state of the Privacy Sandbox, and with the move, it’s not yet clear how it will affect usage.

• “However, honing your first-party data strategies remains critical, as success in this area will distinguish the true leaders in the evolving digital landscape.”

Fraser Andrews, head of global demand, JLR, said he sees this as very similar to the v2 consent mode update.

• “Ultimately, it will be more useful for advertisers to have consent data (provided they actually do something with it!) So my recommendation will remain – get access to consent data and learn how best to use to improve performance.”

Heinz Meyer, director and owner of Orris Digital, said the media is taking a bit of an extreme position on this issue.

• “Google is not unblocking third party cookies in Chrome, they are giving users the choice to opt out of third party cookies. So my advice is: prepare for a world without third-party cookies like we used to be.”

Wider implications for industry

Marketing strategist Reid Thomas said it was an acknowledgment by Google and the IAB as a whole that there was no solution to tracking other than cookies.

• “Cookieless authentication, due in part to the efforts of browsers not owned by the largest DSP, has never really taken off. Essentially, Google has been working with regulators and privacy advocates to try to find a solution, and it just hasn’t been successful.
• “For advertisers, I would still continue to treat the world as if cookies were rejected. For ~30% of users, they already are (Safari, especially mobile; Firefox; Opera; and some Edge users). For the rest, recent data show that cookie-based targeting is negative in terms of ROI (Ahmadi et al 2023) and largely not significantly more accurate than random targeting (Neumann et al 2022).
• “Essentially, it’s more of a capitulation that there is no ‘new cookie’ and that a rethinking of how we reach audiences needs to happen, rather than celebrating that the ‘good old days’ are coming back.”

Lisa Ershbaumer, director, digital advertising at Proficio, said she’s not surprised Google can’t make it work in a way that’s profitable for them (and without losing media budgets to other ad networks).

• “But: more people are aware of data and privacy, and I hope more PPC professionals have started to think beyond Google Ads, treating it as part of a whole strategy for what it is. So it’s not all bad.”