It is a reality: finally Google (the owner of Chrome) will block the downloading of cookies that “gather” third party data, that is to say, from pages like Facebook or Google and that are used for segmentation of publicity for advertisements.
For digital marketing, websites, online stores, this change needs special attention as the relationship with the user will shift to be directly between the business and the client and the advertisements will stop receiving key information for the digital marketing world.
But what are cookies and how do they work? Cookies are archives that contain data. For example, every time that someone enters a website and accepts the cookies, they are accepting the sharing of information about the interactions that they carry out on the browser and website.
It may be assumed that this occurs with the purpose of improving user experience and to give more appropriate content and publicity, but it is not always like this, explained Angie Jiménez, VP of operations at Extendo.
With the elimination of cookies, it is only the website that the user is visiting that can capture information after asking for the respective consent. The third-party codes will be removed. The relationship then will be directly between the user and the business whose information (web or mobile app) will be consulted, added Jiménez.
The consequences
One of the principal consequences for the user will be the possibility of deciding whether or not they want to share information. The user will start to perceive that maybe the advertisements do not appear so “close” or personalized. Another advantage is that the user has more control and less probability of their personal data being lost or stolen.
Brands, websites and online stores must start to request authorization from the user to capture their information and important players in the digital industry need to adjust the rules of business to the regulations of the European Union and the State of California in the USA which define that the digital consumer (“the subject of data”) is the one who gives consent to save and use data from their interaction with the advertisements and websites.
With this change, advertising platforms like Facebook and Google, data gathering intermediaries like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel, and browsers like Chrome and Safari, must ask for consent to save and use data from interaction with advertisements and websites or face fines.
Who must make changes?
All technology companies that bring solutions which interact with the users’ browsers must actualize their technologies for this change. This includes the marketing technology businesses.
The businesses that advertise on the internet and have the benefit of tracking users for their campaigns and businesses need to ensure that they are conscious of the changes to paid publicity platforms and which of these changes require an interpretation of their results.
Media like digital newspapers must understand that the behavior of the advertisements will change and need to take measures to avoid losing revenues on paid advertising.
Businesses which have sites or digital apps must ensure that they follow these new norms to continue to correctly manage the exchange of data with their clients.
Website and mobile app users must pay attention to the warnings and requests for the use of data to give or reserve consent as appropriate.
How do you prepare?
- Accept the responsibility to gather and protect the privacy of your consumers.
- Use marketing platforms to understand the consumers and increase the value of the data.
- Accept that you must create your own digital marketing “data warehouse” to gather and protect the privacy of your consumers.
- Focus on generating value for the consumers in return for consent to deliver data.
