Yesterday was a big day in Ad Tech as it signaled the beginning of the end of the third party cookie (3PC). Google signaled that such cookies will be phased out by 2022. This has been coming for some time with 3pc's already massively restricted on about 30% of Browser impressions (Safari/Firefox among others).

For me this is a good thing and the advertising industry can now focus on moving on from the 3PC and into a better future with more respect for consumer privacy. With pending legislation and judgments this was only a matter of time and indeed we may see the decline of the 3PC accelerate faster than the 2 year timeline. If Google had not done this now it could have been forced upon them sooner rather than later.

So whats the impact. Well Ad Tech companies are going to have to adapt quickly. However for advertisers and marketers I think that we should view the future with optimism not fear. Provided you are flexible in approach and prepared advertisers and publishers can prosper in this new environment. That optimism comes with a caveat, those that keep their head in the sand and move slowly are going to struggle.

The biggest area of impact is on data buying and tracking. Advertisers and publishers need to use this period to get their house in order and control their data. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are going to be so important here as they will allow Brands to control their user data and gather consent. This control of data with relevant consent is going to be the bedrock of the future. Data will with permission still be available to used in walled gardens and logged in environments and results will be measurable. Expect to see publishers invest in single sign on and new walled gardens. Infosum are a company to watch in this space. Buying keywords on Google or consented users on Facebook will be relatively unaffected. Display will need to change quickly but I believe that will be to the benefit of better media environments and control, the trick here is to build publisher relationships and stay nimble.

For tracking session based analytics will likely still work for the foreseeable future. Post view tracking and attribution has a more unclear path but I believe some combination of first party consented data, panels, geolocation level expose and control groups and predictive statistics will actually improve the standard of measurement across the industry. Most simple current cookie based measurement systems are poorly used and flawed with only a minority of brands doing enough in attribution and modelling. I hope this announcement forces change here.

As for Ad tech there will be huge disruption. Much like when RTB killed off the old school ad networks in 2008-2012 there will be some casualties here. Yet good firms will adapt and prosper and the new opportunities can drive the industry forward. We can look forward to an era in the 20's of innovation and re inventing best practice. I can't wait. We should all celebrate the impact the 3PC has had, but like the cassette tape or the Compact Disk its time to move on.