The cookies started to crumble.
The phaseout of third-party cookies officially began on January 4th. First announced in February 2022 as a way to respond to user demand for improved privacy, this big change has been long overdue. But now that it's here, marketers have a lot of questions about what to do next.
Morning Brew teamed up with StackAdapt to find the answer. We've created a 3-step guide to advertising success in a cookie-free world. With this guide in hand, you may never miss a once-beloved cookie.
1. Leverage contextual targeting.
As the phase-out begins, contextual advertising has emerged as the primary targeting method. why? That's because advertisers can reach their audiences in a scalable way without relying on third-party cookie data.
Rather than targeting ads based on user behavior, contextual ads serve ads based on what users are searching, watching, or reading. Imagine an ad for running sneakers on a marathon registration web page. Of course? It’s reaching the right audience at the right time and in the right context.
If you're taking cookie loss seriously, these numbers about contextual targeting might make you feel better. Past analysis at StackAdapt has revealed that placing ads in the right context can increase user engagement by 4-10x. Keep these results in mind. You can do this without relying on user data, simply by reaching your audience when they are in a receptive state of mind.
2. Let AI do the heavy lifting for you programmatically.
In some ways, the timing of the cookie phase-out worked well for marketers, but it all boils down to two little letters: AI.
Contextual ads are served programmatically, using AI and machine learning to collect and analyze data in real-time. And the scale and velocity of this data alone can have a game-changing impact.
Here's how it works: AI collects data when users interact with ads. Machine learning then analyzes that data to find useful behavioral patterns. From there, advertisers use those learnings to make ongoing changes.
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These revisions have powerful potential to optimize towards specific KPIs, improve performance, and reduce wasted ad spend. And those are only short-term victories. These learnings can also have a significant impact on long-term advertising strategies, goals, and decision-making.
3. Introducing StackAdapt's Page Context AI.
At this point, you may be wondering about the challenges and barriers that come with contextual targeting, such as how most demand-side platforms struggle to target niche categories. Or how little transparency there is into targeting performance.
StackAdapt is one step ahead of you. They recognized those challenges and created Page Context AI to solve them using patented algorithms. This method takes content targeting to a new level, giving you unparalleled control over where your native, display, and video ads appear.
Page Context AI allows you to specify “in-context” and “out-of-context” phrases to build custom strategies. StackAdapt's patent-pending algorithm determines optimal ad placements based on your site's content and selected phrases. Additionally, you can update input phrases based on insights thanks to a real-time feedback loop.
Page Context AI has a lot of obvious positives, but the best part is that it doesn't rely on cookies or personal information. So you don't have to worry about features being deprecated or phased out. StackAdapt is here for the long haul because he built it to reach his audience without cookies.
To greener advertising pastures
For marketers, navigating the world of advertising without third-party cookies can be intimidating. We hope that the effectiveness and advances in contextual targeting will make the transition a little easier. And with partners like her StackAdapt, with innovative targeting techniques and cutting-edge technology, this transition may feel more like an upgrade than a loss.
