Return of the cookie monster!

As a child I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sesame Street’s cookie monster, it would frustrate me how it never actually ate the cookies, just crushed them in its mouth and spat the crumbs out the side. What a waste of a good cookie!

Fast forward to more recent times and ask anyone that knows me, they will tell you I’m also not the biggest fan of Google. So it may come as a surprise when I say that I’m actually happy that they are making 3rd party cookies obsolete…and here’s why.

Much has been said about what a cookieless future might mean for an ad-funded internet, and, although things are about to be majorly disrupted, relevant advertising is here to stay. What we can all agree on though is the cookie has run its cause. They’ve been around since the early days of web development, remaining stagnant, as the technology around them moves and changes at a rapid pace.  We just need to look at emerging markets such as Connected TV, which rely on more advanced identity solutions, to understand that things needed to change.

We’re seeing identity technologies beavering away in the background, doing a great job in finding and offering solutions, but until we have one universal ID, I’m not sure multiple players and a fragmented ID is the answer.

One thing that will never change is the value exchange that funds the internet. Ignore the few subscription services, the internet and its amazing content are funded by advertising, nobody in the digital ad industry, including Google, want to take that away. At the same time, we, as an industry have to be consistent when balancing relevance and privacy.

That’s why, when Google announced its potential solution, Google Privacy Sand Box, I was pleased and relived that they opened it up for comment by those potentially affected (adtech, publishers, and, advertisers) to make sure the ad ecosystem remains aligned. Unlike Apple’s safari decision to just block tracking as default.

Google has given us two years to work together and transform the way we engage with online consumers. This is a huge opportunity to make change and bring everything in line for a fully connected, digital future. We have to get it right.

Am I optimistic? Yes.
Do I still get frustrated by the cookie monster? Yes.
Do I think Google have made the right play? Annoyingly YES!