The cookie crumbles: Advertising on social media moving forward

Who doesn’t love cookies, but for the sake of this blog, we aren’t speaking about the warm, gooey baked goods we all enjoy! These cookies are ones on the internet! 

Concerns surrounding data privacy is nothing new, especially since the internet has become an increasingly prevalent part of our daily lives. In fact, around 1990, consumers were hesitant about their data, who was sharing it and who was tracking them.  

What are advertising cookies?

The image above is the perfect description of a cookie that every person who browses the internet will understand. A web cookie, also known by several other names, is a small snippet of data that is added to a searcher’s browser when they visit websites. 

These bite size chunks of information are not all bad! This information is stored in your web browser for up to 90 days and then it is deleted. These can be used for retargeting campaigns for marketing purposes and to retain previous data such as login information. 

Ever say to yourself, “I feel like Facebook and Google are listening to me?” Well, in a way they kind of are. This is because the cookie on your browser will retarget advertisements based on your browsing history. If you go to the website, then Facebook, check Instagram and or maybe abandon that Amazon shopping cart, it is all stored in your cookies. 

Once you “accept” the message above, that is when “the government is listening.” 

However, as consumers and state regulations change, advertising will take a different turn moving forward. Will the cookie really crumble? 

Apple iOS 14 

The biggest change moving forward is the iOS 14 update and Facebook advertising. This is because the latest update is changing the activity-tracking which directly affects campaign targeting advertisements. 

At the core of the update, it now shows a pop-up screen when opening Facebook which asks if they allow Facebook to track their activity. It is estimated that 50 to 90 percent of iPhone users will say no. 

In 2018, Apple introduced what is known as the SKAdNetwork which has been a concept of privacy for quite some time, and campaign management and event data is restricted to nine campaigns and five ad sets per campaign for each Facebook advertising account. 

What does this mean? This means that conversions are going to be less and metrics are going to be harder to report. At the same time, a new protocol states that if a user is on Instagram and is taken to a website, it will not show geographical location and the event will be lost.

This iOS update will change the entire system of Facebook and Instagram advertising.  With this latest release, this not only affects Facebook, but Google is making some serious changes as well. 

Google 

Google announced that by 2022, less than seven months away, that they are removing third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. This is due to the increased demand for  privacy and security of personal data. 

However, Google is taking a less extreme approach to this than other browsers and is improving their system. This means that Google is providing an aggregated amount of vague information to marketing agencies and advertisers. 

A larger group of people will get advertisements, and the data that is collected will provide a larger, more broad scale of metrics and information for companies and marketers to use. 

Are the cookies and advertising really crumbling?

Google is approaching this at a less extreme level than Apple, but it does force companies and marketing agencies alike that they will need to rethink their current marketing strategies. 

Don’t give up, do your best to evolve with the times! What about less ads and maybe more organic SEO? It doesn’t hurt to try and reallocate that money right back in the success of your company!