Vibhor Kapoor, the President of AdRoll, a marketing and advertising platform, is at the forefront of helping business-to-consumer brands grow their businesses. With Google planning to phase out third-party cookies, advertisers are facing uncertainty about what changes to expect and how to adjust. While some in the digital advertising community are taking a wait-and-see approach, many are exploring robust attribution as a way to navigate the post-third-party-cookies world.
Attribution modeling can help advertisers identify which channels, campaigns, and journeys are generating the most conversions and revenue, allowing them to prioritize their budgets accordingly. Kapoor believes that attribution reporting will be crucial for advertisers to evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns while safeguarding user privacy in a world without third-party cookies. Reevaluating strategies and rethinking targeting and objectives are key steps advertising leaders can take to strengthen their attribution efforts.
To ease this process, advertisers should work to centralize metrics from various data sources and not be afraid to switch between different attribution models based on specific objectives. By refining attribution models, advertisers can gain a more nuanced understanding of campaign performance and make more informed decisions based on the dynamic nature of consumer behavior. Rethinking targeting and objectives, exploring different channels, and considering media allocation are also important strategies for advertisers to consider as they adapt to the changing landscape.
In preparation for the phasing out of third-party cookies, advertisers can evolve their approach by exploring avenues such as contextual advertising and AI-driven targeting. Contextual advertising displays ads based on the content of the webpage rather than the user’s previous activity, while AI-driven targeting allows for real-time optimization of ad performance. Embracing new avenues can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences, ultimately helping advertisers make more informed decisions about their advertising strategies and resource allocation.
Google is actively developing alternative application programming interfaces to address the potential disruption to attribution models caused by the absence of third-party cookies. Therefore, advertisers will need to delve deeper into understanding what influences customer behaviors and conversions. Strong attribution practices, coupled with accurately attributing customer interactions and conversions to specific touchpoints, will be essential for advertisers to refine their strategies effectively and ensure continued success in reaching and engaging their target audience.
