The end of third-party cookies: many marketers are not prepared

The clock is ticking and the end of the third-party cookie is imminent. However, a recent survey commissioned by the advertising management platform Adform shows that marketing decision-makers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are still inadequately prepared for the approaching deadline.

In the study, 91% of marketing decision-makers in Austria and 88% in Switzerland stated that they did not yet have a solution for the time after cookie death. For the DACH region as a whole, the figure is 82 percent. Two thirds of respondents in Austria and Switzerland expect the end of third-party cookies to have a direct impact on their own business.

With the end of the third-party cookie, the topic of identity is gaining momentum. And as many as 60 percent of DACH respondents are currently looking for a solution for creating first-party identities. Only 29 percent already have a corresponding solution. "The fact that one in ten marketers have not even considered the topic of identity is alarming," says Andreas Grasel, Country Manager Austria & Switzerland at Adform. "The announcement that third-party cookies and thus the familiar model would be phased out came as no surprise to industry insiders at the time. Even then, it was clear that anyone just starting to deal with this now has a lot of work ahead of them. The time for action on the part of decision-makers has long since arrived; and the pressure is mounting!"

Control, transparency and flexibility

According to the survey, marketing decision-makers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland also generally lack control over their marketing data. According to the survey, 39% of respondents state that they have no control over their marketing data or at least wish they had significantly more control.

Respondents also identified several problems in the supply chain: Advertising euros seeping into the process, too many providers involved, too little control and too little transparency - overall, 91 percent of respondents criticized the loss of valuable time and money in the process. The solution to this problem and thus cost- and time-efficient work seems to be seen by the majority of respondents (63 percent) in working with just one provider instead of relying on a best-of-breed approach.

Above all, modern marketers need to be flexible in order to hold their own in the fast-moving advertising business. 23% believe that success depends above all on the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. For 15 percent each, a broad specialist knowledge of marketing platforms and knowledge of all marketing sub-processes are among the core competencies.

60% of DACH marketers have a positive attitude towards brand gardens - i.e. the activation of their own first-party data in a protected environment. Flexibility and control are the most prominent advantages of such brand gardens for 82 percent. However, trust and transparency are also important plus points in the eyes of two thirds of the experts.

Current challenges

When asked about the biggest challenges currently facing the management of marketing campaigns, the experts named not only less budget and team strength due to Covid-19 (37%), but also not being able to make real-time adjustments and having to wait too long for results (14% each) and the lack of integration of individual elements into the big picture (also 14%). Almost three quarters (76%) would like to have a single dashboard for the efficient management of their campaigns. Respondents see particular advantages in data optimization, greater control over campaigns, cost efficiency and flexibility.