Publishers also see cookie deactivation as an opportunity
Despite Google's delay in abolishing third-party cookies, the transition to a digital, cookie-free advertising landscape has already made considerable progress. This is shown by the fourth global publisher study by Teads. However, medium and small publishers in particular continue to struggle with ambiguity and lack of preparation in certain areas, even though the end of third-party cookies is approaching.
The results of the Teads study highlight the challenges publishers face in transitioning to a cookie-free online environment. While over two-thirds of publishers were actively preparing for a cookie-free future in 2023, only 32% are now. Most are reluctant to take action and may be waiting until the impact of deprecation becomes unavoidable.
The concerns are considerable: around 45% of publishers fear that traffic will be lower without cookies and that this will have a negative impact on advertising revenue. As a result, concerns about advertising opportunities without cookies have increased by 120% compared to the previous year. Already today, 45% of global web traffic runs without cookies via the Teads SSP Platform - so publishers and advertisers are already entering new territory here. However, only 28% of publishers feel confident in their understanding of the new digital advertising landscape. 53%, on the other hand, are overwhelmed by the numerous possibilities of cookie-free solutions.
Low login rates cause displeasure
Increasing user logins for successful cookieless targeting remains a major challenge. 70% of publishers report a login rate of less than 25%. And only 24% of publishers confirm that more than half of their users visit their website more than three times a month. This suggests that some cookieless targeting alternatives that require users to be logged in may be struggling to capture logins.
Despite potential revenue losses, 44% of publishers see this change as an opportunity to use their existing first-party data and improve the quality of their content. In addition, 37% of respondents value the advantages in data protection and trust in the search for new alternatives.
Premium Global Publishers are pioneers
The world's leading publishers show a deep understanding of the shift to a cookie-free online environment. 52% of them believe that this change will give them the opportunity to differentiate themselves from other publishers through their first-party data and the quality of their content. They are also optimistic about the subscription rate of their users. 62% have a subscriber strategy, so their sign-up rate is double the global average of 10% to 25% signed-up users. 38% also dedicate resources to testing and implementing cookie reading solutions. It is clear that this group is very proactive. In response to the phasing out of cookies by Google, 22% have also accelerated their plans. In addition, 74% are actively using first-party data when working with advertisers, underlining their pioneering position in the monetization of digital assets.
Evident differences in the size of publishers
The smaller and mid-sized publishers, on the other hand, show a greater reliance on industry-specific solutions such as Seller Defined Audiences (SDA) and less direct interaction with advertisers. This group faces significant challenges, with only 22% having a good understanding of the transition to a cookie-free framework. Their proactive measures are less pronounced: Only 17% are testing non-cookie alternatives. This cautious approach is also reflected in their hesitant response to industry innovations, with only 17% accelerating their plans in anticipation of Google's updates.
As the debate about the abolition of cookies evolves and concerns grow, the industry needs to develop innovative technologies and strategies for successful change. "Cookie-less advertising is already a reality," said Omar Piras, VP Publishing at Teads. "But our survey shows that there is an urgent need to catch up across the industry. Even though Google has once again postponed the deactivation of third-party cookies, there is no way around alternative targeting measures. With its technologies, Teads is significantly driving change in the digital advertising landscape and, with effective contextual targeting, is ensuring that publisher monetization remains high before, during and after the removal of cookies."
From March 1 to March 31, 2024, Teads surveyed 555 publishers in 58 countries to understand the current state and trends of the media industry. The survey was conducted for the fourth consecutive year. Selected questions are maintained consistently over the years to uncover changes over time. Time-sensitive questions were designed as stand-alone queries specific to each year.
