Survey: Only 25% of advertisers ready for cookie deprecation

Only 25% of advertisers are ready for cookie deprecation, while they intend to diversify media mixes in a post-cookie world, a YouGov study shows.

Conducted on behalf of Taboola, the independent YouGov study focused on advertiser reactions to cookie deprecation. It polled 202 advertising and marketing decision-makers in global companies with at least 100 employees. Meanwhile, fieldwork was conducted online and was undertaken between 3 and 9 May 2024.

The study aims to understand their level of preparedness for cookie deprecation, the effect they anticipate it will have on their business, and how it will affect their decision to invest in certain advertising channels. 

According to the survey, only 25% of advertisers are fully prepared for the cookie phaseout, and less than half (46%) are satisfied with Google's decision to delay the phaseout. This suggests that advertisers are not yet ready for the cookieless future, and many agree with Google's move to postpone the phaseout.

The survey also finds that 44% of advertisers anticipate shifting their advertising spend to different channels as the cookie is phased out. This indicates that they are planning to adjust their spending strategies in response to the impending cookieless environment.

Furthermore, search advertising and native advertising are ranked among the strongest alternatives in the survey, suggesting that advertisers view these channels as providing better performance and return on investment in a cookieless world.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Taboola for more information. 

Don’t miss: Google delays cookie wipeout again. How are industry players coping with the journey?

The survey findings come amidst Google's recent decision to delay the cookie phaseout, and advertisers are preparing for the cookieless future despite the postponement. However, advertisers still have questions about their readiness and the ultimate impact on business results in the new, cookie-free landscape.

According to a statement made ahead of quarterly reports from Google and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Google recognised that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. However, Google did not specify a clear timeline as to when it will complete its third-party cookie demise in 2025.  

This is, in fact, the third time the tech giant has postponed its original deadline set in 2020, when the company pledged to phase out third-party cookies “within two years” to safeguard consumer security and privacy when going online.  

Earlier this year, Google started to phase out wipe out third-party cookies for 1% of browser traffic, allowing industry players time to test their readiness for a web without third-party cookies. 

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