The Bleak Future of Third-Party Cookies in AdTech

Essentially, third-party cookies are those created by domains other than the one the consumer is directly browsing, and they’re most commonly leveraged in the advertising space.

PrograMetrix is a programmatic advertising agency, meaning it works to automate ad buying and place data-driven ad campaigns across the channels consumers are interacting with, making Parrish a uniquely qualified voice to discuss the changing trends in the way online ads are shifting.

Parrish has seen many a monumental shift in his decade in the industry, and the changing role of cookies is a major one. While cookies initially changed the way targeted ads and targetable consumer segments were leveraged, the third-party cookie is beginning to show cracks in the foundation.

“The reason that the cookie is somewhat ‘under attack,’ I think, is somewhat two-fold,” Parrish said. “One, it’s governments regulating the open internet, right, and understanding that there are data and privacy concerns. … On the other hand, there are more consumers that are becoming more knowledgeable about their internet usage and what companies do with their browsing behaviors and tendencies.”

To adapt, Parrish said, “identity links” that enable addressability without cookies, device graphs to identify users without cookies, IP targeting and more are going to be part of a cookie-free landscape.