The cookieless future has been a hot topic for a while now, but we’re really reaching a fever pitch here in 2024. Google’s ubiquitous browser, Chrome, has been weaning users off of cookies since January, and plans to phase cookies out of the digital diets of their remaining users by year end*. 

This has caused a lot of concern in the digital advertising world, as many advertisers rely quite heavily on these 3rd party cookies to drill down on target audiences. As a primarily-digital advertiser, this removal of 3rd party cookies will affect me as well – but am I concerned? Absolutely not, and I’m happy to explain my reasoning. 

First, let’s get a little more detail on what’s actually happening: 

What Are 3rd Party Cookies Anyway?

Third-party cookies are small pieces of data created by a different domain than the domain the user is currently visiting. These cookies are placed on a user’s browser and can then track the user across the internet as they visit additional websites. They basically “spy” on the user, grabbing all kinds of data around the user’s personal interests and behaviors – this info can ultimately be leveraged by advertisers to create more personalized ads and experience flows. 

Why Am I So Unbothered By The Cookieless Future?

As an advertiser, I would obviously like to have the option to continue grabbing all this user intel – just in case I need it. But here’s the deal: even when all this data was plentifully available, I didn’t heavily rely on it to drive effective advertising. In fact, I often haven’t even bothered to use it – I actually think there’s a strong case to be made against granular audience segmentation. 

When it comes to advertising, I’m much more worried about understanding the brand at hand and effectively communicating their story to prospective customers – regardless of what those prospective customers may have been doing, thinking about, or looking for before seeing my ads. 

Put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer: have you ever started researching a specific product or solution only to end up purchasing something entirely different because the story won you over? If you’re being honest, you probably have. Even if not, it certainly happened to George Costanza. 

• He went to the dealership having done all his research, dead set on an ‘89 Volvo. 
• He left the dealership in an ‘89 LeBaron (with higher miles)

What happened? He was swayed by the story and the way it all made him feel. John Voight supposedly owned that LeBaron, and if it was good enough for a famous actor, it’s good enough for George. 

Stories > Cookies

I learned long ago that storytelling is king. Here’s a little background on how I reached that conclusion: 

Since I was a small child, I have been fascinated by advertising and marketing. I used to love to watch infomercials from masters like Ron Popiel and Billy Mays, and even learned some things from the randos hawking their wares at fairs and swap meets. 

While these demonstrators could make their ridiculous products look amazing, I was maybe even more blown away by the power of the written story. Catalogs like The Sportsman’s Guide and J. Peterman (the real deal, not the Seinfeld version) opened my eyes to a whole new world of marketing – one where the story took center stage in exciting its audience into action. 

I saw the power of ad copy and story telling first-hand when I thought I was getting a killer deal on a video game, and got home only to realize it was just the expansion pack for the game I didn’t have. I tried to return it and was rebuffed, so I decided to see if I could sell it on eBay. Leaning on the tricks I learned consuming those catalogs and infomercials, I made up a ridiculous story about how I had to sell the expansion pack in order to reclaim my life after having been sucked in by the vast world of immersive content I had been introduced to. I warned prospective buyers that they too may become addicted to the content this expansion pack contained, and to bid very carefully after weighing the risks.  To my shock, this opened expansion pack sold for about $10 more than I paid, and more than other competing listings for unopened versions. The only difference was the story. 

This one sale changed my whole world. I began selling on eBay full time, writing one outrageous description after another for each mundane product I listed. Eventually, I dropped out of college as my ebay earnings began to approach my major’s expected post-degree earnings – after all, who wants to be an accountant when you can earn just as much telling stories? 

While I’ve long since retired from eBay, I still employ this technique for my clients today. I focus on identifying and communicating the story behind each brand above all else. Personalized ads are a nice little bonus, but I just don’t believe them to be as impactful as a strong brand and story.  

How Do You Decouple Your Strategy From Cookies?

While we still have some runway on the cookie front, I cannot stress this point enough: you need to make sure your brand is in order, and do it right freaking now.

Developing a strong brand identity empowers you to create strong stories that evoke strong feelings and inspire bold actions from your audience. Technologies change quickly, but human behaviors don’t. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles. 

*Of course, immediately after writing this article, Google abandoned their plan to phase out 3rd-party cookies! I think all of the advice still stands, so I’m publishing anyway.