BEYOND WEB COOKIES

What Are Web Cookies and Why Are They Important for Advertising?

A web cookie is a packet of data that a user’s web browser stores on the computer when the user visits a website. It helps that website track the user’s activity while on that website, including visits and purchase decisions. Digital marketers have been using web cookies to track online behavior and target users with ads for the past two decades. However, cookies are no longer the best method of accomplishing these goals. Cookie-based targeting has long been the backbone of digital media planning and buying, but its becoming increasingly obsolete.

Why Website Cookies are Unreliable

2. Cookies Provide A Limited Window of Data

Web cookies eventually expire, so they only provide a small window for tracking behavioral data – typically 30 days. Cookies create data silos because the data is isolated from other audience data such as mobile app usage, call center data and in-store purchases.

As you can see, cookies don’t provide you with the whole picture of how your audience is interacting with your brand across different channels and touch points. The lack of a complete picture means you could miss out on key information that can help you improve your marketing funnel and ultimately increase your sales.

Solving the Cookie Dilemma with People-Based Marketing

Cookies are no longer the only means of identifying and targeting digital audiences. Advances in data technology has created new ways to connect with customers. Brands often collect tons of data about these customer engagements, but the data is often siloed into disparate systems. A people-based marketing strategy helps remove data silos and extract insights that help brands improve targeting. The people-based approach uses advanced data tools that collect web cookie data, CRM data, call center records, in-app purchases, in-store transactions and other data silos into a centralized location where they can be transformed into rich consumer profiles. These profiles can be matched to media publishers’ inventory while safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII).

Move Beyond Web Cookies with an Audience Management Platform

Digital marketers have long relied on web cookies to identify and target audiences across digital media. With new technologies opening the door to more accurate identity-based targeting, cookie data just doesn’t cut it anymore. An Audience Management Platform (AMP) is a powerful tool that helps brands escape the limitations of cookie data.

An AMP uses anonymized persistent identifiers to match audience data across silos and consolidate them into single identities. Advertisers use these robust profiles to understand how individuals interact with your brand across all channels and create more meaningful, personalized customer experiences across all touchpoints.

The traditional method of using cookies to track the behavior of website visitors is becoming obsolete with the advent of people-based marketing. Cookies provide only limited insight into visitor behavior, whereas a people-based approach uses multiple data sources that can include cookies. People-based marketing allows you to target prospective customers much more accurately, thus increasing conversion rates. Are you ready to transform your media campaigns with a people-based approach? Contact Wingman Media today to see how we can help you!