On January 14, Google announced that it intended to block third-party cookies from its browser Chrome … in two years. Not right away, mind, but by 2022. In the meantime, they’re figuring out ways “to mitigate workarounds.” Which sounds great for consumers.

The announcement was a follow-up to their Privacy Sandbox declaration last summer, wherein Google committed to “Building a more private web.” After the embarrassing 2018 data breach when upwards of 30 million Facebook users’ data were harvested by Russia-friendly Cambridge Analytica, Google’s getting behind the little guy.

Or is it? In short, we don’t know. On the surface, yes, it sounds like great news for consumers. But considering the source, we’re less confident it’ll be truly great for anyone but Google, especially niche advertisers.

First, what are third-party cookies? Heck, what are cookies (and who doesn’t love a third party)?

Cookies are minute files that websites put on your computer when you visit them. They measure your behaviour: what you click on, what information you enter, how long you stay on a page, etc. First-party cookies come directly from a site that you’re visiting. They can make your experience a bit easier the next time you visit. (You can log in quicker; maybe they don’t show you any Nickelback videos; whatever.)

But some sites allow third parties to put cookies on your computer which track your behaviour thereafter, following you across the different publishers on the web.

Why stop these third-party cookies? The brokers sell the data they’ve gathered by observing your behaviour. Meanwhile you got nothing in return. Hardly fair! So, Google preventing third parties from tracking your behaviour in 2022 is great news! How brave of them to make the announcement.

Then again, rival browsers Safari and Firefox already ban third-party cookies in 2017 and 2019, respectively. So, at least some small part of these declaration must be PR catch-up.

We suspect the ban will make things more challenging for small marketers for two reasons:

1) The ban will make it harder for you to target consumers. Not that third-party tracking and behaviour observation has been anywhere near perfected. (Be honest: when’s the last time you clicked on an ad in the middle of your day and bought something?) But tracking has helped a lot of niche marketers find the right customer at just the right time.

2) It’s Google, the titanic gargantuan behemoth-hulk. When’s the last time any monopolist selflessly changed the rules to make things better for their customers? We’d love to see things go well for the fabled ‘little guy’ — but we’re happy to predict they’ll go well for Google.

Remember Google says it’s planning to make the web more private for users by quashing third-party cookies. Not first-party which, we’ve already argued above are a convenience. They certainly are convenient for Google. It’s easy for Google to trash third-party cookies when they own and retain so much first-party data.

Consider. They know exactly what you’ve queried for the past 15 years, all the Youtube rabbit holes you’ve plumbed, what you’re asking Alexa for from your couch or Android phone, who you’re emailing back and forth with on your Gmail account, the route you walked with Google Maps to the pot store … you get the point.

It’s less Big Brother than Massive Mother! And this announcement could just as easily be interpreted as a competition cull.

But let us reiterate that we don’t know what the fallout of this rule change will be and are loathe to make predictions.

Five years ago, few genies would’ve forecasted Brexit, a Trump presidency — or even a Liberal federal government here in Canada! Remember, until just weeks before the election, the NDP were the government in waiting. We do think Google’s going to be OK, though.

Written by Steven Bochenek – Sr Content Contributor. 

The post What Do You Want First: The Bad News or the Google News? ~ On Third-Party Cookies Bans ~ appeared first on Brand Grow Media Inc..

Our biz here at Brand Grow’s out-“Brand-Grown” our past
(And we bet you can’t say that line three times fast!)

This fourth year in business, our wins did entail
Some tech, automotive, and financial retail
But also some travel, education as well
Plus charity work, so we don’t go to Hell

“On Molok! On Kindred! On UTMM!”
And others whose great names don’t rhyme well with them

Yes, things here at Brand Grow are growing apace
But this rhyming’s becoming a pain in the ace

OK! That’s out of our system and we don’t have to do anything like it for a year—maybe not till 2029.

As the hackneyed rhyming couplets indicated, it’s been a great four years for Brand Grow and we thank our clients, partners and team for making it happen.

This past year alone saw new media planning projects across all major media disciplines with some clever digital executions vis OTT, multiscreen display, social and search.

Of course, pretty much all marketing’s online these days—even what’s offline is discussed and analyzed here—but not everyone’s doing it well. Small wonder so few agencies are enjoying such a bounty—and variety—of clients as we’ve been lucky enough to grow. Examples?

We saw new business from clients as diverse as the Italian National Tourist Board, University of Toronto, Ting Mobile and Fiber Internet, Kindred Credit Union, Molok Waste Management North America, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Penske Truck Leasing.

If you’re looking for a theme running through that list, you’re not likely to find it on the surface. However, they all have high standards and have trusted Brand Grow to responsibly deliver results.
Media Strategy and Planning, and Multi-faceted Brand Building remain our two greatest areas of focus but we’ve been asked to sit on many panels. We’ve also been dropped into some specialized industry-consulting opportunities, many of which show signs of growing. Or Brand Growing as our in-house marketing poet* wrote above.

We’re deeply grateful for all the word-of-mouth referrals our clients and colleagues provided. Overwhelmingly our account wins have come through industry referrals and we continue to be humbled by kind words and opportunities they represent. All the experience and marketing schooling in the world doesn’t change the unspun truth. The best kind of advertising always has been and remains third-party word-of-mouth.

Think of about: If Fonzy tells you he’s cool, you may not be convinced. But if Ritchie and Potsy tell you Fonzy’s cool, you’re more open to their less biased endorsement. Then from that stage of quasi-trust, it’s up to the Fonz himself to prove he’s cool. Which is why we say your advertising needs to show not tell—you know, demonstrate that you’re cool or funny or whatever, don’t just say it.

So, most of all we wish to thank all of our clients who’ve trusted us with their brands—several of whom have told others we’re cool—and our partners and employees for demonstrating it. Thereby making 2019 the best year yet. We raise our cup of virtual eggnog to you all and say: Here’s hoping year five Brand Grows even more outstandingly.

*Marketing poet? No other agency could use the expression “Brand Growing” without looking like thieves. Ask about Brand Growing your brand.

The post Happy Holidays – A year to Remember appeared first on Brand Grow Media Inc..