Digiday+ Research: Agencies, brands don’t agree on specific path beyond third-party cookie expiration
![first party data](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2027/01/first-party-data.jpg?w=1030&h=579&crop=1)
This research is based on unique data collected from our proprietary audience of publisher, agency, brand and tech insiders. It’s available to Digiday+ members. More from the series →
For all the news (and panic) associated with the coming death of the third-party cookie, there has been a flurry of action on the part of agencies and brands to prepare, but very little consensus on what that preparation entails.
Digiday+ Research found in an April survey that the vast majority of agency and brand professionals agree that preparations are underway for Google to sunset third-party cookies at the end of next year. But when asked about how exactly they are preparing, a majority was nowhere to be found.
Of the 146 industry pros surveyed by Digiday, 70% of agency and brand executives said their businesses are busy actively preparing for the end of the third-party cookie.
But when it comes to what specifically agencies and brands are working on to take them beyond third-party cookies, responses to Digiday’s survey were across the board. Among respondents, there was no majority concerning what agencies and brands are working on as a replacement for the third-party cookie.
First-party data, ad tech-built cookie alternatives and contextual targeting did come close: 49% of agency and brand execs said their businesses are investing more in technology to acquire first-party data, 45% plan on using ad tech-built alternatives to the third-party cookie and 45% are spending more on contextual targeting campaigns. Meanwhile, a third of agency and brand execs are looking to second-party data partnerships, Digiday’s research found.
And where does Google’s suggested replacement for third-party cookies – Google Topics – fall in the conversation among agency and brand execs? Among those surveyed by Digiday, more than 40% did not agree or disagree that Google Topics will effectively replace the third-party cookie.
Clearly, industry execs have plenty of drive and options when it comes to charting the path beyond the third-party cookie. But the map for measurement and targeting past the end of next year is far from complete.
More in Marketing
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/money-sandwich-digiday.jpeg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
Omnicom is consolidating B2B shop Doremus+Co with Merkley and Partners
The move is part of ongoing consolidation throughout agencies and holding companies as holding companies look for ways to drive efficiencies and boost revenue.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/creator-athletes-digiday.jpg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
After keeping them at arm’s length, sports brands are opening the door to creators
The PGA and soccer club Juventus are taking a more progressive approach to creator-based marketing.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/DigidayCar.jpg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
Car brands from BMW to Volkswagen lean into in-car gaming
The long-term potential for in-car gaming extends far beyond the relatively brief moments in which drivers are charging or filling their cars. As more vehicles become fully autonomous, drivers’ eyeballs no longer have to be focused on the road, turning them into a potential target for advertisers.