Back to the future?
The ad tech ecosystem is all atwitter over Google’s decision to eliminate third-party cookies from Chrome.
It’s bad news for those who monetize ads on sites with content of questionable value, often authored by automation. It’s also bad news for the ad tech industry that has taken 40% off the top of all transactions in exchange for facilitating buying on those sites.
Oh, and it’s also bad news for agencies that will find media buying in a cookie-less world less efficient. Who knows? Maybe buying media will become a creative profession again.
The winners? Brands.
Brands win because they’ll know their messages are appearing on sites publishing reputation-friendly editorial and attracting quality audiences. They’ll spend more time being creative and less trying to verify that people actually engaged with their messaging.
Content publishers that invest in quality editorial in a brand-safe environment will also win in attracting loyal and engaged readers. Programmatic buying of inventory through marketplaces is likely to play a role, but the days of blindly buying low-cost inventory on low-rent sites may be ending.
Am I just nostalgic for the good old days? Or is this Back to the Future, where marketers and agencies know what they’ve purchased with their ad budgets?
Let me know what you think!