Lessons from DMEXCO: How Publishers and Advertisers Must Adapt to a Post-cookie World

The advertising and publishing industries have been completely transformed by changes in consumer preferences, a shifting privacy landscape, and questions about the relevance of targeted advertising itself. Although Google has postponed the phase-out of third-party cookies until 2023, privacy regulations are already tightening, and a post-cookie world is undoubtedly coming. How are publishers and advertisers preparing for it?

This is the challenge addressed in “How to Get Ready for a Post-cookie World,” a panel discussion moderated by The Trade Desk SVP for EMEA Philippa Snare at DMEXCO 2021. Held in Cologne and online, DMEXCO is Europe’s leading digital marketing and technology event.

The discussion brought together four leaders representing major brands, publishers, and advertising technology providers: Nils Kopnarski, Head of Trading & Operations, DACH, MiQ Digital LTD; Jan Heumueller, Managing Director Central Europe, Ogury Germany GmbH; Aneta Nowobilska, CPO, UPDAY for Samsung; and Arne Michael Kirchem, Media Director DACH, Unilever Deutschland Holding GmbH.

New Strategies for Personalization and Qualification

During the panel discussion, UPDAY’s Aneta Nowobilska dispelled the myth that a post-cookie world means the end of tracking altogether. “You can still [track], but without identifying a single individual,” she said, adding that publishers will still have the opportunity to “find the right audience by qualifying the impression.”

From an advertising perspective, Ogury’s Jan Heumuller said that ensuring relevant ad targeting requires a new approach where “a personification data layer and audience interests are used to qualify impressions, not the users themselves.”

Unilever’s Arne Michael Kirchem discussed a three-point strategy for brands navigating a post-cookie world: “We have started to become more an owner of first-party data; we’re looking into collaboration with partners; and we are looking at what can we do with contextual targeting, which [has] become much more sophisticated.”

MIQ Digital’s Nils Kopnarski, meanwhile, stressed the importance of developing a first-party data approach immediately: “If you start working with your first-party data, that’s going to give you a competitive advantage over others who don’t do it [before] the end of third-party tracking.”

Watch video of the full session here and subscribe to the MMA EMEA YouTube channel for more content like this.