The Future of Cookie-Less Advertising
As privacy regulations evolve, the advertising industry is shifting towards cookie-less solutions. This week, we explore how Brave Ads is at the forefront of this transition and what it means for you.
What are cookies? Cookies are small data files stored on users' devices by websites to track online activities. While some cookies are essential to how sites work, many are solely used to track users across the Web, building profiles for personalized ad targeting. Due to privacy concerns, many users block these tracking cookies, leading to significant changes in the digital advertising landscape.
Why the shift away from cookies? In response to mounting user demands for privacy, third-party cookies are becoming much less common on the Web. Google Chrome, the world's most widely-used browser, is phasing out third-party cookies in the browser throughout 2024. This will be a huge change for the digital ads industry—altering how ads function, and how they create ROI for advertisers.
In other words, the traditional online ad model—built on tracking technologies—is fundamentally changing. And soon. To survive the shift to a cookie-less world, advertisers will need better, more nuanced advertising strategies. And the sink-or-swim moment is coming sooner than you think.
What is cookie-less advertising? Cookie-less advertising refers to ad targeting that doesn’t rely on third-party cookies. Companies will still be able to collect user data (by asking permission and only on websites they actually own). But cross-site tracking will disappear.
This change will force brands to build relationships with users and customers based on trust and consent, rather than using ad tech that engages in shady data collection practices. With this in mind, savvy advertisers should look toward:
Strategies for a cookie-less world:
- Zero- and first-party data:
- Zero-party data: Collected directly from users through surveys, quizzes, webforms, and questionnaires—helping build trust.
- First-party data: Gathered from interactions on your own sites, such as clicks and time spent on pages, with user consent.
- Native advertising:
- Integrated directly into content, native ads provide value without relying on traditional tracking methods.
- Privacy-preserving ads:
- Ads that do not track users or build profiles but still offer aggregated performance insights.
Why Brave Ads? Brave Ads is designed for a privacy-first future, offering a range of ad units without invasive tracking:
- Search ads: High-intent, keyword-based ads in Brave’s private search engine. Perfect for capturing users ready to take action.
- New Tab Takeover: Top-of-funnel awareness ads that appear as full-page images on new browser tabs. Ideal for brand exposure and awareness.
- Notifications and Newsfeed ads: Mid-funnel ads delivered as device-level push notifications and native ads integrated into the Brave News feed. Effective for delivering content that blends seamlessly with user browsing.
Brave Ads allows advertisers to reach millions of privacy-conscious users while providing actionable insights on ad performance—and to develop cookie-less ad strategies now, before the music stops.
Explore Brave Ads' cookie-less solutions today and stay ahead of the curve. Start your campaign now and see how you can achieve better results while respecting user privacy.
