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By: Earl Brown, Autofusion (2024)
In an already tumultuous and dramatic year for the search giant, Google has just pulled another last-minute U-turn on the marketing-attribution superhighway. After growing pressure from advertisers and regulators alike, and almost 5 years after announcing tracking-cookies were being phased out in favor of a new “Privacy Sandbox” technology, the entire plan is being scrapped and Google is going back to the drawing board.
There is no discernable plan as of yet, but the company appears to be taking crumbs from Apple’s cook-book to introduce some sort of “elevated choice” model that allows it’s Chrome users to decide whether or not they are tracked by advertisers. A choice that numerous experts believe everyday consumers will overwhelmingly tend to decline, at rates as high as 90% (according to Ari Paparo of the ad-tech company Beeswax).
What Does This Mean For Car Dealers and Automotive Retail In General? Are Cookies Back?
Some Automotive advertising professionals are already wondering whether a return to the glory days of robust cookie-based attribution models may be close on the heels on this announcement, but you may want to pump the brakes on that notion because there is no evidence to suggest that consumers and governments will ever allow the industry to go back to the cavalier privacy standards of years-past.
This means that the advertising industry’s drive towards an inevitably “cookieless” future will continue.
In the meantime, while Google sorts out the path forward, Dealers can continue leveraging the third-party cookies that Chrome gathers to enhance their targeted advertising strategies. For example, you can continue using the cookies generated by Chrome users to gather insights on shoppers who have shown interest in specific models or body styles, and then tailor your display ads to feature more relevant offers and promotions.
“We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time. We’re discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.” said Google’s Anthony Chavez.
It’s certainly no secret that consumers hate the way tech companies like META use their personal data. You’ll recall it was Apple who initially turned the attribution status-quo on it’s head 2021, when they announced their ATT (App-Tracking-Transparency) privacy features on the iphone.
While it’s not yet clear if Google plans to essentially emulate Apple’s solutions, they did reveal that they would be working to assuage the concerns of regulators from numerous jurisdictions across the globe, all while exploring a “new path” toward achieving better consumer privacy standards. So there is no plan yet, but they have pledged to educate advertisers and industry experts as the road ahead materializes beneath their feet.
The cookie will crumble, and automotive advertisers should have a plan for that.
Car dealers and automotive-adjacent advertisers should understand which way the wind and tides are moving:
Dealers should continue preparing to incorporate alternative data methods, utilizing first and third-party data in their marketing strategies, and push their advertising partners to develop other solutions (perhaps a return to contextual advertising?) that keep shoppers privacy preferences (and tolerances) in mind, without sacrificing any more performance than is necessary.
To learn more about how Autofusion can help your dealership craft the perfect “future-proof” digital advertising strategy, or to schedule your free PPC Audit to make sure your advertising capabilities are dialed in, contact our sales team today at sales@autofusion.com , or schedule a consultation.
