Ad Tech Insights

Crunch Time: Why Google's Plan Is A Recipe For Confusion

The story: Google’s decision to delay the deprecation of third-party cookies, initially set for 2022, has caused widespread uncertainty in ad tech. A recent IAB study found that 88% of industry professionals believe this pivot introduced confusion, especially around measurement and addressability. Nearly 40% of respondents expressed concern over the lack of clarity in Google’s new approach. 

Google’s new user choice model, similar to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in iOS 14.5, adds another layer of complexity. If users opt out at similar rates, the availability of third-party data for targeting and measurement could plummet. Although 51% of respondents fear Google’s move may hinder privacy-focused innovation, many see this as an opportunity to build stronger frameworks for the future. 

‍The takeaway: Google’s cookie delay highlights how transparency and trust between businesses and consumers will be critical to maintaining effective ad strategies. Now is the time for the industry to innovate and collaborate on solutions that ensure long-term sustainability while addressing both regulatory and consumer demands for privacy.

READ MORE.

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Extra Industry Insights

• A DoubleVerify study found that retailer-owned and operated inventory had an engagement rate 183% higher than the norm. 
• Omnicom Media Group is working behind the scenes to help push for ad auction clarity and standards, alongside the Auction Standards Working Group. 
• Katherine Freeley, the head of Media Center of Excellence at Boehringer-Ingelheim stated, “The more visibility we have into the ad auction process, the more confident we can be in the integrity of digital ads marketplaces and the strength of our buying strategies - and that benefits all stakeholders.” 
• Competition is heating up in the retail media space - Amazon’s advertising revenue grew by double digits this past quarter, but so did Walmart and Target. These retail media margins could mean the difference between extra money to invest in new tech and getting left behind. 

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Kevel Catch-Up

PUBLISHED: Kevel’s Retail Media Ad Serving Guide 

Retail media ad serving is rapidly transforming the digital advertising landscape, with ad spend expected to reach $178B by 2028. Now accounting for 20% of total ad spend - up just 10-15% in recent years - retail media is on track to surpass TV advertising and is one of the fastest-growing segments. 

Check out our comprehensive guide to explore the evolution of retail media, best practices of top performing networks, and how to launch and scale your own retail media platform. 

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Keep Learning

WATCH → In this Beet.TV interview, Ann Nguyen, TikTok’s Global Head of Measurement, Product Solutions & Operations, shares insights on Tiktok’s “busy year ahead,” highlighting the upcoming launch of new advertising and measurement tools. 

READ → After months of revising and gathering feedback, P2PI released an updated omnichannel landscape, designed to highlight and illustrate the various retailer media networks in the marketplace and related key partners in various categories. 

LISTEN → If Adam Heimlich could travel back in time to alter the future of online advertising, he would go to Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, but not necessarily to stop it. (Listening time: 52:07).