Third-Party Cookies

But first, what is a third-party cookie? A third-party cookie is often described as a cookie that is created by domains differently from a website domain directly visited by the user, and saved on the user´s computer to track information about them, i.e. their login information or shopping cart history, and is in general used for online tracking purposes (Dao & Fukuda, 2021). In other words, cookies allow servers to identify users and remember things about them. The concept “Cookies” stems from 23-year-old Lou Montulli back in 1994 when he was an engineer at Netscape trying to solve a pressing problem making websites remember who their users were or what they had done in previous visits (Quartz, n.d.). The intent behind cookies was pure, however, almost immediately, advertisers and marketers realized, learned, and found ways to utilize cookies in their efforts to track users online and increase market shares. Cookies are an effective way for digital advertisers and marketers to learn about web visitors and their overall online behaviors, such as their visitation frequency, purchase history, and interests in various other websites (HubSpot, 2021). And with this detailed data plan, organize and build targeted content and ads for their users.

Cookies are distinguished into two categories; third-party and first-party cookies. Whilst third-party cookies are generated and placed on the website’s user´s device by a separate and different company than the one the user is visiting, first-party cookies are usually generated and placed on the user´s device by the website that the user is visiting (Cookieyes, 2022). First-party cookies are often referred to as the “harmless cookie” due to their characteristics of simply identifying returning visitors so that they do not have to use the username and password to log in on successive visits (Cookieyes, 2022).

Why Are Third-Party Cookies Being Phased Out?

The phaseout is a result of users expressing concern regarding their privacy online, and the demand for transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used. As users, we spend countless hours each day online, and the amount of information available on every user is infinite. The power companies hold in today’s market is immense compared to previous years. Consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of their surroundings and their rights as users, and therefore, sparked an objection to change the web ecosystem to meet and evolve the needs and demands of its users. 

Google Chrome is not the first browser to phase out the third-party cookie, however, it is the biggest (HubSpot, 2021). As early as 2013 did Firefox and Safari take the plunge to ban third-party cookies from their browser, but as data from Statista shows Chrome stands for more than 56% of the web’s total browser market. Due to Chrome accounting for more than half of all global web traffic, Safari at 11%, and Firefox at 3.15%, shows that 70,15% of the total global web traffic will be “free” from third-party cookies in the future. Case in point there has been a significant demand for increased privacy amongst users.

Exclusive Data Provided by HubSpot and GetApp Discovered That…

• 41% of marketers believe their biggest challenge will be their inability to track the right data (HubSpot, 2021).
• 44% of marketers predict a need to increase their spending by 5% to 25% in order to reach the same goals as 2021 (HubSpot, 2021).
• 23% of marketing experts plan on investing in email marketing software due to Google´s new policy (HubSpot, 2021).

Alternative Targeting Solutions to Third-party Cookies

As previously mentioned, cookies will never completely disappear due to its clear significance within the marketing and advertising fields. The deprecation of third-party cookies set for 2023 has made marketers think of innovative and creative ways for alternative data targeting solutions, and it is believed that there are three new major plans for how the industry will resume to utilize the benefits of third-party cookies without the use of third-party cookies.

Googles Federated Learning Cohorts (FLoC) model:

Google began testing a new technology March 2021 called the FLoC model as a replacement for third-party cookies. The browser tracks users and groups them into cohorts alongside thousands of peers with similar online habits for the purpose of interest-based advertising (Quartz, n.d.). The FloC model informs the site of which cohort users belong to, and based on this information helps advertisers tailor ads to people with similar interests.

First-party data tracking:

Before third-party cookies, there was first-party data tracking which in essence is data about a company´s customers that is collected and owned by that company (Signal, n.d.) The collected customer information is compiled through software and systems that the company itself owns (Signal, n.d.), and from there the data is used to create content, ads, personalized experiences etc. Effectively each company whether it be marketers, advertisers or publishers each collect their own data about their customers respectively.   

Identity-based tracking:

The last alternative data tracking solution is that all web users would be assigned an advertising ID that would allow advertisers to track and collect data every time a user uses a website. Much like third-party cookies, advertisers and marketers will be able to gain insight in user´s browsing habits, and create targeted content and ads based on users advertising ID´s.

Four Quick Key Takeaways from the Phase-Out

1. Google is not banning all cookies.
2. Google will not stop data tracking users entirely.
3. Professionals saw the cookie phase-out coming.
4. The phase-out will encourage creative and innovative thinking to future data collection.

To Conclude…

Initially there are several challenges and disadvantages with the removal of third-party cookies. The importance and benefits sought from using this tool has over the last few years grown immensely, and nearly every website owner uses cookies in the twenty-first century.  The phaseout is met with heaps of resistance from business owners, however, this development is a reaction to users concern and want for increased online privacy. The evolving ecosystem that is the internet will never be free from third-party cookies as it has become a fundamental part of how the web works, however modifications are being made to meet and satisfy the users demand for privacy.

“Cookies are just a fundamental part of how the Web works, about as essential as Wi-Fi, HTML, or electricity. All cookies do is recognize your computer as it travels between Web pages – so you need them for critical things like logging into a website, or buying something from a store.”  Silktide founder, Oliver Emberton.

If you enjoyed this and want to learn more about third-party cookies and its ban, you should check out “The Third-Party Cookie Ban: Unlocking The Secrets of First-Party Data with Ann Handley” podcast available on Spotify, or “What are Third Party Cookies, How do They Work?” podcast also available on Spotify.

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2022/01/14/15-top-trends-that-will-impact-marketing-in-2022/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/third-party-cookie-phase-out

https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/a-more-privacy-first-web/

https://qz.com/guide/the-end-of-third-party-cookies/

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/history-of-cookies-and-effect-on-privacy/

https://qz.com/guide/the-end-of-third-party-cookies/

https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3485983.3494860

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The Sponsor a Gambian Girl (SaGG) Foundation has requested WBS Social Media Clinic to execute a social media audit, and based on the findings and data collected present different social media and content recommendations. Predominantly, there was developed a principle in journalism that aims to provide structure, tangibility, and answers to a number of important questions known as the Five W´s; Who, What, When, Where and Why. Nonetheless this principle is also applicable when conducting a social media audit, and will be used for guidance when performing the audit for SaGG, in addition to looking into engagement.

1.1 SaGG Social Media Audit

(Table 1.1. Social Media Audit for SaGG)

Sponsor a Gambian Girl has an online presence on five major social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. A key takeaway from the audit is the social media platforms uniformity and identicalness. There was little variation in content across their platforms, where content and captions are one and the same. Posting the same content everywhere is a bare minimum strategy where companies know they need to get content out but they don’t know what else to post to stand out (Chen, 2021).  The audience is not the same across all channels, and therefore, it is significant for companies to tailor the content according to the platform’s audience to maximize the performance. The engagement rate calculated for SaGG is at 1,86% which by industry standards is considered average/ok.

1.2 Assessment of Competitors Social Media Presence

(Table 1.2. Social Media Audit for SaGG competitors)

When conducting a social media audit for a brand it is important to also look into its competitors. Two main competitors for SaGG are Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) and Africa Educational Trust who is now a part of Street Child. First, CAMFED has a similar social media presence to SaGG with the use of photos, hashtags, links, videos, infographics etc., their frequency of publishing content, and purpose. They also have a significantly larger following, and an engagement rate of 2% across all platforms which is meaningful in their quest. Second, African Educational Trust (AET) uses the same social media platforms as SaGG, though their content is tailored to meet their audiences’ expectations by differentiating content across their platforms. This differentiation might be the reason why AET has the highest engagement rate out of all three organizations with a score of 3.5%.

1.3 Investigation of Consumers/Donors´ Social Media and Content Habits

In a report provided by Co-Founder of SaGG, Annetta Paps-King, the intended target audience for the organization are females in the ages between 20-40 years old. Demographics preferred platform and usage vary depending on their gender and age group, therefore, from SaGG choosing their priority platforms to conducting market research, demographic data is key to understanding which platforms, content and potential campaigns they should implement (Sprout Social, 2022). According to recent reports by Statista Research Department, the top social media platforms SaGG´s target audience use is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Instagram is primarily used by the 20-29-year olds, Facebook is primarily used by 25-35-year olds, Twitter is primarily used by 20-40-year olds, LinkedIn is primarily used by 30-64-year olds, and YouTube is primarily used by 15-55-year olds. After uncovering which social media platforms the target audience use, the next step is to discover what type of content they prefer. As previously mentioned, each platform´s audience has different expectations and tailoring content to each platform will help SaGG excel. See table 1.3 for consumer´s social media & content habits.

(Table 1.3. Social Media Audit for Consumer´s Social Media & Content Habits)

A large part of creating interesting and engaging content is to follow and keep up with market trends. For SaGG that means to obtain knowledge on the latest news related to charities, global crisis, or anything that will affect the organization on social media. There are several trends that could impact charities in the upcoming year, as; a lingering uncertainty post-pandemic, rapid inflation, cybersecurity related to threats and fraud, a continued decline in donors, and the fundraising environment evolving (Charities Aid Foundation, 2022).

2.0 Social Media Goals

2.1 Social Media Recommendations

Based on the data and insights collected in part 1.0, it is clear that SaGG needs to focus on differentiating their social media content. There was little to zero variation in content across the platforms, which is perceived as a lack of understanding of what the different platforms can offer. As shown in table 1.3, there is a detailed list of what consumers content habits or preferences are for each platform, and this can help SaGG navigate what type of content they should implement for each platform to optimize their content. For example, SaGG will not reach 20-year olds with the same content intended to reach 40-year olds. See part 2.2 for content recommendations that will optimize SaGG´s content, and noticeably enlarge their future engagement rate.

Another social media recommendation is to focus on SaGG´s YouTube channel. A large part of the foundations intended target audience use this platform on a daily basis, and YouTube has the ability to connect SaGG to a global audience. The platform allows brands to create playlists around specific topics that are relevant to SaGG´s target audience (Business, 2020). With well-optimized videos, SaGG can have a massive reach to help them achieve the foundations marketing objectives (Business, 2020).

2.2 Content Recommendations

2.2.1 Social Media Content Calendar

In the audit it is uncovered that the foundation publishes content every 2-3 days, and sometimes twice a day. Therefore, the first recommendation for SaGG will be to establish a social media content calendar to organize their upcoming content, and strategize which platforms to use. A social media content calendar is considered the best way to plan and organize upcoming content (Hootsuite, 2021). Below is a suggested content calendar for SaGG for the upcoming week 4^th of April until the 10^th of April.

(Table 2.1, Social Media Content Calendar for SaGG)

2.2.2 Instagram Infographic

The second recommendation is an infographic for SaGG´s Instagram. In table 1.3 it was identified that consumers enjoy educational and inspirational videos, texts or photos, and therefore, it is suggested that SaGG will launch a monthly, regular infographic focusing on a girl who has been sponsored through SaGG. The goal is to show followers the impact SaGG has on the girls in The Gambia. The infographic will be no longer than 60 seconds, and follow a sponsored girl in a day in her life at school, with friends, and doing homework, in other words simply being a child.

2.2.3 LinkedIn Post

The final recommendation is a LinkedIn post. LinkedIn is a phenomenal platform to create awareness and reach potential sponsors due to its professional audience, and similarly to Instagram, the audience on LinkedIn prefer educational and inspirational content. There are numerous of foundations that SaGG can partner with to create interesting and educational content for LinkedIn. For instance, The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) briefly highlighted how girl’s education can prevent child marriage. The recommended content is to either interview the foundation or quote the report on the importance of girl´s education.

3.0 References

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/additions-to-the-five-journalistic-ws#:~:text=In%20journalism%2C%20the%20%E2%80%9CFive%20′,should%20be%20able%20to%20answer

https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/blog-home/charities-blog/2022-trends-that-could-impact-charity-sector

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/what-to-post-on-each-social-media-platform/

https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/communications-division/digital-communications-team/assets/documents/guides/A-Guide-To-Social-Media-Platforms-and-Demographics.pdf

https://promorepublic.com/en/blog/what-is-a-good-instagram-engagement-rate-in-2021/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/376128/facebook-global-user-age-distribution/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/248769/age-distribution-of-worldwide-instagram-users/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/296227/us-youtube-reach-age-gender/

https://www.business.com/articles/every-brand-should-have-a-youtube-channel/#:~:text=YouTube%20connects%20you%20to%20a,you%20achieve%20your%20marketing%20objectives

https://hbr.org/2015/11/conducting-a-social-media-audit

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