The three things you need to make the most of first-party data

"Third-party cookies have long been a cornerstone of digital advertising, tracking web users across the internet to deliver targeted ads. Despite cookie deprecation being shelved in the US, their influence is still nonetheless waning, just like it has been across the rest of the world. Privacy concerns are growing globally, and agencies and brands need to adopt new audience ID capabilities, particularly in markets where deprecation has already taken effect."

"At their core, third-party cookies identify proxies, not people. They don't understand who a user is, only that a browser or device performed a certain action. They're also highly susceptible to signal loss. Users delete them, browsers block them, and devices multiply as people shift between mobile, desktop, and connected TV, making for inaccurate targeting, poor personalization, and ultimately wasted ad spend."

"The industry is now moving toward more people-based approaches powered by deterministic data, anonymized identifiers, and clean room technology. These methods promise not just compliance, but greater precision, control, and ultimately, better outcomes for brands and consumers alike. In a privacy-conscious landscape, building effective marketing demands a rethinking of how data is collected, activated, and measured. A truly modern data strategy stands on three essential pillars: a data spine, a connected planning platform, and advanced analytics and modeling."

Third-party cookies tracked browsers and devices but fail to identify real people, causing inaccurate targeting, poor personalization, and wasted ad spend as users delete cookies, browsers block them, and device proliferation increases. Growing privacy concerns are reducing cookie effectiveness globally, prompting a shift to people-based approaches that rely on deterministic data, anonymized identifiers, and clean-room technology. These approaches aim for compliance while improving precision, control, and outcomes for brands and consumers. A modern data strategy requires a privacy-compliant people-based data spine, a connected planning platform, and advanced analytics to collect, activate, and measure first-party data; IPG Mediabrands' data spine is powered by Acxiom.

Read at The Drum