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Read the official Google announcement here.

The Timeline

• Google first announced plans in 2020 to eliminate support for third-party cookies in Chrome by 2022.

• The deadline was pushed three times, most recently in April 2024 announcing that the change would go into effect in 2025.

• Over the past few years, Google introduced several cookie-replacement experiments for the broader industry to test, but none ever gained full support from industry partners and regulators.

• “FLoC,” Google’s initial cookie replacement, was abandoned in 2022 after two years because privacy experts worried it could inadvertently make it easier for advertisers to gather user information.
• “Topics” was later introduced, allowing marketers to place ads via a limited number of topics determined by users’ browser activity.
• Last year, Google began testing a new “Tracking Protection” feature that limited cross-site tracking on Chrome.

• In a worldwide announcement, Google conceded on July 22, 2024, that gaining industrywide support around a single solution would prove too difficult.

• Privacy Sandbox VP Anthony Chavez wrote in the official blog post that a shift away from cookies “requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.”
• He goes on to state, “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.”

It’s a Win for Marketers, and Consumers

Google’s threat to eliminate cookies may have come up empty, but it succeeded in pushing the industry to become more aware of privacy legislation, less reliant on cookies, and more focused on privacy-forward ad-tracking solutions.

The Big Picture

Marcus Thomas knows that people will opt out of being tracked at high percentages, based on what we saw when Apple did this a few years back, and based on our experience with consent management platforms. Today, it is estimated that more than 40% of Chrome users have already disabled third-party cookies.

Raf Rivilla, Chief Media Officer at Marcus Thomas, states, “In a purely practical sense, this announcement doesn’t really change our approach. The biggest change is that Google will now put the onus on individuals to opt-out of being tracked instead of doing it for them.”

In fact, other solutions that have been developed because of this initiative, such as Meta’s CAPI, are good proof that you still need to do this – using these solutions (even without Chrome deprecation of cookies) is already improving results because of the loss of other browser and privacy-affected signals.

Nate Bauer, VP Analytics at Marcus Thomas, states, “What happens with this is that Google (just like Apple) will still be able to model users who are opted-in and will continue to scale their advertising-funded walled gardens. We estimate that we will expect a 40%-60% loss of third-party cookies as opposed to 100%.” In addition, we’ve already lost third-party cookies with Firefox, Safari and iOS due to their privacy controls, so it doesn’t change the evolved approach Marcus Thomas implemented years ago to be less reliant on third-party cookies.

What’s Next?

Google didn’t provide specific details on what this new approach would look like but said that it’s discussing the “new path with regulators and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.”

For now, Google’s move will probably mean that the way you interact with the web will look more or less the same. Users will still see checkboxes on web pages asking whether they want to accept all, or just essential cookies.

The implication for advertisers is much greater, as the valuable data that marketers get from being able to track users around the web will continue.

However, the push for greater online privacy isn’t going away. Laws and legislation will continue to be a focus for businesses in the years to come. In the meantime, Marcus Thomas will continue to stay on top of the trends and news, pushing for what is right for our customers and their businesses.