This guide explains web cookies, small pieces of code that track user behavior on websites, and categorizes them into first-party, persistent, third-party, and session cookies. It highlights privacy concerns regarding third-party cookies, particularly in light of regulations like GDPR and CCPA, and discusses the impending phase-out of third-party cookies by Google Chrome. Marketers are encouraged to adapt by leveraging first-party data, exploring alternative marketing channels, and preparing for a cookie-less digital landscape.

1. A Marketer’s
Ultimate Guide
to Web Cookies

2. A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
Part 1:
Web Cookies 1 1

3. A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
First off — what are web cookies?
A web cookie is a tiny piece of code added to and stored in a user’s
web browser after they visit a particular website.
It typically stores two types of data
An identifier for the unique user, which does not include
identifiable information, such as a name or email address.
Instead, cookies delivered by websites include randomly generated
IDs that are typically long strings of random letters and number
Information about the user, such as what actions you took or
what browser you’re using

4. A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
How are web cookies used in
digital marketing today?
Storing important data, such as the items you’ve
added to your shopping cart, as you navigate a websit
Session management — if you’ve ever had Google
autofill your login details or autocomplete your
address at checkout, those are cookies at work
Streamlining the customer journey by offering
personalized product rec
Personalizing a website experience based on each
user’s preferences
Retargeting ads that remind you to finish shoppin
Assessing and measuring marketing performance

5. What are the different types of cookies?
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
First-Party Cookies
These cookies come directly from the
website you visit, collecting data like
pageviews and session length.
Persistent Cookies
Cookies designated as persistent can stay with
your browser for years if not cleared—these are
used to track long-term user behaviors like the
total number of lifetime interactions with a
given site.
Third-Party Cookies
Cookies used most frequently by advertisers,
information gathered by third-party cookies is
shared with others by the website publisher.
These cookies may be dying off as new regulations
and features limit the collection of data.
Session Cookies
Used solely by HTTPS websites, secure cookies
facilitate safer transactions and are often
used by payment services and banks.
Session Cookies
Usually expiring moments after closing a
browser, session cookies keep users logged
in and retain temporary information like
items placed in a checkout cart.

6. Part2:
Challengesof
Third-Party ’s
AMarketer’sUltimateGuidetoWebCookies

7. What are the privacy concerns
surrounding third-party cookies?
As users grow more accustomed to personalized and cross-channel
advertising, they’re also on guard to third-party tracking and
— specifically the amount of data that companies have on
them, what they do with it, and whether or not they’ll sell it to other
advertisers.
To combat these concerns, the EU passed the General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) in 2016, while California passed a similar state statute,
the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), in 2018.
( to all of the most important privacy terms to know!)
its effect on
digital privacy
Here’s a guide
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies

8. And beyond privacy concerns,
cookies have always had
technical drawbacks:
Inaccurate identification
for multiple people
Poor identification for multiple
computers/browsers
Varying web experiences
for different browsers
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies

9. Google Chrome’s third-party
cookies changes:
In January of 2020, Google announced that its browser,
Google Chrome, will follow the footsteps of Safari and
Firefox and phase out support for third-party cookies.
It’s a collaborative approach to develop an advertising
solution that is healthy for users and everyone else in
its ecosystem, from ad companies to publishers to
digital brands.
When Google made its announcement last year,
they estimated a two-year timeline. However, it later
clarified that this was not a hard deadline but rather
a recommended timeline for companies to begin
exploring alternatives to third-party cookies.
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies

10. A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
Part 3:
Digital Marketing
Without Third-Party ’s

11. Is this the end of digital marketing?
Contextual Targeting
Email Marketing
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
Nope. In fact, it’s far from it. There are a whole host of digital marketing
tools and tactics you can use to plug the hole left by third-party cookies:
Emerging channels
Ex. SMS marketing and connected TV
Retargeting will still be possible through
FLEDGE

12. Double down on first party data.
As we pivot away from third-party cookies,
. This includes information that
brands collect directly from customers, such as phone
numbers and email addresses.
Here are some ideas on how to build your email or SMS list
Opt-in first-party data sharing before users can access
free content, such as tutorials or downloadables
Newsletter sign-ups that unlock a discount
Post-purchase surveys
first-party data
will gain even more value
A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies

13. A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies
How can marketers prepare for the transition?
As marketing leaders, you must actively future-proof your business with concrete
actions beyond familiarizing yourself with the changes regarding third-party
cookies. Start by driving brand awareness to your site for more potential
customer profiles, and ask yourself:
How many of my marketing channels currently rely on
third-party cookies? How will my revenue be impacted
once third-party cookies are no longer supported?
Which other user identifiers can I lean on besides
third-party cookies
What are the non-third-party-cookies marketing tools and
channels that I can invest in? What is the timeline required
to begin these new efforts?

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A Marketer’s Ultimate Guide to Web Cookies