78% Of Senior UK Marketers Believe the Withdrawal of Third-Party Cookies Will Have a Positive Impact on Advertising Strategies

  • 45% cited first-party authenticated data as an alternative solution they’d be looking to implement
  • 85% believe their brand would benefit from a closer relationship with publishers

London, UK – The leading data connectivity platform, LiveRamp® (NYSE: RAMP), in collaboration with research company, Censuswide, today launches its latest UK senior marketer research* revealing how UK brands are preparing for the withdrawal of third-party cookies.  The research is launched in parallel to LiveRamp’s report ‘Marketing in the first-party future: publishers, brands and authenticated data’.

Positively, the results reveal that 78% of respondents believe that the final withdrawal will have a positive impact on their advertising strategy. When asked how this will affect their future advertising strategies, respondents cited anticipating improvements in audience targeting, reaching audiences at scale, frequency capping and measurement. 

Given the high levels of optimism about the future, when asked what alternative advertising strategies and solutions the respondents would be looking to implement, diversifying formats and channels (49%), first-party authenticated data (45%), identity solutions (43%) and contextual targeting (41%) were the most popular responses.

In positive news for publishers, the research has revealed brands are looking for more direct contact with them, with 85% of respondents believing that their brand would benefit from a closer relationship with their key target publishers. When asked what publishers could do to help convince them to run more campaigns, a compelling value exchange (53%), new consumer-centric or engagement-based metrics (48%), working with trusted identity partners (46%) and increasing their percentage of first-party authenticated data (43%), were cited as of high importance. 

The loss of third-party cookies and mobile identifiers for ad inventory across paid channels means advertisers will be eager to explore new ways to maintain their reach levels and engage high-value audiences. Interestingly, marketers also revealed they would be willing to pay more for media and identity data. Results from Microsoft Advertising show CPMs alone increased by over 40% with LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS), whilst FitBit achieved 2X higher ROAS, proving the power and value of advertising without cookies. As a result, publishers without a solution to monetise their audiences could miss out on substantial programmatic ad revenue. 

Tim Geenen, Managing Director, Addressability Europe, LiveRamp said: “Our research highlights that marketers have already thought through the implications of the digital ad industry’s shift towards greater respect for consumer privacy and the available solutions. The publisher community, by comparison, currently risks falling behind.

“At LiveRamp, we believe that optimising the value of authenticated first-party data will be a key factor in the future success of publishers. And the good news for publishers is that, according to our research, more direct contact with publishers is exactly what marketers are looking for. The opportunity available to publishers is real. It’s time to act.”

The report Marketing in the first-party future: publishers, brands and authenticated data examines how publishers can do more to capture and leverage their own authenticated data and build new, close, better relationships with brand advertisers. Further, it delves into the opportunity publishers have to avoid the loss of existing ad revenue and  increase revenue by new ways to optimise yield. Download the report today, here.

*The research took place in April 2021 and surveyed 251 UK-based senior marketing professionals. 

About LiveRamp

LiveRamp is the leading data connectivity platform for the safe and effective use of data. Powered by core identity resolution capabilities and an unparalleled network, LiveRamp enables companies and their partners to better connect, control, and activate data to transform customer experiences and generate more valuable business outcomes. LiveRamp’s fully interoperable and neutral infrastructure delivers end-to-end addressability for the world’s top brands, agencies, and publishers. For more information, visit www.LiveRamp.uk.