The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Does this sound familiar? You’re shopping for a new washer-dryer. Almost immediately, your Facebook feed, Instagram pics, favorite websites and all of the content you consume on YouTube, your daily online magazines and media channels have ads personalized by GE, Whirlpool, LG, Lowe’s and Home Depot, professing the benefits of their brand and products.

This “ad tracking, personalization and precise targeting” is powered mostly by third-party cookies planted on your browser every time you grab a piece of clickbait, use one of your apps or visit almost any site on the web.

And in spite of the deluge of consent agreements that now hit us every day when we go online, our online behavior and the use of third-party cookies is the fuel that powers the $100B interactive, digital advertising ecosystem.

Now here’s the big news. Google Chrome just announced its plan to eliminate third-party cookies in two years. This is a game changer for you because the cookies you’ve come to rely on to follow your potential audience around the web seeking their registration at your event are now going away.

Here’s why this matters. Your current in-house database is likely not big enough to support your event marketing efforts. Ask yourself, has your event been growing by double digits these past five years? One reason for the limited growth in attendance is that your in-house list can only get you so far. You must reach out to more look-alikes and cast a wider net.

It’s a new day for how you market and promote your event. Gear up for what’s to come and get ready to increase the audience for your events using the most effective 21st century strategies.

For new ideas and a game plan for this post-cookie, legislated privacy-driven future, please drop me a note and I’ll add you to our list to receive the latest information on how to address this new marketing environment.

Game on.