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Contextual Advertising and the Post-Cookie Environment

Contextual Advertising and the Post-Cookie Environment

If your business engages in online marketing, you probably know that third-party cookies will soon be a thing of the past. Popular browsers like Firefox and Safari have already ceased the use of third-party cookies, and Google plans to end the practice in 2023.

So what can advertisers and marketers do to ensure they’re targeting relevant customers? The steps you take now could give you a significant head start in the looming cookieless future.

What is Contextual Advertising?

According to a recent report from StackAdapt, contextual advertising is “the cookieless targeting tactic that will not only fill the void that cookies have left in the digital pantry, but has also earned its place as a high-performing tactic for modern marketers.” In fact, sixty-six percent of advertisers believe contextual targeting will be more important in a post-cookie environment.

Rather than track consumers across websites and attempt to market to them based on their browsing behavior—as cookies do—contextual advertising uses keywords and phrases applicable to your ad campaign and matches them with relevant web pages. For example, a consumer might see an ad for a local bank on a website devoted to financial planning.

Although contextual advertising has been around for a while, recent advancements have made it more sophisticated and personalized. AI technologies such as chatbots, landing page personalization, and custom content generation—when used in contextual advertising strategies—often lead to more relevant ads and a higher ROI.

Invest in Learning and Development

Educating your team on new technologies and strategies in the contextual advertising space can help you stay ahead of the curve. Platforms that make use of AI-enabled technologies can offer highly targeted ad capabilities, but there’s a lack of understanding as to how these platforms work.

According to StackAdapt’s survey, most respondents feel that programmatic platforms, particularly demand-side platforms (DSPs), are a great resource for moving forward in the post-cookie digital space. Finding and partnering with the right platform can help you test and implement contextual advertising tactics quickly and effectively. Whatever platforms or strategies you decide to use, having the right training can make all the difference.

The bottom line: setting aside the time and resources to implement contextual advertising strategies and AI-driven targeting can really boost your digital marketing game in the post-cookie ad world. Get started now to ensure you’ve got alternatives in place when changes to third-party cookie policies take effect.