Cookieless: Why social media will shape the future of digital advertising

Google’s decision to stop using third-party cookies will force brands to find other ways to connect with their customers.

Google recently announced that it would not replace third-party cookies with some other tool selling ad space based on users’ browsing history.
This decision allows everyone to have a little more control over their data and their digital footprint, but also has serious consequences for all the stakeholders in the online advertising business. The end of this tool forces the sector to redefine itself in order to offer brands other ways to reach their targets.
Fortunately, many solutions are available to connect them to new customers in a better way while still respecting privacy and protecting personal data.

Here are 6 key points to keep in mind in order to prepare for the Cookieless world.

The younger generation was actually already quite hostile to traditional digital advertising – such as banners – even before third-party and targeting cookies became an issue.
Today, one out of two millennials uses an adblocker.
Moreover, although certain traditional media still have significant audiences, they cannot fully guarantee that their campaigns will be displayed.
The disappearance of targeting tools combined with this lack of performance should undoubtedly drive brands towards other broadcasting spaces, those able to ensure them efficient communication campaigns.

With their users spending nearly 2.5 hours on their platforms every day, social media undoubtedly represent the largest share of the online media market in terms of time spent (35%).
We also know that 40% of consumers use social media to find information about a brand or a product.
The timing is therefore perfect for brands to connect and engage with audiences around products, in a fully transparent way – and all this without having to ask for their consent.

Technological progress in social listening, tracking and real-time performance monitoring makes it possible to precisely understand the uses, affinities and passions of communities.
This data can be interpreted both macroscopically or microscopically, whether you aim at drawing global trends or at positioning yourself as close as possible to your customers. It provides brands with keys to better understand their communities, their competitors, and their customers.
Moreover, while CRM tools struggle to keep data up to date, platform algorithms are fed by the daily evolution of users’ behaviors.

By embracing social platforms, brands create a space in which they can build loyalty with a global audience and control their exposure environment.
Every day on social networks, users interact with brands, learn directly about what they are buying, watch demos, and grasp products in a very interactive way.
All these elements allow, on a daily basis, to cultivate a personal and trustworthy relationship between brands and consumers.

Consumers now spend a significant part of their shopping journey on social networks, whether to discover new products, exchange with their favourite brands or find out about a product.
Platforms have understood this and are shifting their business model from advertising to sales.
Asian super apps have led the way and now are now offering the entire customer journey in one app, from discovery to purchase.
On the Chinese market, brands share on Douyin short high-quality commercials, that are very mobile friendly and way cheaper to produce. These new formats are highly valued by communities and have proven their sales performance.
Live-streaming is also very popular in this market. During sessions that echo the vintage format of home shopping channels, talents and celebrities present and sell products live on these platforms in front of millions of viewers. These devices are already starting to develop in Europe and could play a key role in the development of online commerce in the coming months.

We know today that messages from individuals generate stronger responses than those from brands. Deemed 92% more credible, and 24 times more likely to generate social shares, opinion leaders are the best partners to match advertisers with communities.
Not only do their messages have a wider reach than traditional media, but they also have the ability to legitimize the presence of brands to the eyes of their audiences.
Because they understand the codes and language of social platforms, they manage to cultivate an intimate relationship with communities.
They are thus able to generate natural, authentic and positive conversations around brands and their products.

This end of unlimited access to third-party data actually gives brand the opportunity to reconnect directly with communities and engage in digital advertising in a conversational way.
In this transition, CTZAR provides daily support to advertisers, helping them to understand new social grammars and manage their social content, whether it is through earned, owned or paid media. CTZAR also develops new shopping experiences on social platforms to meet all the marketing requirements of brands.
In order to give a new dimension to all these activations, CTZAR develops long-term collaborations with opinion leaders, social talents, employees and top customers of brands, and implements advocacy strategies on all social platforms.