This article was originally published in our exclusive Sly Fox email newsletter.
Firefox recently announced a new “Copy Link Without Site Tracking” feature, which allows users to remove tracking data for copied URLs. A similar update was recently released with iOS 17, called Link Tracking Protection (LTP). Both features give users more data privacy, as they prevent browser cookie creation (ie. cross-website tracking). If adopted by more popular browsers like Google Chrome, this data privacy trend could affect the marketing world at large.
Although we anticipate that UTM parameters will stick around—removing them completely would disrupt core functionalities on abundant websites—we do foresee a major shift toward data transparency. Here’s why.
- Third-party are cookies going away, with the first phase-out commencing in Q1 2024.
- Stricter privacy regulations continue to come into effect around the world. In the US alone, in 2023, 43 states have either introduced or passed their own privacy bills.
These new rules stem from internet users’ shared mistrust over how both companies and the government use their data. Earlier this year, Pew Research Center reported that 81% and 71% of Americans are concerned about how companies and the government use the data they collect about them, respectively.
How will marketers combat a cookie-less world and new privacy regulations? Here are our predictions.
- Zero party data: Collecting information from customers/clients that they voluntarily and deliberately share with you (ie. forms, quizzes, polls, etc). (Read more).
- Leveraging AI: Personalizing and optimizing audience experiences with AI, using the new technology to deploy marketing campaigns for specific audience segments. (Read more).
- Contextual targeting: Matching ads to relevant sites using your keywords or topics, rather than cookies, which follow a user from website to website. (Read more).
- UTM tagging: Adding UTM tags in emails and other digital campaigns to gather click-through data and track the success of campaigns.
Have you started considering what a cookie-free world may look like for your business? (Don’t worry — your break room can still have Snickerdoodles).
