With Google set to disable third-party cookies on Chrome from early 2024, privacy and data protection continues to be an increasing priority for consumers, businesses and governments alike. While the gradual removal of third-party cookies has not come as a surprise, having been discussed at length for the past few years, many in our industry are likely nervous as this type of data collection has been the norm for as long as many can remember.

However, at Reddit, we believe this shift is actually an incredibly good thing for consumers and brands and a step forward in the right direction. Let’s unpack why.

From third to first: A mindset shift

The use of first party data and insights from actual brand interactions will be instrumental as we enter this new ecosystem, and offers a range of benefits when compared to third party resources.

With data being collected from an audience directly, via a brand’s owned channels, it is directly connected to the brand’s relationship with the customer and offers a real opportunity to engage and strengthen this further.

This data is also more accurate and reliable as customers have inputted directly and consented their data to be used. It is also easily sourced through surveys and subscriptions to website behaviour and customer feedback, without the need to rely on third party sources.

Personalisation and effective targeting is still possible when using first party data, allowing targeting and personalised engagement as the relationship develops. Whilst it’s important to ensure there’s a dedicated, informed and talented data management team who can help keep track and make sense of the data as it comes in, and implement activity and engagement tactics as needed, this shift allows for more targeted and personalised activity, which will ultimately lead to greater brand loyalty.

Though different to what advertisers have been used to over the past two decades, it’s still possible to reach and engage with your target audience in an incredibly effective way through first party data, and it just requires a slightly shifted mindset and approach to understand and fully utilise the benefits.

Context, context, context!

Contextual advertising is another way brands and advertisers can ensure their communications are engaging and relevant, as we move towards a cookieless landscape, offering a way to engage directly with the intended audience in a way that makes sense. A recent survey conducted by IAS showed that 81% of UK consumers prefer online ads to match the content they are viewing, with 70% agreeing ads are more likely to be remembered if they appear next to content that is relevant, further supporting the effectiveness of ads and marketing in context.

One of the main reasons people come to Reddit is to be informed by passionate communities they trust, with many coming to intentionally seek out relevant information to their chosen topic vs. aimlessly scrolling through it. With this in mind, context and relevance is absolutely imperative when it comes to brands showing up on the platform. We recently announced Contextual Keyword Targeting as a way for brands to select specific keywords that they want to associate their brand with as they appear in discussions on Reddit, or even align keywords with their creative ad copy for added relevance.

Transparency is key

As people seek more privacy and transparency than ever before, the death of third-party cookies will likely come as a welcome relief for many. A recent survey from OpenText supports this, showing that 72% of British consumers have fresh concerns over their data privacy and almost half of British consumers surveyed say they would no longer use or buy from a company they were previously loyal to if it failed to protect or leak their personal data.

At Reddit, we have long believed that privacy is a right, and that people should not have to surrender their privacy or identity in order to be targeted. And we believe our ads business is better for it. Online communities are categorised by interests and as a result, advertisers have a unique opportunity on our platform to reach people based on passions, rather than relying on demographics. When We think back to the active mindset of a Reddit user I mentioned earlier, you can start to understand how this environment of high intent, interest-led engagement creates a ripe opportunity for brands to insert themselves in relevant conversations that are already happening, and importantly, where consumers are actively seeking out solutions.

Simply put, interest-based, contextual and keyword-targeted solutions allow marketers to identify and market to consumer cohorts in a privacy-safe way.

Remember, change is good

In the face of a cookieless future, it’s crucial for brands to find new ways to reach their target audience. The good news is that there is still plenty of opportunity to  build a healthy business and reach the right people in the most relevant ways with a strategy that respects your audience,their data, and their privacy  – and we should know because, at Reddit, we’ve been doing this for years!