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In today's ever-changing digital landscape, the proverbial "cookies" that have long been the backbone of targeted advertising are rapidly disappearing. Browser manufacturers and regulatory bodies have been coming down hard on the use of 3rd party cookies, and players like Google and Apple have been phasing out the use of said cookies. While Google’s plans for a total phase-out have slowed down in its tracks, the fact remains that brands have a choice to make - adapt or risk falling behind. 

However, this upheaval in the traditional data environment provides a unique opportunity for intelligent organizations to rethink their customer relationships and achieve unprecedented growth. The solution is to embrace first-party data, which brands can directly obtain from their consumer interactions. Having spent a sizable amount of time in the marketing sphere, relying entirely on 0 or First-Party data, I have witnessed first-hand the powerful impact it can have on brands’ customer engagement, resulting in the creation of a dedicated band of loyal customers and brand evangelists. 

What’s out there for first-party data users?

Trust - the cornerstone of sustainable customer engagement

Consider this scenario- you speak to a friend about a product or brand, and suddenly you find that brand staring you squarely in the face the next time you open Instagram, and a sense of wariness befalls you when you realize “oh my god, my phone is listening to me”! Or this - receiving something as simple as a WhatsApp message from a Brand you have never engaged with actively. This is the essence of what retargeted brand campaigns on the basis of 3rd party cookies look like. While this gives the brand an aura of ‘omnipresence’ among consumers, it is problematic in that it can easily produce the sense of a breach or transgression on the part of a brand which can quickly catapult into a mistrust of the brand. 

The use of 0 or first-party data presumes that brands seek permission, allowing consumers to willingly provide information about themselves, after having established that they would like to hear from them. This simple act speaks volumes for a brand’s sense of propriety, respect, and empathy for their consumers’ boundaries and their will. This can have a profound impact on fostering trust, which in simple terms is the brand’s greatest currency. 

Irresistible campaigns, richer engagement

Companies can generate as much as 40 percent more revenue from personalization says a McKinsey report. As third-party cookies decline, organizations must prioritize authentic connections with their consumer base. First-party data offers detailed insights into audience interests, behaviors, and pain points, providing a foundation for hyper-personalized campaigns. Unlike generic targeting, first-party data enables individualized messages and product recommendations, driving higher engagement and conversion rates. For example, Perfora, an oral care brand, boosts conversations and average order values by tailoring product recommendations based on user behavior. 

60 percent of consumers say they’ll become repeat customers after a personalized shopping experience. Real-life examples like Perfora's are the best way to learn about airtight segmentation and personalization strategies in action. The e-commerce brand saw a remarkable 8X spike in conversions by effectively harnessing first-party data and delivering hyper-relevant experiences across the customer journey. Strategies like these allow brands to foster deeper connections with customers and build long-lasting loyalty.

Another example to look at is India Circus by Krsnaa Mehta, a lifestyle brand under Godrej Ventures. Their introduction of personalized reminders for previously viewed products resulted in an astounding 874 percent surge in unique conversions, surpassing the performance of a control group.


A McKinsey report reveals that 78 prcent of customers favour brands offering personalized experiences and 89% of marketers see a positive ROI when they use personalization in their campaigns. Effective segmentation is vital for tailored customer experiences. By using first-party data, brands can categorize their audience into specific segments based on behaviors, preferences, and purchase histories. This deep understanding enables personalized approaches, like expediting purchases, recommending tailored products, or offering customized loyalty programs.

Customers feeling understood by a brand are more likely to become repeat buyers, vocal advocates, or brand ambassadors. Effective segmentation allows hyper-customized touchpoints, and closer connections, and aligns strategies with audience preferences, fostering loyalty and growth. Moreover, first-party data offers insights beyond individuals, aiding strategic decisions in product development, marketing optimization, and long-term growth.

Laying the foundation for lasting loyalty

In addition, the benefits of first-party data extend beyond campaign optimization, laying the framework for long-term consumer loyalty. Understanding your consumer's specific requirements and behaviors enables you to adjust your entire brand experience to match their changing expectations. Loyalty however is a complex beast, where on one hand the benefits afforded by First-party data are no doubt invaluable, a strong trust factor is equally critical for fostering long-term loyalty and brand advocacy. 

Navigating the transition

Although switching from third-party to first-party data may seem difficult, brands can confidently make the switch with the appropriate strategy. Here are some crucial tactics to think about:

●	Invest in a strong infrastructure for data collection and management: Make sure your company has the instruments and procedures needed to properly collect, store, and evaluate first-party data.

●	Put trust and openness first: Give customers control over their information and be transparent with them about your data collecting and usage policies.

●	Boost the use of progressive profiling Create a thorough consumer profile over time by gradually gathering information from several touchpoints.

●	Work together with partners: Investigate strategic alliances with like-minded companies or service providers to improve your ecosystem of first-party data.

●	Iterate and optimize continuously: To stay up to date with changing consumer preferences and industry trends, review and improve your first-party data tactics on a regular basis.

Data undoubtedly forms the backbone of modern marketing strategies, but it's crucial to handle it responsibly. With Google and Apple's recent privacy-focused decisions, driven by urgent industry-wide privacy concerns, the importance of ethical data practices has become more apparent. There is a clear trend on the boycott of third-party cookies and an increasing focus on consumer privacy which has led brands to invest in first-party data systems. Brands are more conscious of their relationships with their customers that are now based on trust and transparency. This will further solidify their relationship with their customers and pave the way for long-term success and growth. As we move forward, the message is clear: the time to invest in first-party data systems is now, ensuring a solid foundation for future growth and resilience in the ever-changing digital ecosystem.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Leveraging first-party data for deeper customer loyalty

The Union cabinet has cleared the personal data protection bill which clears its way to be tabled in the Parliament during the upcoming Monsoon session, CNBC Awaaz reported quoting sources.


This is the version of the bill that was published by the government in November last year for public consultation.
By just focusing personal data, the new bill has done away with regulating the use of non-personal data. It has also removed the need to locally store all user data by businesses, and instead allowed the leeway of storing such data in 'trusted geographies'.

The draft bill requires a data fiduciary -- i.e. an entity which processes user data -- to give an itemised notice to user on data sought to be collected, in clear and plain language. It also mandates that the user should be allowed the right to give, manage, withdraw consent from sharing his/her information.

For example, when a person closes their savings bank account, the bank has to delete his/her data pertaining to the account. Similarly, if a user deletes their social media account on a particular platform, their data has to be deleted as the bill mandates that a data fiduciary must retain personal data only so long as it is required for the purpose for which it was collected.

The bill states that a data fiduciary shall not undertake tracking or behavioural monitoring of children or targeted advertising directed at children. Before processing any personal data of a child, the fiduciary has to obtain verifiable parental consent. Moreover, non-fulfilment of these obligations relating to children can lead to penalties of up to Rs 200 crore.

A few months back, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw courted controversy after, in an event, he claimed that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT had "approved" the bill. Soon after, members of the committee such as Karti Chidambaram, John Brittas and others refuted these claims.



Union cabinet clears personal data protection bill

Note to readers: Storyboard18’s new Month In Focus initiative spotlights themes and topics that are pushing marketers to reshape and rethink how brands interact with today’s customers. Our theme for this month is Stacks &amp; Strategies, a martech and adtech spotlight on how decision makers and marketers are advancing the adoption of new technologies and tech-driven strategies in the brand marketing ecosystem. From the defining trends and preparing for a cookiepocalypse to how progressive martech strategies help fast track business and brand growth. Catch this special on Storyboard18.

Google is gearing up to eliminate third-party cookies in its Chrome browser Month In Focus Int Logo vootby 2023, and Apple is making changes to its Identifiers for Advertisers (IDFAs). Third-party cookies have acted as a catalyst for advertisers, who invest heavily on digital, to understand who their consumers are, what their preferences are, and where they are located, to target them with precision.

Third-party cookies on Google Chrome, which holds the largest market share in terms of browsing, help advertisers to personalise, target and retarget their consumers. Marketers across the world are racking their brains to crack new codes of targeting and advertising on the internet.

According to an e-Marketer report, worldwide, 36 percent of marketing professionals expect that customer purchase history will be their most valuable source of data once third-party cookies are gone. Meanwhile, 32 percent see social media profiles as key, and 31 percent plan to rely on website registrations. When the who, what, and whereabouts of the consumers are out of the window, marketers have to develop new strategies to get to consumers.

Shashank Srivastava, senior executive director, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki, says that in such a challenging scenario, marketers would depend more on first-party data. The auto major is extensively dependent on it. Maruti Suzuki has a Customer Data Platform (CDP) in place. Data regarding all the interactions with consumers are collected. CDP not only consists of transactional data like invoicing or day-to-day delivery service but also has interactional data that is gathered while conversing with the consumers.
According to Srivastava, brands will have to engage in probabilistic audience modeling - a mechanism where data is generated through anonymous data points from a user’s browsing behaviour; and comparing them to deterministic data points - also known as first-party data truth. This can be done with the help of tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning, he suggests.

Quick delivery platform Dunzo’s head - category and growth Mrunmayi Oke has similar thoughts. She states that to maintain the return on investment (ROI) of online marketing spending, advertisers will now have to start utilising first-party data smartly.

Oke says, “Hyper-personalisation through user tracking would become difficult and impact return on ad spend (ROAS). App-based advertising is also set to change with more focus on privacy concerns and data sharing. ATT (app tracking transparency) for iOS is already implemented and android privacy sandbox is expected to follow soon.”

To personalise or not?

Maruti Suzuki’s Srivastava believes in a cookieless world, a solid level of personalisation may not be possible. It would require a lot of investment and upgradation of technology to collect first-party data. But, Mondelez India's vice president - marketing Anil Viswanathan, feels that this is a good time for brands to engage with their consumers through their owned properties or platforms.

On one hand, Srivastava and Oke think of contextual targeting as one of the mechanisms to survive and gain more traction in a cookieless world, on the other Viswanathan says that it all boils down to “How well do the brands know their customers?”

Fifty percent of Mondelez India's advertisements have adopted the personalized route. Viswanathan states, “We have set up a consumer digital organisation where the team is concentrating on our owned media platforms. Through this, we are collecting our own first-party data. It is also about engaging with consumers on an ongoing basis, gathering data and making it smarter along the way." The next step - the brand plans to take is to transfer the data to the regular marketing team. That will then be used by them to design the campaigns with sharp insights.

Experts that Storyboard18 spoke to think advertisers should focus on taking consent from the users. This could be done by displaying the right message about the benefits of collecting secured data in order to deliver a personalised experience. Dunzo’s Oke adds, “In addition to this, relying even more on one-to-one marketing channels like notifications, emails and short messaging service (SMS) would help maintain the ROI in a cookieless world.”

Crunching the right set of data

At Mercedes-Benz India, the focus is on building communities using the observe, orient, decide and act (OODA) model. Santosh Iyer, vice president - sales and marketing of the luxury auto brand in India, says, his team is working on putting together a technology agnostic framework. This will be a safe set of third and second-party data signals that will be used to create activations, mine insights, and personalise communication. “This framework can help leverage key globally defined audiences at a local level. Those audiences can be used in a self-serve manner directly from the activation platform. These audiences are ready to use now and can bring scale and performance to any type of campaign,” he adds.

While Mercedes-Benz India will primarily build up and increase the use of its first-party data, the company is looking at leveraging third-party data partnerships to improve campaign performance. “Contextual and behavioral personalisation will become hygiene going forward,” says Iyer.

Mondelez India's Viswanathan thinks that till the time brands are dependent on somebody else for the data of their own consumers, it would be seen as a flawed strategy. He highlights when the cookie crumbles the advertisers depending on the big social platforms would be a risk over a period.

Startup brands in India that are ahead of the tech curve believe privacy, personalisation, and measurement can all be achieved together if the right tools and strategies are deployed. For instance, tracking pixels—a 1x1 pixel graphic that looks at users’ behaviour, site conversions, web traffics and other similar cookie metrics that are hidden in platforms ranging from banner ads to emails—captures information instead of cookies. For now, Indian advertisers, with investment power are ready to fight the cookiepocalypse.

Are Indian marketers prepared for a cookie-less world?

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