Introduction
This guide addresses frequently asked questions around Google’s announced proposal to develop a new ecosystem that would render 3rd party cookies obsolete over the next 2 years (targeted for the end of 2023), and whether Google’s proposals will impact 6sense products and services. This is an evolving topic as Google continues to develop its approach and stated goal to support the needs of users, publishers, and advertisers. We also address Apple’s ITP 2.3 Release, which blocks third party cookies in Safari by default for cross-site resources.
April 2021 Update
What’s happened recently
Google and Apple have been pursuing their previously announced moves to 3rd-party cookie-free browser models (Apple has already completed their move)
In March 2021, Google provided additional details on their progress and announced they would not support ANY tracking approach with Chrome browser, a departure from the proposals of other industry participants.
Instead, Google, whose Chrome browser controls a major share of internet user traffic, will adopt a proprietary targeting approach for their ad network (referred to as FLoCs)
Google is providing APIs for vendors if they want to use FLoC
What it means for AdTech eco-system
The AdTech community had expected Google to align to and enable their current efforts to create a new, more secure, ad targeting standards.
The broader AdTech industry disagrees with Google’s proposed approach.
We assume the broader ecosystem will continue to adopt a login-based approach to replace cookies, two key systems include:
Unified ID 2.0 championed by The Trade Desk, but built on open-source standards
Identity Link (IDL) by LiveRamp
We assume most publishers will adopt a range of these standards to help monetize audiences and first party data.
As the Jeff Green, CEO of The Trade Desk says: this is great for the internet!
What it means for 6sense
No impact to 6signal graph or predictive scoring functionality!
6sense DSP works with multiple partners who are transparent on the changes to their platforms. Our partners are already evolving the infrastructure as these standards seem to be the new approach.
6sense data and supply partners work with Rubicon, Monetize, LiveRamp, IndexExchange(to name a few)
Any change will be seamless to our customers and built around the same standards that the broader AdTech industry is adopting.
Industry proposals will continue to support persona targeting in a 3rd-party cookie-less environment.
6sense will continue to be leader at serving account-based ads using the power of our 6signal Company Graph.
Additional Resources
Google’s Privacy Framework Update: Building a privacy-first future for web advertising (blog.google)
Google March 3 Update: Building a privacy-first future for web advertising (blog.google)
Unified ID 2.0 Consortium Details: Unified ID Solution 2.0 | The Trade Desk
As the CEO of The Trade Desk says – this is great for the internet!
Commonly Asked Questions
1. Will Google’s proposed initiatives to restrict third party cookies or Apple’s latest ITP 2.3 release impact 6sense’s ability to de-anonymize web traffic or score accounts / contacts?
Answer: Google’s proposed initiatives and Apple’s latest release will not impact 6sense’s ability to de-anonymize traffic or associate intent data today. The 6sense Company Graph looks at several different attributes to identify the company, including for example, IP address. 6sense has been a pioneer in this technique and through our patented process we have developed the leading database and technology to deanonymize account level data and provide account level scoring. Contact level scoring is also not impacted as it is based on 1st party cookie data.
2. Will there be any impact on the 6sense Advertising solutions?
Answer: We do not foresee material impacts on 6sense advertising solutions from either announcement. Apple’s announcement is consistent with the approach it has taken for several years, having already implemented default blocking on third-party cookies since its initial ITP release in 2017 for additional privacy controls within Safari. Advertising that relies on 1st party cookies will continue under both scenarios.
For persona-level targeting and retargeting, the 6sense DSP is built upon multiple partners who are transparent on the changes to their platforms. The partners are already evolving the infrastructure as these standards seem to be the new approach. Any change will be seamless to our customers and built around the same standards that the broader AdTech industry is adopting.
Industry proposals will continue to support persona targeting in a 3rd party cookie-less environment. We do not anticipate major deprecation in any of our capabilities and we will follow industry-led paths of integration and evolution to resolve any long-term impacts. 6sense will evolve its advertising measurement capabilities to meet potential browser technology changes when they arise, consistent with industry standards.
3. What product changes is 6sense considering to maintain the same capabilities?
Answer: 6sense is continuously developing enhancements to our existing products and integrations with numerous third-party solutions to strengthen the depth and reach of our services (for example, our integration with LinkedIn expands our customers’?ability to reach EU accounts when combined with 6sense match rates).
Importantly, the industry is adapting in response to the evolving privacy landscape. For example, 6sense is a member of the IAB Tech Lab that is developing industry standards and actively monitoring proposed initiatives. As the industry aligns on new identification and data sharing standards, we will incorporate those into our product and identify the right data partnerships to maintain current feature parity or alternate solutions. Multiple players in the market are collaborating on identity standards (Google Sandbox, IAB Tech Lab, Apple, Adobe, etc.).
4. Does 6sense have a timetable for product changes related to the above?
Answer: At this point, we do not have a timetable for product changes. For our advertising products, we will continue to monitor the direction the industry and the data provider landscape takes, maintain strong partnerships with key vendors and players, and adapt and integrate into the next evolution of standards.