What Pharma Marketers Need to Know About Google’s New Deadline for Cookie Deprecation

Third time’s the charm? Following two previous extensions to its cookie deprecation timeline, Google is now targeting Q1/Q2 2025 for its phaseout of third-party cookies in Chrome. The decision came after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and numerous publishers, supply-side platforms, and industry stakeholders expressed significant concerns over technical hurdles related to Google’s Privacy Sandbox.

Although advertisers might appreciate the delay, time is still of the essence when preparing for the cookieless future. DeepIntent remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a privacy-safe environment. That’s why we continue to invest in and test solutions that do not rely on third-party cookies.

Here are two things you should know about the current state of cookie deprecation.

Industry Concerns Influenced Google’s New Deadline

Google’s extension will allow more time for the development and testing of Privacy Sandbox technologies. But it’s crucial to understand how concerns about those technologies—raised by industry stakeholders and regulators—contributed to the delay.

In February, the CMA ordered Google to halt its phaseout of third-party cookies until it addressed anticompetitive concerns. Regulators have criticized the Privacy Sandbox for potentially favoring Google’s ad products and undermining the role of publishers and ad tech companies.

Additionally, the IAB Tech Lab’s Privacy Sandbox Task Force highlighted how the existing application programming interfaces (APIs) would result in bid conflicts, delayed bid receipt, and reliance on limited intermediaries. For example, Protected Audience API (PAAPI) strictly depends on intermediaries known as Trusted Execution Environments, of which there are only two: Google and Amazon.

Google addressed these concerns in an update to the industry, sharing that they “recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem,” including the CMA and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). “Assuming we can reach an agreement, we envision proceeding with third-party cookie deprecation starting early next year.”

Our Preparation for Cookie Deprecation Continues

After Google’s announcement, DeepIntent’s plans for cookie deprecation remain unchanged. We will continue to target and measure using whichever identifiers are available in the bid stream, which for now will include third-party cookies. However, our solutions do not rely on them.

Third-party cookies will, eventually, disappear from digital advertising. Google’s delay provides us and our partners with more time to innovate. Strengthening our strategies and testing new ones is critical for guaranteeing powerful, ethical advertising in a more privacy-centric landscape.

Are you ready for the cookieless future? Here are two questions you should ask your DSP about going cookieless.

Share this Post

Related Articles

 In Episode 9, host John Mangano sits down with Dr. Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science and Quality at Healthgrades. Brad offers a unique perspective on the intersection of healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI). You may know that AI is already transforming medicine, from reading X-rays to predicting health […]

What does effective healthcare marketing look like in a world where physicians are busier than ever? On Episode 6 of Deep, John Mangano speaks with Damon Basch, a seasoned HCP marketer at Veradigm. Together, they discuss innovative strategies leveraging data and technology to support physicians and improve patient care.   The conversation spotlights the pivotal […]

 In this episode of Deep: The Health Marketing Podcast, John Mangano is joined by Sara Hayes, SVP of Communities at Health Union. Sara oversees over 50 online health communities that connect patients with shared experiences, offering support, information, and inspiration in moments that matter most. Together, they explore: The unique role online communities play in […]

Never Miss New Insights

Sign up for the newsletter to ensure our latest whitepapers, research reports, and more are delivered to your inbox.