Amazon has made a significant move in response to Google’s decision to phase out third-party cookies. The e-commerce giant has secured a groundbreaking agreement with Reach, the UK’s largest publisher, to access customer data for targeted advertising. This deal is one of the first of its kind in Europe and offers inspiration for alternative approaches to reaching high-value consumers online.
The agreement between Amazon and Reach involves the sharing of “contextual” first-party data. Reach will provide information about the articles people are viewing, and Amazon will use this data to enhance targeted advertising on the UK publisher’s sites. This will allow advertisers to have more relevant and effective advertising opportunities. While financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, it is clear that both parties see the value in collaborating to deliver more personalized advertising experiences.
Brand safety is a crucial aspect of this collaboration. Reach plans to utilize Mantis, a brand safety and contextual advertising tool for publishers, to ensure that ads are shown next to content that users are interested in. By leveraging this tool, Amazon can better target specific audiences with relevant advertising across Reach’s publications, including popular titles such as the Mirror, Daily Star, and OK! magazine.
The move by Amazon and Reach comes at a crucial time when third-party cookies are being phased out by Google. Third-party cookies are small pieces of data that track a user’s browsing history and enable personalized ads based on their activities. Google Chrome has already begun discontinuing third-party cookies, with plans to completely deprecate them by the second half of 2024. This shift in the industry necessitates alternative approaches to targeted advertising, and the agreement between Amazon and Reach showcases one such approach.
Frazer Locke, Amazon Ads director of EU adtech sales, emphasized the importance of first-party contextual signals in the absence of cookies. He stated that these signals are critical in helping Amazon develop actionable insights that enable advertisers to reach relevant audiences without sacrificing reach, relevancy, or ad performance. This highlights the value that Amazon sees in leveraging first-party data to deliver effective advertising solutions.
In conclusion, Amazon’s agreement with Reach represents a significant step forward in the world of targeted advertising. As advertisers search for alternatives to third-party cookies, this collaboration offers inspiration and showcases the potential of leveraging first-party contextual data. With the phasing out of third-party cookies underway, it is clear that the industry is evolving, and companies like Amazon are actively seeking innovative solutions to ensure that targeted advertising remains effective and relevant in this new landscape.
