You know those movies where the main role dies 3 times but still comes back? That’s the story with cookies. Since 2020, Google has been announcing to us with great pomp that it is removing them from Chrome. “In two years,” they said. Then in 2023. Then in 2024. Then in 2025. At some point, the marketing industry began to treat these ads as you treat someone’s promises that from tomorrow they really go to the gym: “Sure, Maria. As you say.”

July 2024, Google makes the announcement: it no longer removes cookies. They will let users choose. Industry: “So… Have we spent 4 years in meetings about this in vain?” Google: “Pretty much, yes.”

So do these cookies really die or don’t they die?

Let’s Let’s make that clear , cookies don’t disappear overnight, but they die slowly. Let’s make a quick difference (I promise not to be boring):

Third-party cookies = those that follow you from site to site, from shoes on ASOS to yoga tutorials on YouTube, to bombard you with ads for yoga sneakers. That’s the problem.

First-party cookies = are the ones on your website, which remind you that you have 3 products in your cart and that your name is Mihai. These remain ok.

Google said it would no longer remove third-party cookies entirely, but would let users choose. Sounds democratic, right?

When Apple did the exact same thing in 2021 with App Tracking Transparency, Facebook and Instagram suffered badly. How many users have accepted the tracking? Better not ask. The result? Meta shares are down nearly 30% (some sources say more than 70% in 2021-2022). We will only say that they have decreased.

So even if Google doesn’t remove them entirely, most of the world already says “no, thanks”. On average, only 25.4% of Europeans accept full tracking, while 68.9% either close or ignore the cookie banner (Advance Metrics – Cookie Behaviour Study).

The conclusion? Cookies don’t literally die, theywould die from a practical point of view. This is the differencea.

Ok, and if they die slowly anyway, what do brands do?

Here becomes interesting. In Time This All world A forgotten at Google and The Calendar of Postponements, Marketplace A changed already sub Nose our. Brands Smart don’t wait any longer and ithas started rebuild their understanding of customers without cookies. and Guess What? Many methods It works even better.

1. First-party data (data you already have from customers)

That’s the gold modern marketing . Instead of Buy data from third parties About Michael, who has 34 years, and it is Passionate From Gadgets (which Fact and Gheorghe, 52 years, and a Searched o Date a Phone for granddaughter), Collect data directly from Customers by:

• Newsletters – Yes, I know, everyone wants your email. But if you offer something in return (a guide, a discount, exclusive content), people become much more willing to give it away.

• User accounts – When Ionut creates an account on your website, he tells you exactly who he is and what he wants. You don’t have to guess.

• Quizzes and polls – Ask them directly what they want. Sounds simple? Because it’s simple.

• Behavior on the site – Did Vasile spend 10 minutes looking at hiking boots? He’s probably interested in mountain boots, not anti-aging creams.

Data Confirm Direction where they are heading industry, and According to of a Study by Google in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, brands that have transitioned to third-party cookieless marketing strategies have achieved significantly better results. Mature companies have seen, on average, an increase of around 10% in digital performance, and for SMEs the impact has been even more visible, with improvements of up to 100%. It’s not bad at all.

2. Contextual advertising (content-based ads, not stalking-based)

Have you ever looked at an article about pie recipes and seen ads for… wooden spoons and kitchen appliances? That’s contextual advertising. And it is becoming more and more popular.

Unlike behavioral advertising (which follows you everywhere as a toxic ex), contextual advertising puts relevant ads based on the content of the page you’re on. He doesn’t follow you. They just look at where you are.

Plus, it’s safe for the brand. No one wants their advertisement for children’s products to appear next to news about accidents or violence. Contextual advertising ensures that you control the environment in which your brand appears.

3. Partnerships and data collaboration

When the world is constantly changing, you start to associate. Brands partner to share data (legally and ethically, obviously) to help them better understand common audiences.

For example, a fashion brand and a beauty brand can work together to better understand their customers who buy from both. Win-win.

4. AI and predictive analytics

The more first-party data you have, the smarter your AI becomes at predicting what your customers want. Machine learning can identify patterns in customer behavior that you, a person tired of meetings, would never notice.

Ioana who bought a rain coat in March and is now looking at her boots? He is probably planning a hiking trip. Show him tents and backpacks, not beach sandals.

What does this mean for brands in Romania?

You know what’s funny? We, in Europe, have already had GDPR for several years. So these strict privacy rules are not new to us. Unlike other markets that are now panicking, Romania (and Europe in general) is already navigatingthrough strict data protection regulations. This is actually an opportunity. While others are trying to adapt, we are already trained. Here’s what you can do concretely:

1. Build trust, not just traffic

People are becoming more and more privacy-conscious. If you’re transparent about what data you collect and how you use it, you earn their loyalty. A customer who gives you data with confidence is worth far more than 100 who have been hunted with invasive cookies.

2. Invest in CRM platforms

If you don’t already have a good customer data management system, now’s the time. A decent CRM helps you centralize all first-party data: who the customer is, what they bought, how they interact with your brand. It’s like having a perfect memory about each client.

3. Create content that deserves someone’s email

If you want people to give you your data, give them something in return. A generic newsletter with “special offers!!” no longer works. What about a useful guide, exclusive content, or early access to new products? That works.

4. Test contextual advertising

Google AdSense and other platforms already offer contextual targeting options. It’s time to explore. Instead of relying on obsessive user tracking, put your ads in relevant places where your audience is already located.

5. Get creative with zero-party data

Zero-party data are information that customers deliberately and consciously give you. Interactive quizzes, quizzes (“Discover your perfect shoe style!”), preferences set in your account, all these are pure gold. People want to tell you what they want, if you ask them nicely and make the experience fun.

Conclusion: Welcome to the new normal

Yes, cookies die, but not dramatic, but slow, just like the battery in your phone of yours old. But guess what? This is not the end of the world. It’s the beginning of an era in which brands really need to know their customers, not just follow them as digital stalkers.

The brands that will emerge victorious from this change are not the ones that complain that “nothing works without cookies anymore”. There are those who say “hey, maybe it’s time to build real relationships with customers, not just bombard them with ads after they’ve searched for some socks once”.

First-party data, contextual advertising, AI, transparency, these are the weapons of the new era. And honestly, they’re much more effective (and less creepy) than selling someone’s personal data to third parties.

So the next time you hear someone panicking about the “cookie apocalypse,” smile and tell them that the future of marketing isn’t about cookies. It’s about cookies (the real ones) and good coffee with your customers. Metaphorically, of course. But you get the idea.

P.S. If you want to talk about how your brand can rebuild its data and targeting strategy in the post-cookie era, let’s have a coffee at the agency.