Almost 9 in 10 advertisers (88%) are anticipating a “moderate to significant impact” on their personalized-advertising abilities in regions with data privacy laws, according to a recent survey by Proximic by Comscore.
“Data privacy laws like the GDPR in Europe and CCPA in the United States are setting new standards that empower consumers by giving them greater control over their personal information,” says the 2024 State of Privacy in Advertising Report. “And while the increasing scope of privacy legislation necessitates strategy shifts for many advertisers, the industry at large recognizes them as opportunities to build stronger, more transparent relationships with consumers.”
61% of those surveyed said audience targeting is the digital advertising component with the largest anticipated impact, followed by 23% who said measurement and validation, 9% who said creative personalization, and 6% who said planning and forecasting.
“As the advertising industry shifts away from legacy targeting identifiers like cookies,” the report says, “marketers are increasingly turning towards an audience strategy that employs a variety of alternative data types and tactics.”
Source: State of Privacy in Advertising Report, via MediaPost
35% said first-party data is their primary strategy in places with data privacy legislation, followed by 29% who said contextual data and 11% with alternative identifiers.
“A noteworthy 16% remain unsure of what their primary strategy will be to maintain effectively reaching audiences in regions with stringent data privacy laws in place,” the report says. “Some are moving away from targeted advertising entirely. … 6% of respondents plan to not run targeted ads at all in regions with restrictive privacy laws.”
Even with Google’s reversal to ultimately keep cookies around, 43% of those surveyed said that privacy laws are accelerating their plans to reduce their cookie reliance. 14% have already implemented a cookieless approach to their advertising.
And while many still consider AI a tool most associated with creative content and personalization — including 49% of those surveyed who said they see AI playing a role in exactly that amidst data-privacy legislation — more saw AI helping with improved audience targeting (63%) and improved campaign measuring capabilities (52%).
“Advertisers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and carefully chosen data partnerships to navigate the evolving demands of an industry that prioritizes privacy,” the report says, “with respondents reporting that these approaches are helping them maintain effectiveness while adhering to new data privacy standards.”
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