January 2020 was a turning point. The CCPA has gone into effect, Google Chrome has become the latest browser to commit to a cookie-free future, and after months of analysts Industry Email List sounding the alarm, digital marketers have pondered a vision for the future. future very different from that of today. This article is not a comprehensive history of consumer privacy or a technical thesis on web tracking, although I will refer to some good ones in the following Industry Email List paragraphs. Instead, it's about the state of things in our industry, an assessment of where search marketers stand in the current data and privacy tangle and where we can expect it to go from here. It is also a call to action.
It's far from hyperbole to suggest that the future of digital and search marketing will be greatly defined by the actions and inactions of this current calendar year. Why is 2020 so important? Let's assume with some confidence that your business or Industry Email List customers Industry Email List find the following valuable and consider how they might be affected by changing related trends this year. Channel assignment will fail as tracking limits break measurability and show artificial fluctuations in performance. Campaign effectiveness will lose clarity as retargeting effectiveness diminishes and audience alignment blurs.
Customer experience will falter as marketers lose control of frequency capping and creative sequencing. Despite the setbacks, I do not intend to suggest that improved regulation is a faux pas for the consumers or the businesses we serve. Marketing is at its Industry Email List best when all its stakeholders benefit and at its worst when an imbalance erodes mutual value and trust. But the inevitable road ahead, regardless of destination, promises to be long and uncomfortable Industry Email List unless marketers are educated and contribute to the conversation. This means that the first step is to understand the basics.