On April 22, 2025, Google confirmed what many in the adtech world were starting to suspect: third-party cookies aren’t going away, at least not anytime soon. Again.
The news, shared through a blog post by Anthony Chavez, VP Privacy Sandbox, means Chrome users will not be met with a standalone third-party cookie prompt as previously planned. Instead, Google is walking back its deprecation plans in favor of letting users “choose what’s best for them.”
That might sound like stability. But for advertisers, it’s just the latest twist in an ongoing saga and a dangerous invitation to fall back into business as usual.
Here’s why that’s the wrong move.
1. Cookie ≠ Clarity: You’re Already Missing the Majority of the Web
Yes, Chrome is keeping cookies. But the rest of the web? Not so much.
Over 70% of internet traffic already comes from cookieless environments like Safari and Firefox. If your strategy still leans heavily on third-party cookies, you’re simply not reaching your full audience potential.
And even when cookies are present, their value is shaky.
“Our data science team has re-evaluated the persistence of 3rd party cookie IDs,” says Amir Bakshaie, SVP of IntentKey. “After 1 day, only 33% of cookie IDs are persistent. After 7 days, it’s 25%. Even if you have a cookie ID, the dataset behind it is limited. Basically, the cookie is already dead.”
Relying on a broken signal isn’t a strategy when it’s a liability.
2. The Industry’s in Limbo & That’s Your Window
Google’s repeated pivots have left the industry in a constant state of limbo causing uncertainty for advertisers, but for the savvy ones, it’s a window of opportunity.
This in-between period is a chance to test smarter, privacy-first solutions without being forced into a sudden overhaul. The companies using this time to diversify targeting strategies, vet partners, and lean into ID-less technologies will be the ones ahead of the curve when the next shift inevitably comes.
“Delaying the inevitable is itself an indication of just how impactful this disruption is to the industry,” said Rich Howe, Inuvo CEO. “If you’re not adapting now, you’re falling behind.”
3. Even with Cookies, Accuracy Is Still a Problem
The value of third-party cookies has always been questionable, but now, the targeting risk is even greater.
“Cookies not being deprecated doesn’t change the need to protect against inaccuracy and false positives in user targeting,” says Eric Tilbury, Sr. Director of Ad Ops & Product Solutions. “Strategies for targeting environments without identifiers remain crucial and highly relevant.”
Translation? You can have a cookie, but that doesn’t mean you know anything meaningful about the person you’re targeting.
Advertisers chasing precision need to ask: Are we modeling intent or just guessing with stale data?
4. Android ≠ iOS and the Programmatic Spend Gap
With iOS already deeply privacy-restricted, the majority of programmatic ad dollars now land on Android devices. That shift has major implications.
“Understanding this shift is crucial for advertisers as they navigate the changing landscape of digital advertising,” notes Jeremy Chrysler, VP of Search Products at Inuvo.
The reality is, fragmentation is here, and navigating it takes more than duct-taping old tech to new platforms. It takes a fundamentally different approach.
So, What Now? Don’t Wait for Another Pivot
Google’s latest move might feel like a reprieve, but don’t mistake it for a roadmap. The only certainty in this landscape is change.
Now is the time to test. To learn. To shift.
To invest in solutions that work regardless of cookie status.
IntentKey: Built for What’s Next
Inuvo’s IntentKey Platform is built specifically for this moment, and the one after that. It’s a cookieless, ID-less audience modeling solution that:
- Models live intent signals through concepts derived from real-time content consumption patterns
- Refreshes insights every 5 minutes for up-to-the-moment accuracy
- Prioritizes privacy without sacrificing precision
- Powers full-funnel activation without relying on personal identifiers
It’s not a patch for a broken system. It’s a different system altogether. One designed to grow as the industry continues to change.
🚀 Explore IntentKey and see how AI-powered audience modeling future-proofs your brand’s targeting strategy.
