◄ London Research conducted a report into business’ readiness for the loss of thirdparty cookies users more control over what data they share while initiatives like GDPR have led to a revolution of consumers becoming more particular about the information they share. Relay42’s research has found that there is no single technology or solution that can directly replace third-party cookies and that the future will involve integrating multiple solutions. According to Relay42, solutions that are already being used or are in early stages of use are GA4 (70%), contextual advertising (66%), data clean rooms (64%), first-party data unification (63%), and identity management (61%). Tomas Salfischberger, chief executive officer and founder at Relay42, says: "It's really encouraging to see that the majority of senior marketers understand the necessity to make the shift towards first-party data. “Unsurprisingly, businesses that have already made that investment via a Customer Data Platform (CDP) are much more prepared for the transition and see the change as having a positive influence on their business.” Relay42’s report into the loss of thirdparty cookies found that companies equipped with CDPs demonstrate higher digital marketing skills and capabilities. These companies are also six times more likely to leverage AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning, four times more likely to have integrated Adtech and Martech, and twenty times more likely to have first- and zero-party data integration across owned and paid channels. Linus Gregoriadis co-founder and director of London Research, comments: "The deprecation of third-party cookies is a hugely significant sea-change for marketing which companies typically need to do more to prepare themselves for. "The onus is falling on chief marketing officers to make sure that they are steering their marketing strategies in the right direction. This research highlights the threat for brands but also focuses on the opportunity for companies that can tackle the challenges.” As a provider of specialist end-to-end e-commerce logistics company, Whistl Group has seen big changes in the trends and ways marketing is communicated, especially due to the changes in digital marketing. Davies says: “In planning their 2024 campaigns, marketers need to wake up to the reality of a cookie-less future, and as part of that change, we want them to reconsider using print as part of their marketing mix.” In order to compete with digital marketing Whistl Doordrop Media launched Leafletdrop a self-service leaflet campaign booking tool to compete with tools like Google Ads and Meta ads. Davies adds: “Many advertisers who have discovered doordrops recently con46 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk January / February 2024 - Issue 346 sider it the missing ingredient driving improved effectiveness through broadcast, direct, and digital channels. Through Leafletdrop, we have made creating, targeting, and booking a campaign easier than Google and Meta Ads. “Remember, good new-fashioned doordrop media remains on par unless more effective than digital advertising. It’s time for the new generation of marketers to give targeted leaflet advertising that delivers a go.” According to JICMAIL, door drops are among the most attention-efficient media channels available, costing 7p a minute of consumer attention which compares favourably to digital channels at 19p for the same impact. Direct mail and door drops are both solutions for marketing companies that can be provided by mail and print specialists and research and feedback in the industry shows that both solutions can be successful. In 2022, sustainable marketing agency, WebMart, highlighted the differences between direct mail and door drops, admitting that there was no answer to the question “which is better?” stating that the choice of campaign depends on target audience, brand, and budget. Compared to direct mail, door drops don’t use personal data and are dropped at houses based on postal sectors, making them far more GDPR compliant. Webmart prides itself on the way it has pivoted and adapted itself to fit the needs of customers, offering a range of services including print and digital, championing integrated marketing campaigns all with a sustainable focus. Even digital communications have an impact on the environment, a fact that many brands and marketing companies forget when comparing the model to printed marketing. Companies like Webmart and groups like TwoSides have worked for many years to bring this information to the masses and allow digital and print to co-exist when tackling the climate crisis together. TwoSides has highlighted information from the European Commission in 2020 which showed that the ICT industry accounts for 5 to 9% of electricity use, which is more than 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If left unchecked the footprint could increase to 14% of emissions by 2040. Speaking about the focus on sustainability, Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) chair, Lucy Swanston, says: “Making sustainable choices has been a key focus for brand owners [this year], however there is an engrained perception amongst many marketers that mail is a less sustainable choice than digital. ▼ Mark Davies, managing director of Whistl, recently gave a presentation at Power of Print 2023 DIRECT MAIL
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