It is time for companies to rethink their raison d'être, starting from the message they really want to convey through advertising. Digital marketing, which has continued to expand since the spread of the Internet, is now at a crossroads. This is because technical and legal restrictions will be imposed on the acquisition and use of data linked to individuals (hereafter referred to as personal data), such as cookies. This change is forcing a major decision on all companies involved in digital marketing.

Rising awareness of human rights regarding personal data

Products that users have checked on your company's website are displayed as advertisements on other companies' websites to encourage them to purchase. In addition, your company's services are suggested based on the user's search history and location information. These techniques, which are commonly used in digital marketing, are fast approaching the day when they will no longer be usable as they have been in the past.

Apple already announced in March 2020 that it would release its browserDisable third-party cookies in SafariGoogle is also working on its browser in 2023.Chrome is expected to follow suitBecause it has become like this.

In the first place, a cookie is a technology that identifies the browser that is viewing a company's website, and a third-party cookie refers to a cookie issued by a third party other than the operator of the website.

Digital marketing companies have been trying to understand each individual user more deeply by combining cookies issued by their own company, known as first-party cookies, with multiple third-party cookies. But this method will no longer be possible.

Behind Apple and Google's decision to make changes that appear to reduce their own freedom lies growing distrust of American platform operators, especially in Europe. Giant platforms like GAFA have certainly made our lives more convenient, but users are not happy with the way the platforms monopolise their personal data and use it to make profits. Europe has long been a region with a high level of awareness of human rights, but the rise of the platforms has"My data is mine" and "Digital personal information is a human right"This idea has become widely and deeply rooted.

"Ethical attitude" required of companies

In line with these changes in user awareness, legal regulations in each country have also changed, with rules regarding the handling of personal information becoming increasingly strict every year.

The most notable case is in Europe. In 2018, the EUGeneral Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)The Data Protection Directive (Cookie Directive) was enacted in 1995 as a special law to the EU Data Protection Directive (Cookie Directive), which strengthens the protection of personal data and privacy. Similar movements are also taking place in the United States. In California, home to Silicon Valley, the Data Protection Directive was enacted in 2020.California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)was implemented.

Japan also,Amendment Personal Information Protection Lawwill come into force in April 22. After it comes into force, in addition to personal information such as names and addresses, information that cannot be linked to individuals on its own, such as cookies, search history, and location information, will be subject to regulation when it is linked to an individual and used.

The protection of individual rights will be strengthened in the same way as with GDPR and CCPA, but in Japan, there was an incident that triggered the legal reform. In 2019, a business matching individual users with companies provided companies with scores that it had calculated independently from cookies and browsing history acquired by the company, without obtaining the user's permission. The company that provided the scores had designed them so that individuals could not be identified from the scores, but the system that received the scores made it technically easy to identify individuals. For this reason, although it was not illegal, it was considered an inappropriate service that deviated from the spirit of the law, and the company that provided the service received a recommendation from the Personal Information Protection Commission of the Cabinet Office.

Even in Japan, where awareness of human rights is not as high as in the West, the use of such data is seen as a problem for many users.The "uncomfortable" feeling that one's data and history may be used in unexpected waysTaking into account these feelings of users, the Personal Information Protection Act was revised with the primary goal of restricting corporate excesses.

It is not clear what types of usage are acceptable to users and what are not.There is a ruler, but no scale.ThereIt's like this. A firestorm occurs earlier than a company would think, and in an unexpected way.

Post-cookie: "No personal data" option rather than looking for loopholes

In response to changes in laws and regulations, platforms, and users, companies that have used personal data for business purposes will need to rethink how they handle it.

First, cookies acquired from third parties are expected to become less useful due to the actions of Google and Apple. If you want to continue using cookies for marketing, according to the rules:Permission to acquire and use must be obtained from the user.

Care must also be taken when obtaining permission.If permission is obtained in a way that is difficult for users to understand, the attitude may be criticized even if it is not in violation of the law.Furthermore, following in the footsteps of Europe and the United States, Japan may also begin to tighten regulations on the use of personal data, such as cookies.

Instead of using cookies, Google has developed a newflockAnother option is to adopt a technology that targets users who behave similarly online, rather than individual users. However, since this technology does not identify individuals, it is expected that targeting will no longer be possible with the same level of accuracy as before. Furthermore,Eventually, FLoC will likely be subject to regulation or self-regulation by Google.This is because the situation in which large platform operators monopolise personal data will not change, and there is a possibility that the interpretation will expand to include "data that indicates that you belong to a specific user group as part of human rights."As long as we continue to use personal data, we will be stuck in a situation where we have to constantly keep up with changes in regulations, platforms, and users..

The way to put an end to this cat-and-mouse game is to make the decision not to use personal data.For example,Marketing mix modeling (MMM)There is an option to use a statistical analysis called MMM.A method that can analyze multiple media and channels, such as TV commercials and transportation advertisements, without requiring personal data or large amounts of sample data.It has been introduced by overseas companies since the 70s and has a proven track record. By shifting to this MMM, you don't need to be overly sensitive to changes in platforms or rules, you don't need to worry about penalties or responses if you fail to respond, and in the first place, you don't have to worry about users distrusting you. You can also escape from the palm of the platform's hand. It may be a little difficult, but in the long run it is solid and clean. The sooner you start moving away from digital marketing that relies on personal data, the smoother and more cost-effective it will be.

The cookie issue is a management issue, not a marketing issue

Until now, digital marketing has relied on obtaining personal data and using it to chase users online. Online marketing has made one-to-one marketing possible, something that was difficult to do in offline marketing.

Because the movements of a single user in front of you can be quantified and understood as if they were right in front of you, countermeasure techniques have been honed. In fact, there may have been cases where this worked and led to a purchase. However, the success was extremely localized. That user may have made a purchase without the persistent chasing, and other users may have become fed up with being chased, developed a negative impression of the company that chased them, and left the company.We need to reassess whether one-to-one digital marketing is the best marketing method in the big picture..

Marketing is not about getting people to buy something.Something that moves the hearts of those who come into contact with it and encourages the discovery of new things.Sometimes that discovery leads to an immediate purchase, and sometimes it doesn't. But isn't the true meaning of marketing about embracing that uncertainty and making repeated attempts to move people's hearts? Advertising shouldn't just be about pushing something.

At first glance, the policy changes by Apple and Google and the successive legal reforms seem to significantly reduce the freedom of digital marketing.This is an opportunity to move away from excessive targeting and rethink the purpose of a company's existence by considering the message it really wants to convey through its advertising.It also becomes.

Therefore, this problem isA management issue, not a marketing issueOnly companies that take this seriously will be able to survive and be supported for a long time without making users feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, companies that cannot take this perspective will be forced to leave the market.

[Design] Noboru Tanaka
[Planning and editing] Yuko Kawabata (XICA)