Grigoriy MisilyukIn mid-2025, third-party cookies will be here to stay—but should you? To shape a strategic response to the industry's moves, we need to read Google's signals properly: monopoly litigation, technological chaos, and boosted AI-based responses that lead to zero-click searches.
It should be a strategy amid uncertainty—one that works despite the obstacles. It's the same one we at TeqBlaze have promoted for years, and it remains as clear and accurate as before.
A calm surface, shifting tides
Google postpones third-party cookie deprecation again. While it may seem like nothing is changing and it's time to rest, significant industry shifts are underway. This is more than just cookies alone; it's about strategic repositioning across the entire AdTech landscape.
The background of this decision is two court judgments:
Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the open-web digital advertising market.
Google is accused of monopolizing the general search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising markets.
Simply put, Google cannot actively promote its large-scale initiatives—such as the deprecation of third-party cookies on Chrome and the full-fledged launch of the Privacy Sandbox—because it is under the watchful eye of regulators. So far, this has played into the hands of both publishers and advertisers, but do not confuse a step back before a blow with a strategic retreat.
As it is popular to say nowadays, Google is holding good cards. And one of these cards is AI Overviews—they change a lot.
The number of search queries with AI responses on Chrome has doubled on average in recent months for some keywords, while for others, the increase has been even more significant. It has given rise to a trending term, "zero-click searches." All of this is again threatening publishers' revenues as it reduces click-through rates. Given the growing use of AI tools for web search, this is a cause for concern.
But can one company continue to dictate terms to the entire market? It's a rhetorical question—yes, at least for now. But we can reduce its influence by gaining more technological autonomy. Now is the perfect time to get involved in these processes because the U.S. Department of Justice is on our side—it means some things!
Cookie support continues—but that’s not a green light
Yes, cookies are staying, but that doesn't mean they're stable. Innovative platforms still need to reduce their reliance on third-party cookies, and there is no indication that it is time to stop this process now or in the future. Moreover, it is quite the opposite.
Your comprehensive roadmap for a cookie-free future
Cookies are not suitable for targeting users in Safari or Mozilla browsers, as they have been disabled by default for a long time. Cookies also play no role in targeting users in applications. So, alternatives to cookies are not alternatives at all but full-fledged technologies for targeting ads in different environments. It's a fact!
As long as you can use cookies, you are welcome to enjoy them. There is nothing wrong with it. But to think that this will always be the case is simply irresponsible. It's like hoping that the sales model of making personal calls to home phones and placing advertisements in telephone directories will persist indefinitely. Of course, it works for now. However, alternative sales channels—in our case, targeting approaches—should already be adopted.
These are not replacements for cookies but independent approaches that, when combined, have long surpassed cookie-based targeting in terms of performance.
Targeting approach/technology | Description |
Identity solutions | They come in User identity graphs and Universal ID solutions. These technologies are easily adopted. For instance, our white-label SSP+ ad exchange platform offers seamless pre-integration with ID5 — a good start for even more impressive ID-based advancements! |
Contextual targeting | Old but gold targeting based on page content and consent, empowered with ML-driven boosters and new-age features. |
Audience targeting | It requires partnering with DMP or other data providers and adapting the platform to the proper implementation. And it is worth it. |
First-party data targeting | Meticulously collected and accurately segmented first-party data can be used to target ads in curated deals or private marketplaces. There are also technologies for using first-party data in open market trading. First-party data targeting is a gradual and painstaking process, but it pays off in full. |
*as an auxiliary tool | Control over the supply chain is essential for achieving better results within the established connections. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, many platforms continue to feed intermediaries—this is just one of the challenges of an SPO Toolkit, but it is the simplest to manage. |
Curated deals serve as a value-added offering to open market trading, as they facilitate direct connections between platforms, enhance conversion rates for buyers, and yield higher profits for sellers. Additionally, achieve stable, advanced profits with enhanced brand safety for the sell-side platform. |
So, to summarize:
Success in Programmatic = Cookie-Based Targeting + Multiple Cookie-Free Targeting Approaches
And this formula will not change; it's an axiom! As long as cookies work, you need to squeeze the benefits out of them drop by drop. But never again consider them a mainstream technology. Imagine that third-party cookies are like an old video card used for cryptocurrency mining. So far, it works in tandem with other video cards, but the time when it will burn out and fail is foreseeable.
And lastly, is it necessary to say that trading should be perfected with all the optimization models at your disposal? Okay, that should go without saying.
How to deal with Google Privacy Sandbox?
First, it's essential to understand what the Privacy Sandbox is: a set of APIs designed by Google to replace traditional tracking methods (like third-party cookies) with more privacy-centric alternatives. However, with the ongoing antitrust litigation and increasing scrutiny from regulators, the Sandbox remains a work in progress, and its final form and timeline are uncertain.
That doesn't mean it should be ignored. On the contrary, platforms should treat the Privacy Sandbox as a "fallback" option: something to test, observe, and potentially adopt under specific conditions—but not something to depend on exclusively. While Google positions it as a universal solution, it will most likely remain tightly coupled with the Chrome ecosystem, meaning its usefulness across platforms and devices may be limited. Additionally, some Sandbox APIs—such as Topics and Protected Audience—still raise concerns regarding performance transparency and compatibility with real-time optimization.
So what's the best approach?
Monitor Sandbox evolution, test early when possible, and gather performance benchmarks—but don't treat it as a plug-and-play solution.
Avoid designing your strategy around Sandbox APIs alone—their future is tied to legal and political factors beyond your control.
Continue building autonomy through first-party data strategies, universal identity solutions, contextual targeting, and curated traffic pipelines.
At TeqBlaze, we see the Sandbox as one of many puzzle pieces—not the final picture. Real growth lies in diversifying your toolset. The more independent your platform becomes, the better you're positioned, no matter which direction the tide turns.
Google & Cookies: Conclusions
A revolution is driving the reshaping of the AdTech industry at its deepest level, influencing how people interact with information on the Internet. Artificial intelligence, in the form of large language models and agentic AI, along with other classes, is transforming the digital business landscape. Not to mention, for the first time in history, a Big Tech corporation has been accused of monopoly. In a word, uncertainty is the only thing that is certain at the moment.
Nevertheless, TeqBlaze's philosophy is diversification, independence, and adaptability. In other words, no single technology is the key; it is worth investing more in the development of your solutions and staying attuned to the industry's latest developments.
Keep your finger on the pulse of AdTech: do you hear that ragged rhythm? This is programmatic jazz.
Book a meeting to discuss all the risks related to the industry development and Google's behavior in depth. We build ad platforms that are not afraid of technology thunderstorms in the digital advertising ocean, and we invite you to sail with us!
