Survey illustrates consumers are concerned about third-party cookie tracking, but are willing to provide first-party data  

New York – January 24, 2022 – MediaMath, acclaimed independent advertising technology company for leading brands and agencies, has announced findings following a consumer survey, revealing that brand trust is directly related to how brands prioritize consumer data privacy. As a part of the consumer-brand trust dynamic, data illustrates how consumers are still not comfortable being tracked across the sites they browse, while a majority are comfortable sharing first-party data – especially with brands they trust. 

“We are experiencing an awakening of commerce with a focus on consumer privacy prioritization. At the same time, marketers are realizing how much consumers value personal data privacy,” said Fiona Webster-Campbell, chief privacy officer at MediaMath. “Our data shows the same consumers who are uncomfortable with third-party cookie tracking are willing to share first-party data, including personal information, demographics, and email information to improve their online experiences.” 

Key findings: Brand Loyalty and consumer privacy 

  • 84% of consumers are more likely to trust brands that prioritize using personal information with a privacy-safe approach. 
  • Nearly two thirds (59%) of consumers accept all cookies when prompted with a cookie acceptance notification; almost a third (27%) of consumers note “it depends on whether it’s a website of a brand I trust.” 

 

Additional findings illustrate that the majority of consumers feel confident they understand third-party cookies and are willing to accept all cookies when visiting a website. Data also shows the majority of consumers are not comfortable with websites tracking the other sites they visit.  

 

Key Findings: Understanding of third-party cookies 

  • 54% of consumers say they fully understand, 32% somewhat understand, and 15% do not understand what it means to “accept cookies” when visiting a website. 
  • More than half of consumers (51%) were not comfortable with websites tracking online behavior and capturing personal information such as the other websites visited. 

Notably, while these consumers are not comfortable with websites capturing information about them, such as the other websites they visit, consumers were more likely to be comfortable providing first-party data such as their demographic information or their email address if it would improve their online experiences. 

 Key Findings: Willingness to share first-party data 

  • 74% of consumers are willing to share preferences, interests, and demographic information directly with brands if that would improve their online shopping experience. 
  • 71% of consumers are comfortable sharing an email address with brands if that would provide personalized online experiences, offers, and advertisements. 

“Certainly education will be important to ensure consumers understand how their data is used, and the brands who offer that transparency and information openly will lead in the post third-party cookie world,” said Webster-Campbell. “The shift towards privacy-safe, opt-in targeting will be critical to empower consumers to choose how they want to interact with brands across the internet.” 

These findings are based upon data collected from a consumer survey capturing one thousand respondents ranging from ages 18 to 65+ across the United States. For more information, please visit mediamath.com.  

 

About MediaMath 

 MediaMath is the demand-side platform that offers the most powerful off-the-shelf and custom capabilities for brands to reach and influence customers and prospects on any screen, making it possible for the world’s leading advertisers and their agency partners to deliver personalized digital advertising across all connected touchpoints. Over 9,500 marketers in 42 countries use our enterprise software every day to launch, analyze, and optimize their digital advertising campaigns across display, native, mobile, video, audio, digital out of home, and advanced TV formats. Founded in 2007 as a pioneer in “programmatic” advertising, MediaMath has won Best Account Support by a Technology Company for two years in a row in the AdExchanger Awards. 

 MediaMath is leading an industry-wide effort to create a 100% accountable, addressable and aligned supply chain through SOURCE ecosystem. SOURCE by MediaMath is a technical and commercial framework for agencies, brands, tech companies, and content owners designed to provide long-term sustainable solutions for a clean digital media supply chain with brand-safe, viewable inventory. To learn more about how MediaMath helps innovative marketers delight their customers and drive real business outcomes, follow us at @mediamath or visit www.mediamath.com. 

 Contact: Sydney Held, sheld@mediamath.com