CMOs focus less on gathering data for a cookieless future

Key stat: As cookies face an uncertain future, marketing leaders have shifted away from creating data-gathering strategies and are exploring how to better utilize the data they have. In February 2022, 58.3% of CMOs said their company had created a stronger data strategy to capture better information, compared with 41.9% who said the same in September 2024. In addition, fewer CMOs are offering customers incentives to provide access to their data (down more than 8 percentage points).

Beyond the chart:

• Younger consumers are more likely to accept cookies if asked. More than half (57.6%) of US Gen Z consumers say they “often” or “always” accept cookie notifications, compared with 36.0% of boomers per a July 2024 EMARKETER survey.
• Only 32% of global publishers had begun preparing for the end of third-party cookies on Google Chrome, according to a May 2024 Teads survey of 555 publishers in 38 countries.

Use this chart: Marketers can use this chart to defend initiatives that deal with streamlining data, creating customer profiles, and broader internal communication. It can also be used to help benchmark marketers' strategies in comparison with how other companies are approaching a cookieless future.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• B2B Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• The Privacy-First Programmatic Opportunity (EMARKETER subscription required)

Note: Respondents were asked, "In the wake of third-party cookies disappearing, which actions has your company taken?"

Methodology: Data is from the November 2024 Duke University's Fuqua School of Business "The CMO Survey: Managing the Challenges of Marketing Technology, Privacy, and Marketplace Threats" commissioned by Deloitte and American Marketing Association. 260 US CMOs were surveyed online during September 4-25, 2024. 97.2% of respondents were VP-level or above at for-profit companies. Respondents identified their company's business focus as B2B product (30.1%), B2B services (28.2%), B2C product (29.7%), or B2C services (12.0%) with sales revenues of less than $25 million (18.7%) or more than $26 million (81.3%) with number of employees of fewer than 100 (19.6%) or more than 100 (80.4%) from various industries.