What are cookies?

Cookie properties:

• Expiration: Each cookie has an expiration date/time set by the website.

• Domain: Specifies the website domain the cookie applies to. For example, a cookie set for ".example.com" would be accessible to all subdomains like "www.example.com" or "shop.example.com".

• Path: This property determines which paths within a domain the cookie should be sent to. For instance, a cookie set for a specific path like "/shop" would only be sent when accessing URLs within that path, such as "example.com/shop/products".

• Secure and HttpOnly: These properties can be set to enhance security. The "Secure" flag ensures the cookie is only sent over HTTPS connections, preventing access via client-side

Cookies for Ads & Recommendations

Tracking user behavior:

• As you navigate through the website, the cookie collects information about your actions
• Such as which pages you visit, items you add to your cart.

Retargeting:

• If you leave the website, the cookie allows the website to remember your visit.
• Later, you get ads on viewed items,
• This is known as re targeting and it's possible because of 3rd-party cookies.

Measurement and analytics:

• Tracking marketing campaign performance.
• They help advertisers measure the effectiveness of their ads

Ex. FBP and FBC cookies store the browser id and click id of a user visiting a website where Meta pixel is integrated. Meta pixel information is stored in these cookies with conversion events to meta for conversion attribution and remarketing campaigns.

Retargeting via 3rd party cookies

1. Initial website visit: On land, 1st party cookie is created and stored in your browser.

2. Cookie tracking: Info such as page clicks, views are stored in 1st party cookies

3. Cookie syncing:

   • Work with advertising networks or third-party vendors (Meta, Google, Criteo, etc.) that specialize in retargeting.
   • These connect to the 1st party cookie on site (cookies syncing).

4. Ad placement:

   • After leaving the website, platforms that have partnered with the same advertising network or vendor, the network recognises the unique identifier associated with cookie.
   • It can then display targeted ads related to the clothing store's products or showcase similar items based on your previous browsing behaviour.

5. Conversion tracking: On Events, Retargeting vendor can track this conversion event using conversion pixels or other tracking mechanisms.

Pixels & Cookies

Pixels:

Difference Use Cases:

Pixels for User Targeting

1. Pixel Placement: Typically embedded within the websiteas a client side script SDK

2. Tracking User Interactions: User visits a webpage with pixel, it triggers & sends information back to the Ad platform.

3. Building Retargeting Lists: Create audiences or re targeting lists based on specific user interactions(segmentation).

4. Serving Targeted Ads: Once a retargeting list is created, marketers can serve targeted ads to these specific users across various platforms and ad networks. These ads are tailored to the user's previous interactions, such as displaying the products they viewed or reminding them to complete their purchases.

5. Optimization and Measurement: Marketers can monitor the performance of their retargeting campaigns, analyzing metrics like click-through rates, conversions, and return on ad spend. This data helps optimize the campaign and enhance its effectiveness.

Google & Meta Cookies for Ads

Google Cookies

1. Serving and rendering ads:

   • NID cookie is used to display ads on Chrome for signed-out users;
   • ANID, IDE, and ID cookies for displaying ads on non-Google sites.

2. Personalizing the ads:

   • ANID, and IDE cookies are used for ad personalization.

3. Identify signed-in (on any Google site) user on a non-Google site: DSID cookie.

4. Measure user activity and performance of ads: _ga (Google Analytics); gcl cookies measure conversion for Google campaigns.

Meta Cookies

• Fbp and fbc cookies are used to identify anonymous users and track conversion events.