The alternative to cookies

For years, users have been looking for a defence of their privacy in the face of the lack of protection offered by the web. In this sense, the main regulatory bodies have got down to work and as a result of their efforts we are witnessing the end of cookies as we knew them (like a dog attached to our browsing and collecting data for the companies we visited and third parties).

One of the main affected parties in this adaptation of technology to the new privacy policies are the DMPs, which until now have been so useful for marketing areas, and an essential part of a good martech stack. However, this seems to be a good time to think about CDP.

Why is the Customer Data Platform getting stronger?

A Customer Data Platform is a technology that allows you to collect first-party user data (they navigate in your spaces), resolve the user's identity in a deterministic way (and not statistically as until now) through a unique identifier (email, phone number, etc.) cross-channel, cross-device, cross-everything.

If we add to this the ability to orchestrate data and make decisions with advanced analytics, machine learning, etc.... and the possibility of activation and personalisation directly or through connection with activation platforms, we have a tool that will be interesting in our customer knowledge and marketing strategies (it allows us to optimise acquisition costs, CTRs, CPLs,... and therefore, get more and better performance from investments in Adtech and Martech).

Change of acronyms, change of philosophy: quantity vs. quality

Whenever technology changes, our approach to challenges is impacted. The main change from DMP to CDP is quantity of data versus quality of data. We move from a model where quantity of data, mainly supplied by third parties and statistical segmentation of that data, gives way to our own data collection and deterministic profiling of audiences. This facilitates the 1:1. We have gone from 1 to many, to 1 to few and now we are moving towards 1 to 1.

And how does it materialise? Well, with use cases that allow from the personalisation of digital assets based on the user's previous behaviour and interactions (in some cases with algorithms based on AI and ML) or the activation of remarketing campaigns if a user abandons a form or a shopping cart.

In short, CDP can be interesting because...

1. It offers a way out of the demise of third-party cookies, as it collects first-party information that can be enriched. 
2. It allows the integration of online and offline experiences.
3. It allows to know the individual "customer journey" of each user and therefore unlocks 1:1 personalisation.
4. It multiplies the capabilities of the other tools in the martech stack through data and orchestration.