Google may be doing away with third-party "cookies" for ad tracking

The growing digital advertising industry which, in percentage terms, is outpacing traditional print may be shaken up if Google follows through with a plan for doing away with "cookies", small snippets of text that allow advertisers to recognize users when they visit websites. According to a story in USA Today

Google, which accounts for about a third of worldwide online ad revenue, is developing an anonymous identifier for advertising, or AdID, that would replace third-party cookies as the way advertisers track people's Internet browsing activity for marketing purposes, according to a person familiar with the plan. 

The AdID would be transmitted to advertisers and ad networks that have agreed to basic guidelines, giving consumers more privacy and control over how they browse the Web, the person said, on condition of anonymity.

Google not only is the clear leader in online advertising, it also now has one of the most popular browsers, Chrome. Its major competitor, Apple and its Safari browser, has always blocked third-party cookies and had its own ad identifiers for IOS. 

"There could be concern in the industry about a system that shifts more of the benefits and control to operators like Google or Apple," said Clark Fredricksen of eMarketer, which tracks the digital ad industry. 

"Restricting third-party cookies isn't going to make relevant advertising go away; it just hands more power to big companies," said Zach Coelius, CEO of ad technology firm Triggit.

Magazines Canada launches ad portal to automate workflows

Magazines Canada has launched AdDirect™, a free, web-based ad preflighting and delivery portal that will help to automate workflow and ad handling for advertisers and advertising agencies. The new portal is powered by SendMyAd.

AdDirect™ automatically validates ad files against Magazines Canada and publishers’ specifications and instantly delivers them to any participating title. Plus senders receive an automatic digital receipt providing assurance that the ad has been received.

"Ad portals are the next logical step towards workflow automation,” says Gary Garland, Executive Director, Advertising Services at Magazines Canada. "With AdDirect™, agencies and advertisers can now easily and immediately upload, check and send ads with confidence that their files are print-ready. You can even deliver files to multiple participating publishers with just one upload."

Advertisers and agencies have been invited to join a free live webinar (registration required) to view how the system works and ask questions Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 1 p.m.

A demo of the SendMyAd system is available and interested agencies and advertisers can set up an account and start submitting ads immediately.