By: Em Poblete & Tonia Au
Here’s a familiar scenario: you open your laptop, maybe with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. You start browsing a new article or checking out that brand-new recipe site. And then… a pop-up hijacks your screen! “This website uses cookies to enhance your experience.” You quickly click ‘Accept All’ without a second thought, just to make it go away.
We’ve all been there. These little cookie pop-ups have become the background noise of the internet. But behind that pesky popup is a much bigger story, one that’s quietly changing the future of digital marketing.
And guess what? It’s not just a tech issue. For brands trying to connect with multicultural audiences, this shift could be seismic.
Goodbye Cookies. Hello Consent.
But wait. What are cookies, really?
Before we dive into the drama, let’s rewind a little. In the digital world, a “cookie” isn’t the chocolate chip kind (sadly). It’s a tiny data file that websites drop into your browser. That file helps them remember who you are, what you clicked on, how long you stayed, and whether you’re the kind of person who’d be interested in a half-off sale on hiking boots or Halal skincare products.
There are two main types of cookies:
- First-party cookies come from the website you’re directly visiting. They’re usually harmless and even helpful. They remember your login details or keep your shopping cart full.
- Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are the digital equivalent of someone eavesdropping on your conversation from another table. These are placed by advertisers and other outside players to track your behaviour across different websites. It’s how ads seem to “follow” you around after you’ve looked at a product just once.
For years, third-party cookies were the golden ticket for advertisers. Want to retarget that Gen Z Filipino skincare enthusiast in Toronto? Cookies made it happen. Want to show up on the screens of Black moms searching for kids’ haircare tips? Cookies could serve that ad before she even finished typing.
But that era? It’s coming to an end.
Why Cookies Mattered in Multicultural Marketing
For marketers, especially those trying to reach niche or underserved communities, third-party cookies were a shortcut to precision. Multicultural audiences often sit at the intersection of layered identities: language, heritage, geography, tradition, subculture. The richness of these layers made third-party data especially valuable because it allowed marketers to serve up just the right message at just the right moment.
But here’s the issue: it was all happening in the background. People were being tracked without their full understanding or consent. And that’s the part that’s been raising red flags.
Due to the rising public concern, privacy regulations were implemented and tech giants blocked third-party cookies by default.
Where Do Brands Go From Here?
If your brand has relied on third-party cookies to reach multicultural markets, now’s the time to pivot, not panic. According to Tonia Au, AV Communications’ Media & PR Director, this isn’t the end of great marketing but a start of a meaningful one.
“Here’s the truth most marketers miss: While some are mourning “lost targeting capabilities,” the savviest brands are discovering something better. The death of creepy, follow-you-everywhere ads isn’t a setback—it’s the ultimate opportunity to build real connections.”
Still don’t see how this can be possible? Here are three case studies that show us how to navigate the cookieless world.
Trust Over Tracking
In 2021, The New York Times made a bold move: they stopped using third-party data entirely. Instead, they leaned into their subscriber base, creating 45 proprietary audience segments based on first-party behavior, things like article views, reading habits, and topic interests. With a growing base of loyal readers, they were able to deliver highly targeted ads with zero cookies attached.
Context is King
Programmatic buying didn’t disappear—it grew up. The smartest advertisers today don’t just buy ad space; they embed themselves where their audience naturally gathers. It’s about:
- Cultural relevance over creepy retargeting
- Authentic alignment over artificial “personalization”
- Becoming a welcome guest rather than an uninvited salesperson
The magic happens when your message doesn’t feel like an ad at all, but like a trusted friend’s recommendation. And this is exactly what Procter & Gamble did. They stepped away from behavioral tracking and leaned into contextual advertising—ads that match the content you’re viewing, not your past behavior. So, if someone’s reading about curly hair care routines, they might see an ad for P&G’s multicultural hair brand without needing cookies to track them.
It’s a win-win: relevance and respect.
Loyalty as a Data Engine
Sephora’s Beauty Insider program became their first-party data goldmine. Members share preferences, behaviors, and even survey responses… willingly. This lets Sephora deliver hyper-personalized product suggestions and cultural campaigns, tailored for communities with unique beauty standards and rituals.
Our Diverse Thoughts
The playbook got rewritten. Consumers are wiser, privacy laws stricter, and tech platforms have slammed shut the backdoors we used to rely on. Those tactics that felt clever in 2023? Today they’re about as effective as a flip phone at a TikTok convention. But for us multicultural marketers, the end of third-party cookies isn’t a threat. It’s an invitation to build trust, to earn insights, and to show up with creativity, curiosity, and cultural fluency.
It’s about understanding, not just tracking. It’s about connection, not just conversion. And this is what winning brands do. Instead of stalking potential customers across the web, they’re:
- Building direct relationships through genuine value exchanges
- Creating content so culturally spot-on that audiences seek them out
- Showing up in the right cultural moments with messages that feel personal, not invasive
Your 2025 Game Plan
- Conduct a targeting autopsy. If it relies on third-party data, it’s already obsolete.
- Build value-first relationships. Create cultural content worth opting in for.
- Invest in context. Place your message where your audience wants to engage.
- Train for cultural fluency. Understanding people beats tracking pixels every time.
The bottom line? 2025 rewards marketers who stop chasing and start connecting. Because in today’s privacy-conscious world, the brands that win won’t be the ones with the best tracking… they’ll be the ones with the deepest cultural understanding.
The question is: Are you ready to play the new game?