Nielsen launches cookie-less approach to measurement

The new approach to measuring authenticated (logged-in) and unauthenticated (logged-out) web traffic will validate first-party server data with consumer behaviour.

Nielsen said that it had agreed a five-pronged approach to measuring authenticated and unauthenticated web traffic without resorting to third-party cookies.

The approach includes using a range of identifiers and first-party data to manage future changes in the advertising industry, and to use a common measurement framework to allow measurement across different platforms and publishers.

Nielsen said its identification system would offer measurement tied to people and households, and would ensure confidentiality and representativeness.

The approach would mean that Nielsen was able to guard against the shift away from third-party cookies in its measurement by 2023.

Last year, Nielsen released its ID Resolution System tool to unify identity data across media platforms and validate the data against Nielsen’s people-based panels.

Mainak Mazumdar, chief data officer at Nielsen, said: “If the industry has learned anything since the rise of cookies, it’s that digital media measurement must remain scalable, flexible and useful.

“Our new approach to measuring authenticated and unauthenticated digital traffic will enable us to scale across channels and platforms to ensure a comprehensive view of success and uncover areas for optimisation.”