With Google now delaying its replacement plan until 2024, the lid on the third-party-cookie jar remains open. But the threat of its closure looms, and has caused marketers to start thinking about (and testing) ways to reach customers without third-party tracking.

“I think for the longest [time], we’ve just relied on this third-party cookie, and it was laziness,” Ricardo Diaz, chief digital officer at ad agency Omelet, told us, adding that brands were “able to get a pretty good idea of of consumers without really having to have a relationship with them.”

Now, many are looking for creative ways—both new and old—to develop those relationships and collect first- and zero-party data.

• By using new platforms to acquire first-party data, like Web3, Diaz said brands have the opportunity to collect registration information from customers looking to explore on their way in.
• IRL touchpoints are also key. “Experience is the currency,” Krystal Olivieri, chief innovation officer at GroupM, told us. “It’s no longer just the transactional component.”
• Websites may get “a lot more personal,” offering things like log-ins and shopping wish lists where consumers opt in to share their information and preferences, Jay Eckert, founder of web design agency Parachute Design Group, told us.

Read more about how marketers are strategizing around post-cookie data collection here.—KH

You probably know Brian Baumgartner from his iconic role as Kevin Malone on The Office. You may not know that since the show ended, he’s been the host of not one, not two, but three different podcasts (while still maintaining his acting career).

“It’s become a main job for sure,” he told Marketing Brew. “If you want to do it well, it is a lot of work behind the scenes.”

• That behind-the-scenes work includes reading ads for some of the biggest brands in the podcast space (think: Indeed, Athletic Greens, BetterHelp), a skill he’s been honing since he started his second pod, The Office Deep Dive, in 2021.

We talked to him about how he works with advertisers, how he got into the podcast game in the first place, and when he turns down advertising requests.

Read our full interview with Baumgartner here.—AM

If you work in marketing, there’s a good chance you work in retail in some capacity, too. And if you work in retail, you know there are some things that are simply synonymous with the industry: BOGO deals, mall food courts, and Jeff Bezos, to name a few.

There are also lots of devices so commonplace in retail that you probably haven’t given them a second thought.

Not anymore: Enter Tools of the Trade, a Retail Brew series that’s full of fun facts for you to rattle off during awkward client meetings. Ever wondered when the escalator was invented? Or how Bubble Wrap became a thing? Then look no further:

• How Bubble Wrap became a pop idol
• How the clothes hanger found its hook
• How an Ohio saloonkeeper came up with the cash register
• How escalators helped retail move up

Hit Reply to let us know which other retail or marketing devices you’d like to see us write about.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

TikTok: Need TikTok bio inspo? Look no further than these 130+ ideas.

Content cals: Here’s how often brands are posting on various social media platforms these days.

Influencer marketers: TikTok user @thecampaigngirl has some relatable ’Toks (like this one) for all of you.

Learn: Ready to go from marketing team member to marketing team leader? The Brew’s Leadership Accelerator is here to help you grow your team, yourself, and your impact. Apply today and save with code BTS150.

Influencer szn: Recent iOS changes mean less paid ads and more influencer marketing. Learn how brands are embracing influencers amid tighter privacy changes in our latest article.

Ahhhh, work travel, we’ve missed you. We love a conference, don’t you? Free food, smart people with inspiring ideas...aspirational breakfast meetings. Well, marketers, we have news.

::drumroll:: Introducing The Brief: A Summit Presented by Marketing Brew

Marketing Brew has partnered with some of the world’s most-recognized brands and influential marketers to bring you a premiere one-day marketing event in the heart of New York City.

Early-bird pricing ends soon, so don’t wait. Save yourself a seat (and some green) now!

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• iOS privacy changes mean less paid ads, more influencer marketing
• Midterm election ads: The social media platforms where you will (and won’t) see them
• Amazon Prime Video kicks off the “transition” to streaming football