Why Cookie-Based Measurement Sucks in 2025

Remember when cookies were amazing? Back in the ‘90s and early 2000s, they revolutionized online tracking. But today, they only capture 9% of online conversions. Why? Because cookies simply don’t exist in most of the places where modern digital engagement happens:

• ​ Connected TV – No cookies in your streaming ads.
• ​ Most computer browsers – Safari, Firefox, and even Chrome (if users opt out).
• ​ Mobile in-app – Cookies only work in mobile web (mostly Chrome).
• ​ Audio ads on smart devices – Your podcast ads aren’t tracking conversions.
• ​ Digital out-of-home (DOOH) billboards – Good luck using cookies on a Times Square billboard.
• ​ Consumer opt-outs – Chrome lets users block third-party cookies.

Here’s a real-world example: You see a Starbucks ad while searching the web on your phone. Later, you open the Starbucks app and place an order. Does a cookie follow you from web to app? Nope.

This is why cookie-based measurement is great for companies like Google (who control the walled gardens) but terrible for marketers at large. If you actually want to measure conversions, it has to happen at the household and person level—which, by the way, Viant may or may not have patented back in 2012.

Now, Viant is doubling down on this future, partnering with TransUnion to bring even stronger, cookieless identity resolution to marketers. With first-party data and identity-based measurement, brands can finally connect the dots across CTV, mobile, web, and beyond—no cookies required.

The digital world has moved beyond cookies. Has your measurement strategy?

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