During a late 2022 survey carried out among marketers from the United Kingdom (UK), **** percent of respondents said they were planning to implement Google Topics to combat the impact of third-party cookie loss. Contextual targeting was named by **** percent of respondents.

It was calculated that if third-party cookies had vanished in September 2022, the U.S. broadcasting industry would have lost *** billion U.S. dollars of its annual advertising revenue. That constitues *** percent of the industry's total ad revenue. An average TV station would have lost *** million in ad revenue and an average multi-station market cluster some *** thousand U.S. dollars.

During a survey carried out in 2024, ** percent of responding marketers stated they felt cookie deprecation will have little-to-no impact. The remaining ** percent thought that the enf of third-party cookies would have a negative impact on their business, with as many as ** percent believing it would cause significant harm or damage.

During a November 2020 survey carried out among U.S. brand and agency media planners and buyers, as well as marketers, ** percent of respondents stated they believed they would be able to retarget digital ads after the loss of third-party cookies at the same scale as they did before.

During a survey conducted in November 2024 among marketers worldwide, the decline in the ability to measure campaign effectiveness on tech platforms and open web was voted the leading concern in media and marketing initiatives, mentioned by ** percent of respondents. Consumer ad avoidance ranked second, reported by ** percent. ***** out of 10 respondents cited the loss of access to third-party data.

Privacy-Safe Ad Targeting Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the global Privacy-Safe Ad Targeting market size reached USD 5.9 billion in 2024, demonstrating robust momentum driven by regulatory shifts and consumer demand for data protection. The market is set to expand at a CAGR of 17.2% over the forecast period, with projections indicating the market will attain USD 28.1 billion by 2033. This remarkable growth is primarily fueled by the increasing adoption of privacy-first advertising technologies as organizations worldwide adapt to evolving data privacy regulations and the phasing out of third-party cookies.

The surge in demand for privacy-safe ad targeting solutions is fundamentally linked to the tightening of global data protection laws such as the GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California, and other similar frameworks emerging in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Organizations are compelled to adopt innovative targeting technologies that can deliver personalized advertising experiences without infringing on user privacy. As a result, contextual targeting, federated learning, and on-device processing are gaining traction, enabling advertisers to maintain campaign effectiveness while minimizing data risks. The market’s upward trajectory is further propelled by the proliferation of digital channels and the growing sophistication of privacy-enhancing technologies, which collectively foster an environment where privacy and personalization can coexist.

Another critical growth driver is the heightened awareness among consumers regarding their digital footprints and the increasing demand for transparency in how their data is utilized. This shift in consumer sentiment is pressuring brands and publishers to prioritize privacy-safe solutions or risk losing customer trust and engagement. The competitive landscape is rapidly evolving, with both established technology vendors and innovative startups racing to develop and deploy advanced privacy-preserving tools. These include solutions leveraging differential privacy, federated learning, and on-device processing that allow for effective targeting without direct access to personally identifiable information (PII). The convergence of these technologies with artificial intelligence and machine learning is further amplifying the capabilities and appeal of privacy-safe ad targeting.

Additionally, the digital advertising ecosystem is witnessing a paradigm shift as major platforms such as Google and Apple implement privacy-centric changes—such as the deprecation of third-party cookies and stricter app tracking transparency protocols. This has catalyzed investment in alternative targeting methodologies that do not rely on invasive tracking or cross-site identifiers. As a result, advertisers are reallocating budgets towards privacy-safe strategies, and publishers are integrating compliant technologies to safeguard revenue streams. These macro-level changes are expected to sustain the market’s high growth rate, as privacy becomes a non-negotiable standard for digital advertising effectiveness and compliance.

From a regional perspective, North America continues to dominate the privacy-safe ad targeting market, accounting for the largest revenue share in 2024, followed closely by Europe and the Asia Pacific. The United States, in particular, benefits from a mature digital advertising infrastructure and proactive regulatory landscape, while Europe’s stringent GDPR requirements drive rapid adoption of privacy-first solutions. The Asia Pacific region, with its burgeoning digital economy and increasing regulatory focus, is poised for the fastest growth over the forecast period, with a projected CAGR exceeding 19%. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also witnessing steady adoption, albeit at a comparatively moderate pace, as digital transformation accelerates and privacy concerns become more prominent.

Solution Type Analysis

The solution type segment of the privacy-safe ad targeting market is characterized by a diverse array of technologies designed to balance effective advertising with robust privacy safeguards. Contextual targeting remains the most widely adopted solution, leveraging real-time content analysis to deliver ads that are relevant to the context of a webpage or app without requiring user-specific data. This approach is particularly appealing in light of regulatory restrictions on beh

During a winter 2023/24 survey carried out among advertising and data decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers from the United States, ** percent of respondents stated they were planning to spend more on connected TV as a result of privacy legislation and/or signal loss (third-party cookie deprecation). Creator/influencer marketing, paid search, and social media were also named by at least **** of the respondents.

In the third quarter of 2021, iPhone accounted for ** percent of the mobile audience of Facebook; ** percent of the mobile audience chose not to be tracked after Apple introduced the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy, which resulted in ** percent of ad impressions which publishers were unable to track. According to the source, the impressions share was the same for the remaining platforms named in the data set.