Cookies?!?

No not those delicious types of cookies!!! Browser Cookies!! (Although I would love me a triple chocolate cookie with an oozing melted centre)

Have you noticed more and more website you visit are asking you to accept cookies as you use the website. They look a little something like this:

If you’re anything like me you’ll probably just click close and accept and forget it was ever there.. so, what exactly are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored in text files in websites that load when you’re using a browser. They’re often used to remember an individual user; for example to keep you logged into your Facebook profile, the website will use your browser and cookies to remember who YOU are and to allow you to remain logged in. Similarly, a website will remember your individual language settings and even website layout. Online shopping websites also use cookies as these websites can track the items you add to your cart and your wishlist using cookies. (Yummy and helpful!)

Watch this video below for a great explanation on how cookies track you and how ads can ‘follow you’ using cookies.

Now now! What does this all mean for marketing?

Websites which have the same advertisements embedded within them or bits of another website on their website are able to access cookies that they saved about you earlier – this means that all websites that embed the same advertisements or have bits of another website within their webpage store information about you and hence provide targeted advertisements about you and your browsing history. I know it get’s a little confusing – watch the video below for a visual explanation. Pay particular attention at 2 minutes 40 seconds in!

So those shoes you were looking at on The Iconic are now part of your ads on Facebook because of the bits of Facebook which are found on The Iconic. And since Facebook is linked to Instagram, we see the shoes AGAIN which makes us think the shoes are ‘following’ us when in fact only cookies are following us (and no you can’t take a bite from those cookies). This ensures that a consumer can’t forget about an item and can inform the user if there’s a sale via an advertisement and convince you to make a purchase. What a smart cookie!?

Do you think cookies are invading our privacy or is it simply being helpful? Let me know in the comments below!

6 thoughts on “Cookies?!?”

Great piece Bec! I actually had that cookie pop up for your blog too.

I think cookies are necessary and I don’t necessarily think they’re an invasion of privacy as you can delete them and they’re not necessarily personally identifiable!

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That’s a great point Ruben, cookies can very easily be deleted via the browser… if you remember to delete them anyway! Funny story actually, my sister asked for a dish drying rack for her birthday (not just any dish drying rack may I add…. a $100 dish drying rack -.-). Anyway, I had done a bit of a Google search for the best deal and managed to get one at a decent price. She was then using my laptop when an advertisement for the website I purchased from popped up which revealed that I was looking at dish drying racks. Needless to say she was NOT surprised when her birthday came around!

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Depends which side of the fence you sit I suppose! As a marketer they’re so useful for personalisation, but as a consumer.. I find them a little invasive and so annoying. Especially if I’ve searched something on a whim or for a uni assignment and then it follows me everywhere.. I always forget to clear them though.

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Hi Casey! That is a valid point. I can’t remember the last time I cleared my cookies either (mainly because I can’t remember my passwords and logging back in will take time 😦 ). But they definitely can be annoying and invasive at times, I can relate to uni related advertisements popping up everywhere, that does get annoying. But I guess like most things, there are pros and cons!

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