Cookie-Based Targeting
Traditional web tracking using browser cookies to identify and target users across sessions
Traditional Background
Cookies became the backbone of digital advertising, enabling cross-site tracking, retargeting, and personalization. Despite privacy concerns, cookies remained essential for advertising attribution and audience building for over two decades.
Web3 Evolution
Still valuable in web3 for associating cookies with multiple wallet sessions through wallet linking, enabling more accurate cross-session tracking. However, some platforms are moving away from cookies toward privacy-focused alternatives that provide better user protection while maintaining behavioral onchain targeting effectiveness.
Privacy Evolution
Web3's privacy-first culture is driving innovation in cookieless tracking solutions. These alternatives maintain advertising effectiveness while better protecting user privacy - a crucial consideration for security-conscious web3 users who prefer view through conversion over click-based tracking.
Limitations
Increasingly blocked by browsers and privacy tools, making it less reliable for web3 audiences who typically use privacy-focused browsers and tools. This drives the need for onchain verifiability and blockchain-based attribution.