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In July, Google made waves when it announced that third-party cookies wouldn’t deprecate just yet. This was met with relief and frustration across the advertising industry. Retailers, already knee-deep in preparing for a cookieless future, have been testing alternatives like Google’s Privacy Sandbox for years. But even with this delay, the shift towards privacy-first advertising is unstoppable, and the retail brands converting to privacy-first measurement will be at an advantage.

Sonder has released its 2025 Owned Media Global Market Report, exploring the current state of owned media and predicting ad expenditure for the new year. The report is based on research from 50 marketing leaders in 22 countries. According to the report, owned media is on the rise and is projected to continue growing in the new year. ‘Owned media has long been overlooked in favour of traditional paid advertising channels.

Google’s well-reported ‘cookie cull’ row back has left many marketers questioning their reliance on third-party cookies for customer acquisition and re-targeting. By looking closer to home — optimising owned channels and first-party data — brands and retailers can shake off cookie dependency and unlock enhanced personalisation to drive sales and loyalty. Google’s approach to third-party cookie deprecation has been defined by fits and starts.