My god, the amount of misinformation and just lack of knowledge of how internet ads, and cookie monitoring works is just sad.The thing is, how do they know it works? How would they tell if a customer came in from a Facebook ad or from a friend's suggestion?
First off, yes, there is a whole lot of information that is processed through Facebook, Google, AppNexus, Amazon, Epsilon, Polk, and others, and get processed by a myriad of other companies, in order to build very thorough online and offline profiles on users, and consumers. You can be tracked just as easily with your online website behaviors as you can when you go to Kroger, and buy a package of Oreos and Hamburger Buns with your VISA card.
But all of you are missing out on the most important part - Most people who build online advertising campaigns are completely incompetent, and the people who are their bosses are even more so. They will have competing strategies running at the same time, all trying to take credit for the same transactions that occurred during a specific time period, and its a farce.
Yes, some people have ad blockers, but the percentage of it being used is very small in comparison to the total number of users that are out there, surfing the web at any given moment.
I've been in the online advertising business for 15 years now, and the most effective ads are the ones that actually provide a value for the action of making a purchase. You know, a discount. Branding campaigns are a waste of money unless you are a brand new company getting into an emerging market. Retargeting campaigns that don't have frequency caps that chase users all across the internet are the easiest way to convince a buyer to never use your products ever again.
Anyway, online and offline advertising exists, and isn't going anywhere.
No matter what new restrictions come up, someone comes up with a way to make it work in their benefit.
Frigging Google will always make sure of that.
You tell Facebook or Amazon that they can't deliver advertisements to their users, and you see how fast they start lobbying government officials to change things.