Cookie data
NMA SPECIAL optimisation
optimisation NMA SPECIAL
by Anna Richardson
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nma 7 April 2011 nma.co.uk
of cookies used by brands and a large variance in the type of cookies used by each sector. The dependency of the news & media industry on generating revenue from advertising means there are large numbers of advertising cookies on these sites that make them a prime target for the new EU legislation. Retailers, meanwhile, need to place
a high emphasis on tracking consumer behaviour to enable site and content optimisation. The research found 43% of cookies used by these sites were for tracking purposes, which will also be impacted by the legislation. Entertainment sites that use social media tools to engage consumers use a high number of social and functional
cookies. According to Foviance, they’ll be the least affected by the legislation. Finance and technology sites were both classed as medium on the Exposure Index. Finance sites had just under 50% of tracking cookies and nearly a fifth of advertising cookies, while a third of technology website cookies were used for tracking.
News & media Exposure Index .HIGH.
Travel Exposure Index .HIGH.
Technology Exposure Index .MEDIUM.
쎲 56% Advertising cookies
쎲 51% Advertising cookies
쎲 1% Advertising cookies
쎲 33% Functional cookies
쎲 26% Tracking cookies
쎲 16% Tracking cookies
쎲 0% Other cookies
쎲 32% Functional cookies
Average cookies per website 3,095
쎲 0% Social cookies
쎲 65% Tracking cookies
쎲 0% Other cookies
72%
The Guardian
45%
24%
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other
Exposure Index
23%
HIGH
31%
HIGH
쎲 1% Other cookies
National Rail
77%
Trip Advisor
23% 97%
HIGH LOW
1%
BBC
100%
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other
Exposure Index
2%
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other Daily Mail
Average cookies per website 1,206
쎲 0% Social cookies
Canon Apple
1%
99% 46%
HP
LOW
HIGH
48%
59%
40%
source: Foviance
source: Foviance
source: Foviance
Retail Exposure Index .HIGH.
Finance Exposure Index .MEDIUM.
Entertainment Exposure Index .LOW.
쎲 44% Advertising cookies
쎲 18% Advertising cookies
쎲 3% Advertising cookies
쎲 11% Functional cookies
쎲 32% Functional cookies
Average cookies per website 5,694
쎲 0% Social cookies 쎲 43% Tracking cookies
쎲 1% Social cookies 쎲 49% Tracking cookies
쎲 2% Other cookies
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other
Amazon.co.uk
source: Foviance
38%
60% 29%
13%
58% 89%
HIGH HIGH
11%
LloydsTSB Aviva
26% 12%
LOW
쎲 17% Tracking cookies
22% 36%
52% 50%
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other
Exposure Index
MEDIUM MEDIUM
YouTube BBC iPlayer
2%
93% 75%
Exposure Index
MEDIUM
24%
LOW
source: Foviance
LOW
쎲 0% Other cookies
쎲 Advertising 쎲 Functional 쎲 Social 쎲 Tracking 쎲 Other
Exposure Index
1%
MEDIUM
Average cookies per website 988
쎲 34% Social cookies
쎲 0% Other cookies
Play.com John Lewis
쎲 47% Functional cookies
Average cookies per website 2,128
Exposure Index
3%
Average cookies per website 7,491
쎲 0% Social cookies
3%
쎲 18% Functional cookies
4%
COOKIE DATA SEGMENTATION The study weighed the following factors in its Exposure Index: 쎲 How necessary a cookie is to provide the site’s service 쎲 Sensitivity of the information collected (data privacy) 쎲 Whether the information captured is shared with third parties (data sharing) 쎲 How much control a brand has over the information that’s stored by the cookie (data control) 쎲 How likely a user is to give their consent to data being stored if they were asked (user acceptance) 쎲 How aware users are that such data might be being captured (user awareness)
Tracking user behaviour across a website can provide invaluable data for companies looking to optimise customers’ experiences. But this May, the updated EU e-privacy directive comes into effect, requiring (among other things) site owners to provide visitors with information about how cookies are used on the site and give them the opportunity to refuse their data being collected. Many site owners are still confused about which types of cookies will be affected by the new rules, and to what extent, so user experience consultancy Foviance has been conducting cookie audits for media clients since the end of last year. It used its new cookie audit analytics tool to scan Hitwise’s most visited UK websites and gauge what types of cookies they use, in particular which ones might cause concern when the regulation rolls out. Scanning more than 500 pages of each site, Foviance extracted cookies that were sent to a user’s computer. Collecting these into a single database, it analysed the information they were trying to store. They were segmented by function and by the type of data collected (see left), to find out which sites and sectors are more likely to be exposed to the imminent regulation. The web pages were also scanned for known items that might set cookies, such as third-party software and plug-ins. Foviance then created an Exposure Index, which rated the likely impact of the new legislation on companies’ ongoing ability to use the data collected by these cookies. Exposure was analysed both by the type of data being collected by cookies and consumer attitudes to brands using this type of data. John D’Arcy, practice director of analytics and insight at Foviance, says consumers are less likely to give explicit or informed consent to the use of cookies if they can’t see a link between sharing their data and any benefits to them. There’s still a lot of uncertainty about which cookies might be excluded from the new rules, according to D’Arcy. The impact of functional cookies is particularly complex. Using a cookie to set a preferred weather forecast location on the BBC home page, for example, won’t be affected, as it’s useful for the user and isn’t used by a third party for further targeting. “But other cookies that might personalise the user experience by targeting content or other products aren’t excluded,” he says. Analytics providers, media organisations and the Government are still working to assess the impact of the legislation. “It feels like the Government is prepared for the fact it will take a bit of time to understand how this legislation affects brands,” says D’Arcy, adding that there certainly won’t be a crackdown immediately. “But over the next year or so, the industry needs to show it’s making strides towards giving consumers the opportunity to refuse brands collecting data on them. “The message at the moment to brands is to work with their agencies to understand how they’re using cookies,” he says. “The digital world is getting its house in order and there’s no reason why there should be a state of panic.” 쎲
THE RESULTS The research found that a single web page will drop anything from one to 25 persistent cookies. These may stay on an individual’s computer collecting information for up to 11 years if not deleted. A typical visit to a website saw 90 cookies being delivered. Foviance noted a huge proliferation
2%
COOKIE FUNCTIONS Advertising cookies Set by on-site ads such as banners Functional cookies First-party cookies that include authentication or personalisation of a website. Most will be excluded from the legislation as they’re used to set specifically requested services Social cookies Set by third-party social media technologies for sharing content Tracking cookies Used by analytics tracking software Session cookies Stored temporarily for a single web session. Excluded from the results as they’re less likely to be impacted by the legislation Marketing cookies Set by promotional activities such as search marketing or email. They weren’t included in the study Flash cookies Set by Flash objects to track behaviour. Not included in this study.
As the EU ePrivacy Directive requires brands to be more open about using cookies, this exclusive data explores which sectors will be most affected
2%
Andy Oakes , publisher, new media age
Cookie tasting
5%
“We used Foviance to conduct this independent review of cookies, knowing it would do a great job. Take a look, it’s an important issue.”
LOW LOW
source: Foviance
nma.co.uk 7 April 2011 nma
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