The solution for a cookie-less world has been in our pockets the whole time

When cookies reigned supreme, getting to relevance seemed a whole lot easier. Content was personalized, and tended to make sense in the moment it was served up. But since big tech put us on a path to a cookie-less world, brands and marketers have been grappling with how to get brand experience to feel right for right now, without the help of widely-available third-party data.

Certainly, consumer demand for brands to serve them the right content, in the right place, at the right time, has not dimmed. Brand experiences that are relevant to the when (time), the where (place), and the who (customer) are still very much the order of the day.

The numbers speak for themselves: 70% of consumers want brands to know more about them in order to deliver contextually-relevant experiences, while 80% are more likely to buy a product that offers an experience tailored to their immediate needs.

And as consumers (with the help of omnipresent adblockers and fast-expanding ad-free premium services) become increasingly skillful at filtering out content and communications altogether, we run a huge risk. If we don’t establish a clear value exchange that gives consumers a reason to opt in to branded content, the danger is that they’ll check out entirely.

Brand content must be contextual and intentional

Contextual because the branded content must make sense for the where, the when, and the who. And intentional because customers will want the option of electing whether and how they engage – if at all.

At Landor & Fitch, we believe that the answer to the contextual x intentional equation is scannable brand tech – a technology platform that allows customers to opt-in to content by scanning codes and symbols (currently QR codes), which act as gateways to immersive worlds of contextually-relevant brand experiences.

In a scannable future, there is an opportunity to give every existing advert, every piece of packaging, and every empty bit of shop or shelf space context, by adding an experience layer than makes any given brand make much more sense for any given place or time, for any given customer.

Scannable knows when and where you’re scanning, to within a 2-5 meter accuracy range. And because scannable learns more and more about each customer with every scan, it means no two experiences are ever the same.

Two shoppers might be in the same store aisle at the exact same moment, scanning the same yogurt pot. Two drivers might be killing time at the same service station, scanning neighboring EV chargers. Two prospective property buyers might be exploring the same new residential development. But each one of them will get content that is not only relevant to the where and the when, but more importantly to who they are and what they like.

And even better than that: scannable always involves a choice. There’s no obligation to scan. So, when you do, it’s because you’re excited to engage. Because you recognize the value exchange. It’s a truly opt-in experience.

Scannable brings together context and intention

In a cookie-less future, the solution to delivering relevant brand experience that consumers actively choose to engage with might just have been sitting in our pockets the whole time. With no more than a phone and a QR code, a contextually-relevant, opt-in brand experience is nothing but a brandscan away.