cookie scanning

optimisation NMA SPECIAL

nma.co.uk 7 April 2011 nma 31

NMA SPECIAL optimisation

nma 7 April 2011 nma.co.uk30

Tracking user behaviour across a website canprovide invaluable data for companies looking to

optimise customers’ experiences. But this May, theupdated EU e-privacy directive comes into effect,requiring (among other things) site owners to providevisitors with information about how cookies are used onthe site and give them the opportunity to refuse theirdata being collected.

Many site owners are still confused about which typesof cookies will be affected by the new rules, and to whatextent, so user experience consultancy Foviance has beenconducting cookie audits for media clients since the end oflast year. It used its new cookie audit analytics tool toscan Hitwise’s most visited UK websites and gauge whattypes of cookies they use, in particular which ones mightcause concern when the regulation rolls out.

Scanning more than 500 pages of each site, Fovianceextracted cookies that were sent to a user’s computer.Collecting these into a single database, it analysed theinformation they were trying to store. They weresegmented by function and by the type of data collected(see left), to find out which sites and sectors are morelikely to be exposed to the imminent regulation. The webpages were also scanned for known items that might setcookies, such as third-party software and plug-ins.

Foviance then created an Exposure Index, which ratedthe 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 beingcollected by cookies and consumer attitudes to brandsusing this type of data. John D’Arcy, practice director ofanalytics and insight at Foviance, says consumers are lesslikely to give explicit or informed consent to the use ofcookies if they can’t see a link between sharing their dataand any benefits to them.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty about which cookiesmight be excluded from the new rules, according toD’Arcy. The impact of functional cookies is particularlycomplex. Using a cookie to set a preferred weatherforecast location on the BBC home page, for example,won’t be affected, as it’s useful for the user and isn’t usedby a third party for further targeting. “But other cookiesthat might personalise the user experience by targetingcontent or other products aren’t excluded,” he says.

Analytics providers, media organisations and theGovernment are still working to assess the impact of thelegislation. “It feels like the Government is prepared forthe fact it will take a bit of time to understand how thislegislation affects brands,” says D’Arcy, adding that therecertainly won’t be a crackdown immediately. “But over thenext year or so, the industry needs to show it’s makingstrides towards giving consumers the opportunity torefuse brands collecting data on them.

“The message at the moment to brands is to work withtheir agencies to understand how they’re using cookies,”he says. “The digital world is getting its house in order andthere’s no reason why there should be a state of panic.” �

THE RESULTSThe research found that a single webpage will drop anything from one to 25persistent cookies. These may stay onan individual’s computer collectinginformation for up to 11 years if notdeleted. A typical visit to a website saw90 cookies being delivered.

Foviance noted a huge proliferation

of cookies used by brands and a largevariance in the type of cookies used byeach sector. The dependency of thenews & media industry on generatingrevenue from advertising means thereare large numbers of advertising cookieson these sites that make them a primetarget for the new EU legislation.

Retailers, meanwhile, need to place

a high emphasis on tracking consumerbehaviour to enable site and contentoptimisation. The research found 43%of cookies used by these sites were fortracking purposes, which will also beimpacted by the legislation.

Entertainment sites that use socialmedia tools to engage consumers use ahigh number of social and functional

cookies. According to Foviance, they’llbe the least affected by the legislation.Finance and technology sites wereboth classed as medium on theExposure Index. Finance sites had justunder 50% of tracking cookies andnearly a fifth of advertising cookies,while a third of technology websitecookies were used for tracking.

Cookie data

As the EU ePrivacy Directive requires brands to be more open about using cookies, this exclusivedata explores which sectors will be most affected

Cookie tasting

by Anna Richardson

News & media Exposure Index .HIGH.

source: Foviance

� 56% Advertising cookies

� 18% Functional cookies

� 0% Social cookies

� 26% Tracking cookies

� 0% Other cookies

Daily Mail

The Guardian

BBC

� Advertising � Functional � Social � Tracking � Other

HIGH

HIGH

LOW

72% 23%5%

45% 31%24%

100%

Average cookiesper website

7,491

ExposureIndex

Retail Exposure Index .HIGH.

source: Foviance






Play.com

John Lewis

Amazon.co.uk


HIGH

HIGH

LOW

60% 2%38%

29% 58%13%

89% 11%

ExposureIndex


5,694

Travel Exposure Index .HIGH.

source: Foviance






National Rail

Trip Advisor


HIGH

LOW

77% 23%

97%1%

ExposureIndex


3,095

2%

Finance Exposure Index .MEDIUM.

source: Foviance






LloydsTSB

Aviva


MEDIUM

MEDIUM

LOW

26% 52%22%

12% 2% 50%36%

ExposureIndex


2,128

Technology Exposure Index .MEDIUM.

source: Foviance






Canon

Apple

HP


HIGH

MEDIUM

LOW

1% 99%

3%

3% 48%46%

59% 1%40%

ExposureIndex


1,206

Entertainment Exposure Index .LOW.

source: Foviance






YouTube

BBC iPlayer


MEDIUM

LOW

LOW

4% 93%2%

75% 24%

ExposureIndex


988

COOKIE FUNCTIONSAdvertising cookiesSet by on-site ads suchas bannersFunctional cookiesFirst-party cookies thatinclude authenticationor personalisation of awebsite. Most will beexcluded from thelegislation as they’reused to set specificallyrequested servicesSocial cookies Set by third-party socialmedia technologies forsharing contentTracking cookiesUsed by analyticstracking softwareSession cookiesStored temporarily fora single web session.Excluded from theresults as they’re lesslikely to be impactedby the legislationMarketing cookiesSet by promotionalactivities such assearch marketing oremail. They weren’tincluded in the studyFlash cookies Set byFlash objects to trackbehaviour. Notincluded in this study.

COOKIE DATASEGMENTATIONThe study weighed thefollowing factors in itsExposure Index:� How necessary acookie is to provide thesite’s service� Sensitivity of theinformation collected(data privacy)� Whether theinformation captured is shared with thirdparties (data sharing)� How much control abrand has over theinformation that’sstored by the cookie(data control)� How likely a user isto give their consent todata being stored ifthey were asked (useracceptance)� How aware users arethat such data mightbe being captured(user awareness)

“We used Foviance to conductthis independent review ofcookies, knowing it would do a great job. Take a look, it’s an important issue.”Andy Oakes , publisher, new media age

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