How Google's AI and First-Party Data Made My Marketing 35% More Profitable

As data privacy regulations tighten and third-party cookies phase out, marketers face the daunting challenge of delivering personalized advertising while respecting user consent. The recent implementation of Switzerland’s revised data protection law and the upcoming restrictions on third-party cookies in Chrome have forced brands to rethink their measurement and targeting strategies. Yet, innovative companies like Blackroll, Decathlon, and Redcare Pharmacy are proving that privacy and performance can coexist. By leveraging Google’s AI-driven tools—such as Consent Mode, Enhanced Conversions, and Performance Max campaigns—these brands have achieved remarkable results, from a 41% increase in tracked sessions to a 35% boost in return on ad spend (ROI). This article explores how businesses across industries are adapting to the cookieless future while driving measurable growth.

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Ⅰ. Privacy-Compliant Campaigns with Google Consent Mode

Blackroll, a health and fitness brand, faced a common dilemma: how to maintain accurate analytics while honoring user cookie preferences. By implementing Google) Consent Mode alongside GA4 and server-side tagging, Blackroll bridged data gaps through AI modeling. The results were staggering—a 41% uplift in session tracking, with mobile transactions rising by 16% and desktop conversions by 31%. Consent Mode works by adjusting Google tags based on user consent choices, ensuring compliance without sacrificing insights. For instance, when users reject cookies, the tool uses aggregated data and machine learning to model missing interactions. This approach not only restored visibility into marketing channel performance but also future-proofed Blackroll’s analytics against regulatory changes. Similarly, Decathlon Switzerland combined Consent Mode with Enhanced Conversions to overcome cookie banner limitations, achieving a 4% incremental uplift in conversions. These cases underscore how modeled data can compensate for lost signals, turning privacy constraints into opportunities for smarter marketing.

Ⅱ. Enhancing ROI with Google Ads Measurement Tools

Decathlon’s journey highlights the power of Enhanced Conversions, a privacy-safe tool that hashes first-party data (like email addresses) to match logged-in google users. This allowed the sports retailer to attribute conversions more accurately, leading to a 3.12% rise in search ad conversions and a 50% surge in video ad performance. With clearer ROI proof, Decathlon secured a 42% increase in Google Ads budget allocation. The key lies in the synergy between hashed data and AI-driven attribution. For example, when a user purchases after clicking an ad, Enhanced Conversions validates the match without exposing personal details. Redcare Pharmacy took this further by integrating Enhanced Conversions with a Customer Data Platform (CDP), enabling value-based bidding tailored to margin optimization. The outcome? An 11% reduction in customer acquisition costs (CAC) and a 35% higher ROI. These tools demonstrate that first-party data, when leveraged ethically, can outperform traditional tracking methods.

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Ⅲ. AI-Driven Campaign Optimization

Mercari’s evolution from an app-centric to a web-integrated platform demonstrates how AI and data-driven strategies can optimize cross-channel marketing. Initially launched in 2013 as a mobile-first marketplace, Mercari observed a significant shift in user demographics over a decade—with users aged 50+ growing from 8% to 23% by 2024. To address diverse user needs, Mercari leveraged Google Ads to unify search and product data, enabling targeted campaigns for dormant users (installed the app but never purchased) and new web visitors. By streamlining the web UI/UX—such as allowing simultaneous member registration and purchase—Mercari reduced friction for first-time buyers arriving via search engines.

The integration of deep linking and Web-to-App Connect enables cross-channel measurement, allowing ads clicked on web browsers to direct users seamlessly to the app. This eliminates siloed KPIs by unifying web visits and app installs under a single KGI: increasing Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). Topkee’s Google Ads services enhance this approach through TTO initialization settings, which automate conversion event tracking and synchronize data across advertising backends for unified performance analysis. Their remarketing strategies leverage TTO attribution tools to segment users based on behavior, delivering personalized ads. By combining smart bidding with comprehensive keyword research and creative production, Topkee ensures ads reach high-intent audiences across Google Search, Display, and YouTube networks. Periodic reports analyze budget efficiency and conversion quality, enabling data-driven optimizations that align with accumulative growth goals. This holistic methodology underscores how AI-powered tools and cross-channel synchronization maximize lifetime user value while maintaining measurable ROI.

Ⅳ. Power Pair Strategy for Multi-Channel Success

Hepsiemlak’s adoption of Google’s "Power Pair" strategy—combining broad match keywords with Performance Max—led to a 37% conversion lift and a 23% drop in cost per acquisition. The AI-powered creative tools automatically optimized ad relevance, elevating click-through rates by 22%. Turkish Airlines amplified this approach with Demand Generation campaigns, using lookalike audiences to expand reach. Meanwhile, SuperStep segmented customers into high-value new vs. existing cohorts, achieving a 166% conversion boost through tailored CPA bids. These examples illustrate how AI unifies disparate channels, ensuring consistent messaging and efficient budget allocation.

Ⅴ. First-Party Data in a Cookieless Future

Koçtaş exemplifies the strategic value of first-party data in a cookieless era by leveraging Google’s AI-powered Power Pair solutions to optimize its marketing performance. Transitioning from a traditional DIY focus to targeting home-living shoppers, the brand implemented smart bidding and broad match strategies in its search campaigns, achieving a 125% increase in conversion rates and a 31% improvement in cost/benefit ratio in Q2 2024. By adopting Maximum Performance campaigns with a value-centric approach, Koçtaş prioritized high-value new customer acquisition while maximizing revenue efficiency. This data-driven shift underscores the brand’s ability to adapt to evolving consumer behaviors, particularly amid economic challenges that heightened price sensitivity and elongated decision cycles.

Similarly, Topkee’s Google Ads solutions demonstrate how first-party data and AI-driven strategies can optimize multi-channel campaigns for measurable growth. Their comprehensive services, including TTO CDP initialization for automated data tracking and TM settings for flexible customer attribution, enable precise audience segmentation—a critical factor as third-party data declines. By leveraging AI-powered creative production and smart bidding models, Topkee helps businesses enhance ad relevance and conversion rates. Their remarketing strategies further amplify this impact, using TTO attribution tools to analyze user interactions and deliver personalized ads based on conversion triggers. This end-to-end approach, spanning keyword research to reporting, underscores how owned data infrastructure combined with Google’s AI solutions (like Performance Max campaigns) balances customer acquisition with profitable growth. Just as Koçtaş’s team emphasized, investing in first-party data integration and automated bidding is no longer optional for sustaining marketing efficacy in a privacy-centric landscape.

Ⅵ. Agile Measurement for Evolving Regulations

Butlers’ dual-tracking system—combining Google Tag Manager with gtag.js—accelerated data updates by 3x and lifted conversions by 28%. Faster adaptations allowed the retailer to test new newsletter signup events and navigation paths, feeding insights back into Google Ads. Such agility is critical as regulations evolve, ensuring campaigns remain both compliant and effective.

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Conclusion

From Blackroll’s session recovery to Turkish Airlines’ cross-channel triumphs, these cases prove that privacy and profitability aren’t mutually exclusive. By embracing AI, first-party data, and agile measurement, businesses can thrive despite—and because of—new constraints. Ready to transform your strategy? Consult a Google-certified expert to tailor these solutions to your goals.