[dhx]

Coupon codes have existed before the Internet as a privacy-preserving way for businesses to track conversions for advertising. If a buyer quotes "MAGAZINE5" when purchasing to obtain a 5% discount, the seller knows the magazine advert is working. In modern times, there is nothing technologically preventing a business placing online ads with frequently changing coupon codes "HAPPY15" vs "HAPPY22" to gauge effectiveness of particular ad formats in more granular ways.

Television and radio advertising exists and has existed long before the Internet without any need for detailed conversion tracking. Brief "To help us improve our business, could you please tell us how you heard about our brand?" questions in order forms has sufficed. A/B testing of billboard placements have sufficed.

Put simply, "Privacy Sandbox" is presented as a solution to a "problem" that doesn't exist.

[npteljes]

Coupons worked, but they can't really work now in the way they used to. People exchange codes in other information channels. Especially in the current, always-connected, high speed internet era.

[diggernet]

Doesn't that simply turn the "other information channels" into another advertising channel? If you are putting out codes to bring in customers, and customers arrive with the code, um, mission accomplished?

[npteljes]

Maybe, but not necessarily. These channels, like the Honey browser extension, alert users who are likely going to pay anyways, that they can use a coupon to pay less. This I think is a loss for the company, and a misrepresentation of the campaign statistics, if looking at the effectiveness of the coupon code.