The forthcoming "cookie-pocalypse" marks a pivotal moment in the advertising industry, as marketers grapple with a privacy-centric landscape and widespread signal loss.

Factors like Apple's App Tracking Transparency, new and ever-evolving digital advertising regulations, and privacy demands from consumers have driven the shift to privacy-first advertising in recent years. Now, with Google appearing set to deprecate third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by the end of 2024, we are on the brink of a new age of advertising-one where cookieless solutions reign supreme, and where alternative identity solutions are not simply a suggestion but a requirement.

Of those cookieless solutions, contextual might not be the shiniest one: It's been around for a while and, candidly, it's kind of boring. But in rare and exceptional instances such as this, old + boring doesn't necessarily have to = bad. Just ask baseball fans, or anyone in the middle of a riveting game of Monopoly!

So, what is contextual targeting, how does it work, and why is it here to stay in the digital advertising landscape? Read on to find out!