PRESS RELEASE – Belgian advertising technology by Trustmedia, Adhese and Universal Media offers alternative to third-party cookies

San Pellegrino first brand to advertise in Belgium under new Belgian ecosystem

Reaching out to Belgian consumers through online advertising without using third-party cookies: it’s now possible thanks to a new programming tool by Ghent-based Adhese. Trustmedia, the advertising agency behind L’Echo and De Tijd, is the first to implement the tool in the systems of a Belgian publisher. In doing so, it is creating its own ecosystem, in which advertisers can use the publisher’s consumer data directly and in real time. In partnership with advertising agency Universal Media, Trustmedia has set up an initial successful advertising campaign for Nestlé and its San Pellegrino brand.

Advertisers have been on the lookout for some time for alternative ways to advertise to specific target groups in a high-quality way, without having to revert to cookies. After all, more and more people are opting to block cookies when they browse the internet. On top of that, more and more international technology firms — the main providers of the system — are also moving away from third-party cookies. Google, for example, recently announced that it would quit using any third-party cookies at all from 2023. As a consequence, the third-party cookie model is becoming less and less relevant to advertisers.

It is essential that we start preparing for new ways to advertise online. That’s why we’re extremely pleased to have joined forces with Trustmedia to develop an innovative and alternative route. Thanks to technology made in Belgium, we believe we’re ready to take the next steps towards a cookieless future.” – Sabrina Rebelo, Client Service Director at Universal Media


n partnership with Universal Media and using the technology provided by Adhese, Trustmedia has succeeded in setting up its own ecosystem. Within this ecosystem, advertisers or advertising agencies can directly buy and book advertising space in Trustmedia’s ad server in an automated way (programmatic guaranteed). No extra advertising technology (such as SSP or DSP) is required, meaning the investment made by the advertiser is optimally geared towards media exposure and a larger share of the advertising budget goes to the publisher itself.

“We are delighted to be the first to be able to offer ‘cookieless’ data to reach the right target group without needing to use a third party. The personal data of the people who get to see the ad are never exchanged between the various parties. That constitutes a significant innovation. We are proud that we’ve been able to develop a successful new advertising route and we’re ready to build on this further.” Sven Lybaert, Head of Digital & Agencies at Trustmedia

Belgian ecosystem

To facilitate a direct link between advertisers and publishers, Adhese created a unique programming tool. Advertisers can use this tool to use the user data the publisher has available in an automated way, with consent from users.

“By using this setup, combined with support from pioneering brands, agencies and publishers, we are effectively building our own ecosystem, with successful campaigns as our end goal. We’re just taking the first steps in our joint initiative; an initiative that demonstrates we can — and need to — make the difference ourselves. In turbulent times for the online advertising world, this partnership shows that having our own, Belgian ecosystem is still possible.” Sven Marievoet, CEO Adhese

Nestlé is using the cookieless ecosystem provided by Adhese and Trustmedia for the first time to advertise its San Pellegrino brand in De Tijd and L’Echo.

“Offering the most relevant content to our consumers is the core element of our digital strategy. With this campaign, we were able to offer the right content to the right audience, with fantastic results and without having to use third-party cookies. We’re pleased that we’ve been able to contribute to our global cookieless roadmap through this local initiative.” Elisabetta Gera, e-Business Manager at Nestlé