Contextual Advertising: D/Cipher Helps Shift from Cookies in 2026

Dotdash Meredith is leading the industry’s changeover from traditional cookie tracking to smarter, privacy-friendly contextual advertising with its tool, D/Cipher.

Since its launch in May 2023, D/Cipher has been adopted in over 30% of Dotdash Meredith’s direct ad buys, proving the power of context-driven targeting.

CEO Neil Vogel states advertisers often see better results compared to cookie-based campaigns, with the publisher guaranteeing performance or rerunning campaigns if targets aren’t met.

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What is D/Cipher and Why It Matters

D/Cipher is a proprietary solution that uses signals from Dotdash Meredith’s 48 media brands to analyze billions of user interactions.

Instead of following cookies, it predicts consumer intent by looking at the context of content users engage with across sites. This approach aligns perfectly with the industry move away from third-party cookies, increasing ad relevance while respecting user privacy.

Key Facts About D/Cipher

• Uses data from 40+ Dotdash Meredith brands
• Activated in more than 30% of direct ad buys
• Analyzes billions of content interactions daily
• Boosts campaign performance beyond cookie tracking benchmarks
• Offers performance guarantees to advertisers
• Expanded to open web as “D/Cipher+” for broader reach
• Enhanced by partnership with OpenAI for smarter targeting

D/Cipher’s contextual signals help advertisers target ads with more precision and in brand-safe environments, making it a leading tool for cookie-less marketing.

Also read about: TikTok AI Ads 2025: Expands Ads Mimicking Real Creators for Speed

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Advertiser Benefits and Industry Impact

Advertisers are encouraged to test D/Cipher by allocating 15-20% of their campaign budgets to it. So far, Dotdash Meredith hasn’t had to rerun any campaigns, indicating strong results and advertiser trust.

The solution also increases reach by expanding from Dotdash Meredith’s sites to premium open web inventory, helping advertisers capture audiences outside of cookie-restricted environments.

Benefits for Advertisers

• Higher click-through rates and engagement
• Reliable targeting without privacy concerns
• Brand-safe ad placements
• Expanded reach beyond owned media sites
• Support from Dotdash Meredith’s performance guarantees

Contextual advertising like D/Cipher is redefining digital marketing, offering a scalable, privacy-compliant alternative as the industry phases out cookies.

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Summary

With its innovative D/Cipher platform, Dotdash Meredith helps advertisers smoothly transition from cookies to context-driven ads.

This solution not only outperforms traditional methods but also sets new standards for effective, privacy-first marketing in a changing digital landscape.

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