Industry Deep Dive: First-Party Data Strategies for Travel, Hospitality, and Sports Brands

As the digital landscape undergoes a seismic shift with the deprecation of third-party cookies, travel, hospitality, and sports organizations face a pivotal moment. These industries, defined by fragmented customer journeys and high expectations for personalization, must now reimagine how they engage audiences, drive loyalty, and maintain marketing effectiveness. The answer lies in robust first- and zero-party data strategies—approaches that not only future-proof marketing but also unlock new opportunities for growth and customer connection.

The Cookieless Challenge: Unique Industry Dynamics

For years, third-party cookies enabled travel, hospitality, and sports brands to track customer behavior, retarget audiences, and personalize experiences across the web. The loss of this data source presents distinct challenges:

With third-party cookies disappearing, these brands must pivot to strategies that prioritize direct, trust-based relationships with their audiences.

The Power of First- and Zero-Party Data

First-party data is information collected directly from customers through owned channels—websites, apps, loyalty programs, and in-person interactions. Zero-party data goes a step further: it is data that customers intentionally and proactively share, such as preferences, interests, and feedback, often through dynamic preference centers or interactive experiences.

These data types are inherently more accurate, privacy-compliant, and actionable. They enable organizations to:

Industry-Specific Tactics for Success

1. Dynamic Preference Centers

Traditional preference centers are often static and underutilized. By making them dynamic—contextual, visually engaging, and integrated across digital touchpoints—brands can:

2. Loyalty Program Integration

Loyalty programs are a goldmine for first-party data. By incentivizing sign-ups and ongoing engagement, organizations can gather rich behavioral, transactional, and preference data. Best practices include:

3. Real-Time Offer Delivery

The ability to activate data in real time is especially critical in these industries, where context and timing drive value. Examples include:

4. Unified Data Platforms and Identity Resolution

Fragmented data is a major barrier to effective personalization. Implementing a modern CDP enables organizations to:

5. Agile Experimentation and Continuous Optimization

The transition to a cookieless world is ongoing. Leading brands adopt an agile, test-and-learn approach:

Building Trust Through Value Exchange

Trust is the new currency. Customers are increasingly willing to share their data—if they see clear value in return. For travel, hospitality, and sports brands, this means:

Real-World Impact: Growth Through Personalization

Organizations that embrace first- and zero-party data strategies are already seeing tangible benefits. By centralizing customer data and leveraging advanced analytics, brands can:

For example, a major cruise brand consolidated customer data across multiple sub-brands, enabling cross-brand marketing and richer personalization. This led to a significant increase in digital customer base and retention, positioning the brand for success in a cookieless world.

The Path Forward: Future-Proofing Your Brand

The end of third-party cookies is not the end of personalization—it’s the beginning of a new era where trust, transparency, and customer-centricity are paramount. By investing in first- and zero-party data strategies, travel, hospitality, and sports organizations can:

Publicis Sapient stands ready to guide organizations through this transformation, combining deep industry expertise with cutting-edge technology to unlock the full potential of first-party data. Now is the time to act—future-proof your brand and lead in the next era of digital engagement.