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Weborama and Utiq launch hybrid cookie and cookieless advertising solution

A new branding offer combines traditional and privacy-first targeting as half of European digital inventory becomes non-addressable.

Luis Rijo

• 4 min read
"Weborama logo on red background - French programmatic advertising platform partnering with Utiq
"Weborama logo on red background - French programmatic advertising platform partnering with Utiq

Weborama and Utiq announced on June 24, 2025, the launch of "Xtra Reach," a hybrid branding solution designed to maximize campaign reach across cookie-based and cookieless environments. The offering starts at 40,000 euros for video formats and 20,000 euros for IAB display formats, with a minimum campaign duration of three weeks.

The partnership addresses a critical challenge in European digital advertising. According to the companies, 50% of inventories are already no longer addressable through traditional cookie-based methods. This shift has accelerated across non-Chrome browsers, where third-party cookie restrictions have become standard.

Summary

Who: Weborama (Paris-based programmatic advertising company) and Utiq (Brussels-based telco-powered advertising technology company backed by major European telecommunications operators)

What: Launch of "Xtra Reach," a hybrid branding solution combining cookie-based and cookieless advertising capabilities with minimum investments of 40,000 euros for video and 20,000 euros for display formats

When: Announced June 24, 2025, with immediate availability for campaigns lasting at least three weeks

Where: Initially available in France, with potential expansion across Utiq's five operational European markets (Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and United Kingdom)

Why: Addresses the fragmentation of digital advertising inventory where 50% of impressions are no longer addressable through traditional cookie-based methods, requiring new approaches to maintain campaign reach and effectiveness

Technical implementation leverages telco infrastructure

Xtra Reach operates through Weborama's programmatic experts and relies on Utiq's telecommunications-powered identifier. The Brussels-based Utiq, founded in 2023 by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone, has built its technology on network signals rather than browser-based tracking.

The technical architecture processes what Utiq describes as "Authentic Audiences" through encrypted addressability signals. These signals enable targeting without relying on third-party cookies, device fingerprinting, or probabilistic identification methods.

Beatrice Lhopitallier, Utiq's Chief Revenue Officer for France, emphasized the solution's timing. "50% of inventories are already no longer addressable, cutting brands off from some of their potential customers and making the useful distribution of contacts essential," she stated.

Service components address fragmented inventory

The Xtra Reach offering includes four core components. Unified data targeting connects with consented users across all environments, whether cookie-enabled or not. Controlled global capping ensures efficient impression distribution across the hybrid ecosystem.

Both IAB display and video formats receive optimization for different campaign objectives. The companies commit to over 70% viewability rates, addressing industry concerns about ad effectiveness in cookieless environments.

Activated exclusively through Weborama's programmatic experts, the solution provides end-of-campaign insights analysis. This approach combines managed service expertise with automated technology deployment.

Market context shapes hybrid approach

The deprecation of third-party cookies has proceeded unevenly across the industry. While Google reversed its planned Chrome cookie deprecation in April 2025, other browsers have maintained restrictions for years.

This fragmentation creates operational complexity for advertisers. Industry testing has shown that publisher revenue could decline by up to 78% in pure cookieless environments, according to Criteo's market testing from July 2024.

The hybrid approach attempts to bridge this divide. Rather than forcing advertisers to choose between cookie-based and cookieless strategies, Xtra Reach operates across both environments simultaneously.

Privacy-first technology gains traction

Utiq has expanded rapidly across European markets, operating in Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and the United Kingdom. The company partners with 28 telecommunications operators across these markets.

In January 2025, Utiq announced partnerships with 11 supply-side platforms, including Adform, Equativ, Index Exchange, Magnite, and PubMatic. Will Harmer, Utiq's Chief Product Officer, described the integrations as recognition that "Utiq has already become a ubiquitous solution across the digital advertising ecosystem."

The technology explicitly excludes several common industry practices. According to technical documentation, the system does not perform data onboarding, operate a data marketplace, employ probabilistic techniques, maintain identity graphs, or access personally identifiable information.

French market serves as testing ground

France represents a significant market for both companies. Weborama, headquartered in Paris, has operated in the French digital advertising ecosystem for over two decades. The country also serves as one of Utiq's five operational markets in Europe.

Previous Utiq campaigns in partnership with Adobe and GroupM demonstrated performance improvements. Testing revealed over 90% of impressions in non-Chrome browsers were delivered using Utiq's identifier, resulting in a 290% uplift in deterministic reach.

The French advertising market has shown particular interest in cookieless solutions. IAB Europe's testing has indicated that markets where cookieless impressions surpass those with cookies include France, alongside the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and Australia.

Implementation requires managed service approach

Unlike self-service programmatic platforms, Xtra Reach operates exclusively through Weborama's expert teams. This managed service model reflects the technical complexity of orchestrating campaigns across hybrid environments.

Campaign setup involves multiple technical components. Publishers and advertisers must integrate through either a Utiq consent interface or the consenthub portal. The service generates two types of signals, "martechpass" and "adtechpass," enabling personalized marketing while adhering to privacy requirements.

The minimum investment thresholds and campaign duration requirements suggest positioning toward brand advertisers rather than performance-focused campaigns. Video format pricing at 40,000 euros minimum indicates premium inventory focus.

Industry implications extend beyond France

The launch reflects broader industry trends toward hybrid solutions. Yahoo launched identity testing capabilities in January 2024, allowing advertisers to compare cookie-based control lines against alternative identification methods.

OpenX introduced its Cookieless Deal Library in February 2024, offering over 1,000 pre-built deal IDs encompassing various cookieless tactics. These initiatives demonstrate industry-wide recognition that purely cookie-based strategies no longer suffice.

The partnership between Weborama and Utiq suggests that hybrid approaches may become standard rather than transitional. As Lhopitallier noted, the solution addresses the reality that half of digital inventory already operates without traditional addressability.

Timeline