Apple has rolled out an iOS14 update that allows users to opt-out of sharing their data. For those of you sitting back, unsure as to how this could possibly compare with the breakthrough of, say, TV advertising, let me break it down for you.

Apple’s update has the ability to put a stop to certain parts of advertising personalisation (for Apple users, which is a high percentage in Australia!). Apps will now have to ask permission to track consumer’s IDFA (Identifiers for Advertisers), which are random device identifiers assigned to a user’s Apple device. While the IDFA doesn’t reveal or store any personal information, it does track previous searches and websites visited along with interests, location, demographic and much much more.

We have used this data in the past to optimise and measure ad performance along with performing behaviour-based segmentation. Without it, we can certainly expect a massive change in the digital marketing world. Our role as marketers is going to become even more crucial in navigating the continually changing environment.
So what’s actually going to change? And more importantly, what are we doing about it?

Basically, lots of data we have utilised previously is no longer going to be accessible to us. But, we can now focus on a different way to access audiences and interest groups; walled-garden audiences. By using the data stored within apps we can continue to target and track as we have in the past. For example, on Facebook, we can continue to see the data consumers have provided the app, such as pages they like, groups they join, and posts they comment on along with the gender and age of those who have provided it.

As a Facebook Partner, we have been in close communication with Facebook and they are making some pretty big changes in anticipation of the roll-out. Like all ad networks on iOS14, they are concerned about their continuing ability to accurately target and measure campaigns. They have limited events to eight per domain for those who have opted-in to data sharing with one available for those who opt-out. They are adjusting attribution windows for all users, changing the norm from 28-day click 1-day-view to 7-day click 1-day-view (please see FAQ).

After analyzing our agency data here at Sunny Digital, we have determined due to this change in attribution on Facebook, eCommerce clients are projected to see up to a 57% decrease in overall reported conversions. Lead generation clients are projected to see up to a 13% decrease. We determined this by taking the number of total conversions that are attributed to view and clicks, then using this figure to adjust the percentage change between 28-day and 7-day click conversion.
Along with these changes, real-time reporting will also no longer be supported with up to a 48-hour delay. This will give us a bit less guidance to what is and isn’t working especially in regards to event breakdowns and attribution. We also know we will see a decrease in targeting power and control regarding relevant ads, but again, we can continue to utilise walled-garden data to combat this.

It is also important to note that these changes are implemented around the globe for each and every business that advertises in the digital world. Facebook and other social media platforms are frantically developing solutions but it is important to note that just because your marketing report may look a little different, the end user isn’t going to use social media any less.

We will continue to stay in contact with both Facebook and Google regarding the change. We are also utilising a new proprietary reporting methodology to give our clients the most transparent view possible of their ad investment. We are ensuring we have only eight conversion events per domain and prioritising our most important ones as only one will be reported for opted-out users. We are concentrating on growing subscription databases or email lists as these will be unaffected by the roll-out.

Most importantly, we are staying super positive and excited for what changes the future will bring!

FAQs

What is one 1-day view to 28-day click vs 1-day view to 7-day click?
Facebook has historically reported conversions attributed to advertising that occurs within 28 days of clicking or 1 day of viewing (and not clicking) your ad. Due to the privacy update, they have enforced a 7-day attribution, or 7 days between when a person viewed or clicked your Facebook ad and took an action, will be the only reliable attribution window.

What about Google advertising?
While it will be mainly the social media apps that are affected by Apple’s roll-out, Google has already experienced pretty big changes in regards to their browsers. Apple’s browser Safari has declared they will never access or utilise user data which is a big selling point for some. Subsequently Firefox and Microsoft Edge jumped on board leaving Google Chrome the only browser utilising user’s data via cookies (until 2022) and convincing many to switch browsers. Whilst these browsers can still utilise Google and push Google ads, the cookie-less future on products such as display and video means tighter targeting options.

What does using only eight conversions mean for your business?
Using only eight conversions per domain pretty much means focusing on one conversion per campaign. Here at Sunny, we focus on lead generation so only ever have one anyway. This won’t change much for us.

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