iOS 14: are there any changes to expect for your digital advertising campaigns?
You may have heard about Apple's iOS 14 update. But why is this update generating so much reaction?
First of all, we need to understand what is at stake behind this update. The main change is related to privacy. Faced with a growing concern from many consumers about the "private" aspect of their personal data, Apple wants with this update to give back more control to users on the data they share.
Essentially, Apple will require all applications downloaded from the App Store to ask users' permission to track their usage activity. It will also state exactly what information will be collected by the app.
These changes are part of Apple's "App Tracking Transparency" program and will primarily impact Facebook ad campaigns. This update is scheduled for spring 2021. Here are the actions to take regarding this update to avoid a disruption of your campaigns:
If you're running digital campaigns on Facebook or Google where the conversion events occur in an app, you'll need to set up and update Apple's SKAdNetwork API that measures app install ads. You'll still be able to use your existing ad accounts to advertise to iOS 14 users, but your campaigns won't be able to be the same, meaning iOS 14 users will have to have an ad campaign separate from others. There are several other restrictions as well.
If you're running digital campaigns where conversion events occur on your company website, you may need to perform domain verification on your site. Aggregate Event Measurement will now limit domains to tracking eight conversion events. Facebook will initially configure these conversion events based on those deemed most relevant to your business. Once Aggregate Event Measurement is in place, ad sets that optimize a conversion event that is no longer available will be suspended. Before these new restrictions are put in place, you may need to consider optimizing your campaign goals and prioritize strategies that focus on traffic acquisition.
These changes will happen gradually and advertisers will have plenty of time to react and prepare for the official arrival of this iOS 14 update. Your campaign manager will contact you if there are any changes to expect for your business and/or ad campaigns.
iOS 14 in brief
Apple's operating software update that will have changes to the collection and tracking of usage data
Few changes to expect for your Google Ads campaigns
The arrival of Facebook's aggregated event measurement will allow advertisers to track eight conversion events for a website. This may require validation of your domain name depending on the case.
