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• Apple Delays IDFA Changes and Google’s Response to the Planned Updates

  September 07, 2020
  Apple’s iOS 14 IDFA Updates Delayed In a win for developers, this week’s hot mobile marketing news is Apple’s announcement regarding the delay of its iOS 14 privacy measures that were set to be implemented this month. The changes sent waves of panic across the industry as they would essentially kill the IDFA, which would have dramatic consequences on the $80 billion industry that relied on it.  Now, in an effort to give mobile app publishers and advertisers time to make the appropriate preparations, the updates have been pushed back to early 2021. Although the same challenges are still to come, the extension of preparation time allows for more effective solutions to be put in place to help save user attribution.  The transition is from an ‘opt-out’ policy regarding IDFA, in which only around 30% of users dig deep enough to actually opt-out, to an ‘opt-in’ policy whereby developers will actively have to request permission to track a user immediately after app installation. The likelihood that nearly every user will now deny permission prevents the opportunity to track the effectiveness of advertising as we currently know it, by threatening the many forms of attribution marketing, such as retargeting. The positive outcomes of the announced delay are not only for advertisers and MMPs like Adjust, Branch or Kochava (whose entire business value relies on user tracking). Many hope that Apple will now invest more time into improving its IDFA alternative, SKAdNetwork, which is currently more simple than would be ideal.  Google’s Response to the iOS 14 IDFA Updates Now to Segway into Google’s response to the iOS 14 privacy measures. Despite the newly announced delays, it’s still interesting to note the contrasting tone Google has taken in comparison to Facebook (read more about that here). The IDFA changes may be delayed but they're still coming in a matter of months! Google remains relatively positive, confirming that it expects to ‘continue meeting advertiser needs for App campaigns on iOS.’ It has taken the approach that encouraging users to grant consent is the best response, as well as preparation in various other forms such as the consolidation of app campaigns. They recommend customizing the dialogue in the consent pop-up to make it as persuasive and informative as possible. More technically, Google recommends its Firebase SDK for benefits including the automatic implementation of Apple’s SKAdNetwork framework.  See you again next week for some more updates!
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• Helpful Ways of Preparing for the IDFA Changes

  September 07, 2020
  At long last, the release of iOS 14 has arrived, and with it what was expected to be a major shakeup for app developers and advertisers.  In case you’ve been off the mobile marketing grid for the past three months the de facto elimination of the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is what we’re talking about.  While iOS 14 is loaded with lots of great new features for users and interesting ASO opportunities for analysts, for those looking to advertise their app the IDFA “phase-out” has been a major source of uncertainty and concern.  Even before the changes to the IDFA were announced the release of iOS 14 was already a big deal.  However, with more strict privacy rules and regulations as part of the package, the new operating system was set to send shockwaves throughout the industry regarding changes in the way app marketers choose to spend their ad budgets.   Fortunately though in a much welcome stroke of good luck Apple has decided to delay the changes to the IDFA until next year.  While this is great news for app marketers who have been scrambling to figure out what to do in the absence of the highly popular unique identifier, the change is inevitably coming and there’s no way around it.  So, in the interest of setting yourself up for the best chance of success, we’ve put together some suggestions to help you take advantage of your new-found gift of time. IDFA Privacy Enhancements First things first, let’s define exactly what the IDFA is and why it’s perceived numbered days are garnering so much attention.  In short, the IDFA tracks user data across apps and websites, and not just ones not necessarily owned by the company doing the tracking, in order to provide targeted advertising.  Its technology is similar to a cookie, but even more powerful because it allows for full mobile attribution tracking of individual users from install to usage.   Previously an active IDFA on an app installed by an iOS user was the default, buried deep away in the app’s Settings and hard to find (provided you even knew about it to look for in the first place).  However, as part of the iOS 14 shakeup, the new policy will require users to consent permission to be tracked. Source: Apple The New Order of Business The way in which this process will play out will be as an opt-in delivered in the form of a pop-up notification with messaging to the effect of “[App Name] would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies.”  Not surprisingly, expectations are slim at best of a high conversion rate for gaining users’ permission.  In fact, the general sentiment around the industry is that even just a 10% opt-in rate would be borderline wildly optimistic.  Clearly this development is going to have far and wide-ranging implications on the entire $80 billion industry, so needless to say this is hardly small potatoes and one that not even the most cleverly worded opt-in message alone will miraculously solve the problem. So How To Prepare Your Business For the New IDFA Rules Now, while automatic access to the IDFA may be going away, the good news is it doesn’t have to be the end of the world.  Yes the IDFA gets the lion share of the attention, but it’s important to keep in mind that it isn’t the only game in town.  Apple announced its own attribution framework called SKAdNetwork providing an, albeit limited, alternative: Source: Apple Most of the MMPs already have bundled the SKAdNetwork into the SDK that enables advertisers to control the data flow from the MMP’s UI without needing to implement another SDK.  Moreover, the MMPs are also offering data enrichment that should provide some level of attribution.  To what extent we’ll probably never know before the IDFA deprecation part of iOS 14 is fully rolled out. Besides that, publishers with many apps could leverage IDFV and there are already talks in the industry regarding the next big identifier (email / credit card are 2 big and obvious ones which Apple is already taking on with their sign-in with Apple/ Apple Pay products). Even beyond these efforts though you can also prepare on your own end if you’re willing to put in the work and get creative.  The following are a few different solutions and workarounds you may want to consider depending on your team size, budget, and more. What Is Your Data Modeling Structure? If you have a Business Intelligence team and the resources to support it, this could be the option for you.  First things first is to assess how you are currently measuring user data.  Is your business relying solely on IDFA?  If so, that’s going to be a problem.  Are your data gatherers working off of raw data or aggregated reports?  If the answer is raw data then switching to aggregated reports that rely on multiple identifiers could provide a good hedge and something you want to do. AppsFlyer’s Aggregated Attribution Solution Be aware though that while this may sound simple, changing the way you model your data is quite an involved process.  Yes it can definitely be effective, but we’re talking about a pretty big fundamental shift in your BI’s modus operandi, and the time, manpower, and financial costs to implement such a change can add up in a hurry. How Are You Pulling Your Data? If you don’t have the resources to change your BI operations (or don’t have a dedicated BI team at all) then looking into your MMP and its capabilities must be high on your priority list.  It’s important to remember that not all MMPs are created equal. Some were devised mobile-first while others trace their origins back to web attribution.  Do you know the backstory behind the one you’re using?   If your MMP is on top of its game then they are probably hard at work with solutions already in beta.  Without naming names there are definitely two MMPs we know of, albeit in the more expensive price tier, that have already made great strides in this area since the IDFA news broke back in June.  Unfortunately, others of the slightly lesser expensive variety who typically don’t trace their roots back to mobile attribution are somewhat behind the curve with getting solutions into beta.  While they may be excellent products in their own rights, you truly do “get what you pay for” and with a development as disruptive as the required IDFA opt-in, the end may justify the means when it comes to spending a little bit more.  However, and this is important, don’t jump without looking first - as we mentioned above every MMP is its own creature, so don’t assume you can or can’t get what you need from yours based solely on its size or price tag. Rethinking User Acquisition If you’re a small agency or publisher without a high level of technical experience the first two suggestions probably aren’t the right fit for you.  However, even if you don’t have a BI team or aren’t using an MMP there are still some tactics available to you if you’re willing to put in the work. Think Outside the Box First things first you will need to get users to opt-in to allow you access to their IDFA.  As we mentioned above and with an expected conversion rate of 10-20% tops, the outlook is rather bleak.  While that intrusive consent pop-up that users are going to be presented with is the same for everyone, the messaging inside that pop-up doesn’t have to be.   With developers free to get creative with words it still provides one last shot (albeit a long one at that) to stand out, show a little brand personality, and entice users to opt-in. Even if you’re successful with converting just a small percentage of users into IDFA consenters you’re ahead of the game and have now set yourself up to target them with their own unique campaigns featuring different messaging.  It isn’t exactly a retargeting campaign, but rather a separate step in your user acquisition. Obviously it’s going to be a far smaller audience that you’ll be targeting, but one that’s composed of quality over quantity, and even more important, one that’s trackable and attributable. Higher Learning In addition to giving your creative team a new assignment with your opt-in messaging, you’re also going to need to put your UA manager to work in getting more statistically oriented when it comes to analysis of upper-funnel analysis.  Up until now for performance marketers, the focus has been all about down funnel and mapping in-app events.  However, with the IDFA no longer a given, conducting deeper analysis on metrics like impressions, CTR, CVR, and clicks are more important than ever before. Key Takeaways IDFA may be going away, but not all is lost.  It certainly won’t be an easy change, but with the right planning it doesn’t have to be a catastrophe.If you have a data team and the resources to go with it, a restructuring of how you model your data, including switching to aggregated reporting rather from raw data could reap the dividends that justify the costs of doing it.Take a good hard look into everything your MMP has to offer.  Do they already have solutions already in beta?  If yours doesn’t, does it make sense to possibly spend more and switch to one that does?Treat your opt-in messages like ads.  Make them as enticing as possible.  It would be naive to expect them to move the needle a tremendous amount, but why leave any chips on the table?Change up your focus from down funnel to upper-funnel analysis to help identify trends more quickly.Stay alert. Yes, the changing trends in privacy present a huge challenge for everyone, and it’s not just iOS.  Even Google is eventually expected to make its GAID an opt-in identifier as well.  That said, keep in mind that Facebook relies on the IDFA for a significant percentage of its advertising technologies so they’re on it, as are many of the major MMPs.  It’s a fluid situation that is pretty much guaranteed to change so in addition to doing your legwork make sure to check back with us as we’ll no doubt be keeping our eyes on the situation and sharing updates and insights when we have them.
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• Responses to IDFA and SKAdNetwork, and Walmart Joins the TikTok Bidding War

  August 31, 2020
  iOS 14 Rocking The Boat: Facebook’s Response Warning Facebook released a blog post last week (26/08/20) sharing how it plans to address Apple’s iOS 14 updates, most specifically the changes to the IDFA guidelines (requesting user permission). In it, Facebook recognizes that the impact on its Audience Network (used by publishers’ to provide targeted ads) may be so detrimental that it threatens the future of Audience Network for iOS completely.  Essentially, the result of the IDFA updates will mean a weakened ability to deliver relevant ads to users, and therefore lower conversions and ROIs from these ads. In its testing, where it removed personalization from mobile app ad install campaigns, Facebook has seen more than a 50% decline in Audience Network publisher revenue. Facebook declares its commitment to the 19,000+ developers and publishers that use Audience Network and promise that it’s working on monetization products and relationships with platforms beside Apple’s iOS 14.  Facebook’s stance in this blog post mirrors that of mobile advertisers and app developers in response to the IDFA changes: concerned. Unsurprising, really, when the changes could cause billions of dollars of losses in the industry.  Walmart Joins Forces With Microsoft For Bid On TikTok Ahead of TikTok’s ban in the U.S. next month, the bidding war is in full force to see who will clinch the video-sharing app’s U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand factions from its current Chinese owners.  Walmart has teamed with Microsoft, who has been in the running for a while now, announced on 27th August. This collaboration could offer the retail giant an unparalleled opportunity to compete with online retailers such as Amazon in the e-commerce market and grow its advertising platform.  MMPs In Support Of Facebook’s SKAdNetwork To Maximize Performance Insights With the death of IDFA due to iOS 14’s September 2020 release, Apple’s SKAdNetwork might be the best option for user attribution for iOS going forward. Kochava announced its support of the network on 27th August to ‘maximize the valuable insights that can be gleaned from’ it. Kochava recognized that marketers will still need to rely on MMPs to reach the full value of and interpret their SKAd campaigns and insights. Kochava promises to allow IDFA based attribution to be used together with SKAdNetwork for extra performance insights and to integrate SKAd calls from the app into the Kochava SDK, among many other solutions. It’s committed to a holistic approach with Kochava specific features to help app advertisers along their journey.  In the same vein, Branch also announced its support of the SKAdNetwork on 20th August. It has promised to integrate it into the Branch dashboard so that advertisers can see their results clearly, and to continue its research into how best to navigate the changing environment. Branch predicts that more investment into ‘external predictive modeling attribution tools’ like theirs will be the way forward.  Apple’s SKAdNetwork also gets the opt-in from Adjust, who’s newest SDK supports iOS 14 frameworks such as the SKAdNetwork data and workflows. Adjust promises advertisers the ability to ‘update conversion values with SKAdNetwork directly from the Adjust dashboard’, as well as a personalized SKAdNetwork dashboard to allow advertisers to most effectively measure performance.  Check back in next week for your weekly dose of mobile marketing news!
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• Android Earthquake Alerts System, Latest TikTok News and More

  August 24, 2020
  Earthquake Detection and Early Alerts for Android Users Google has recognised a potentially life saving opportunity to allow Android devices to aid in earthquake detection, it announced on 11th August.  Initially, they began the experiment in California using ShakeAlert technology to send earthquake alerts to Android devices within the U.S. state.  ShakeAlert uses signals from hundreds of seismometers installed around California. However, this on-the-ground infrastructure is not financially possible for everywhere in the world. Which is where Android devices come in.  Google has developed the Android Earthquake Alerts System, where your Android smartphone can act as a mini seismometer. In tandem with millions of other Android devices, it can become part of the world’s largest earthquake detection network.  Without getting too technical, if your phone (*mini seismometer) detects something, it will send a signal to Google’s earthquake detection server with a location. The server is then able to connect the information from many phones to discover whether an earthquake may be on its way. Weeks Before its U.S. Ban, TikTok Launches U.S. Ad Campaign to Showcase its Cultural Impact The “It Starts on TikTok” campaign intends to run until October 12th, showcasing the depths of the social media app’s impact on culture. It takes the theme of one of TikTok’s most popular challenges, the ‘wipe it down challenge’, where people wipe a mirror to transition into a different outfit.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8grGNy56Ulo Video from TikTok The idea behind this is to rally public support ahead of the ban, and what better way to do this than highlighting the fun users’ have with the app with a focus on diversity? More on TikTok...Who Will Win the Bid to Buy Parts of TikTok? Speculations are still circulating widely over which corporate giant will be the one to secure parts of TikTok ahead of its November U.S. ban. Microsoft has been in the running for a while, and now it’s being reported that the business software company Oracle is competing too. QR Codes in TV Ads - Is this the Way Forward? Camden Town Brewery has made waves this week with their latest “drinkable” TV ad. Customers who use their smartphones to scan the QR code shown in the TV ads are in with the chance of winning multi-packs of beer. The ads ran during the UEFA Champions League Final over the weekend (21-23 August).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVlNfVCuG2E&has_verified=1 Video from Camden Town Brewery The commercial is a creative blend of mobile and traditional marketing, seamlessly combining the two for a fun user experience. It taps into the current COVID climate, where sports fans are stuck at home rather than stadiums by bringing the beer to them. It also follows a recent trend of increasing QR code popularity among brands such as Pepsi and Burger King.  The QR code minimizes the friction in the user journey, by allowing just one simple action to lead the way. The response rates will give Camden Town Brewery access to better data to help them optimize their future mobile marketing campaigns, too.  #FreeFortnite Cup in Honor of Fortnite's Removal from Apple As of 27th August, iOS users will no longer be able to update their Fortnite app as it will be removed from the App Store due to a breach of Apple’s policies. Users from other non-Apple devices will be able to continue with the game as new chapters are added.  Yesterday, on 23rd August, a #FreeFortnite Cup tournament was held in acknowledgement of the final days iOS users will have to play the latest versions of the app.
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