Depending on whom you ask, the digital advertising industry is either counting down the minutes to doomsday or entering an exciting new era for engaging with consumers. Apple’s iOS 14.5 update — which effectively ends automatic opt-ins to online tracking and data collection — is finally at hand, and Google aims to phase out third-party cookies next year.
The future could see a wave of innovations that help consumers opt out of data collection. So it’s up to the advertising industry to find ways to get these educated, empowered consumers to opt back in.
Whether these changes set digital advertisers back 15 years or pave the way to more fruitful interactions with customers remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: This is big. Allowing users to decide what browsing data can be collected, by whom and under what circumstances is a move that will change the direction of the advertising industry.
But the new direction does not have to lead digital marketers to oblivion, failure or poverty. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
With a few changes to short-term strategy — and a longer-term plan that takes into account the fact that people are awakening to the value of their online data — advertisers can form a new type of relationship with consumers. It can be built upon trust and open exchange of value.
It’s up to advertisers to grasp, accept and reap the benefits of the upcoming changes. Because with iOS 14.5, cookie deprecation, and regulations like GDPR and CCPA, one era is ending and a new one is beginning. There’s a new seat at the table in the great bargaining session between advertisers and technology giants. It’s occupied — for the first time — by the user.
The short-term strategy
Advertisers can weather big changes in the short term by implementing several steps.
For starters, developers should update their application SDKs to support Apple’s new SKAdNetwork solution and then verify attribution across each channel. For example, after SDK updates, verify that the number of installs reported from your Facebook Ads matches up to the number of installs you’re seeing reported in the App Store developer console or your preferred analytics provider.
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This can become more complicated the more channels you’re on, but it is important to verify all of your advertising channels’ reporting. Also important is setting your conversion value, because this is the key to getting granular information on your ad campaigns and ensuring the right entity controls the flow of information.
