Most people click, tap, select and then forget about updating their Apple device. We don’t even think twice about it until we see the new emojis on the keyboard. For marketers, Apple’s recent change has lasting implications for how we work and operate.
What is the iOS14 Update?
Before we get into the technical details, let’s talk about some of the more exciting updates for iOS 14.5.
The camera app has an updated night mode. It will now allow you to take selfies in mirror format. It would help if you took an inverted selfie to see what the world thinks of you.
An apple watch update is truly life-changing. Masks have become the norm. Face ID works when you wear a mask. Your iPhone will search for your Apple Watch and unlock it if it detects your bottom half. Your iPhone will unlock if your watch is near or on your body.
Apple’s most recent Update includes a new feature that allows users to control data collected from third-party sites. This was previously available to all users to locate and manage. However, they had to search for these settings manually. The user will now be asked permission to collect data from each app. The app cannot track users’ actions via their pixels if denied.
What will this mean for Facebook Ads Agencies?
Facebook will lose valuable insights and information from non-Facebook websites, where pixels were installed previously if more users choose to limit access.
Facebook’s pixels on different websites enabled it to determine which user (or what category of the user) was most interested in skincare or business insurance. This allowed us marketers and Facebook ads agencies to target the right audience and place our digital ads before the right people.
Facebook is making adjustments to event tracking and pixel implementation to reduce the loss of data. This is called “Aggregated Events Management”. This data loss will result in audience targeting being less precise due to fewer signals. We cannot categorise users as precisely as we did before.
Facebook must make changes to its pixel system in order to compensate for the data loss. In some cases, it may also build statistical models in its backend in order fill in gaps in user behaviour. This is why pixel events will be limited.
What should marketers be doing?
Facebook ads marketers and agencies can take several steps to minimize the potential damage and ramifications from the Update.
- Verify your domain within Facebook Ads as soon as you can. This is particularly important for businesses that use multiple pixels or personal ads accounts. Domain verification will prevent any disruptions in the ability of conversion events, either immediate or future.
- You must ensure that the correct pixel implementation is done on your website depending on the domain structure.
- Each pixel could be for.co.uk or.fr
- .com/uk must share a single pixel with.com/fr
- Analyse your current event tracking system and rank events according to importance, starting at one. Consolidate events if necessary.
- First-party data collection is more important. If you haven’t already, get data directly from your customers and audience. This data can be obtained via your company’s website or app, email lists and surveys, as well as other first-party avenues. You will be less dependent on Google, Facebook and other platforms for your data the more you can trust it. Privacy concerns are minimal if you follow the CCPA guidelines and GDPR guidelines.
- You should ensure that any additional tracking or attribution (e.g. Make sure that any additional tracking and attribution (e.g. Google Analytics or Campaign Manager), is accurate and up-to-date.
- Look for opportunities on other social media platforms.
This change may not be noticed by marketers for many users, but it will forever change the way that we collect rich data. Google plans to take third-party cookies out of Chrome in the next year. This isn’t the first time we will hear less data being shared through advertising platforms.