Back in December, Apple announced that its iOS 14 update would come with a new policy in the form of App Tracking Transparency (ATT).
We have broken down all of the key elements you might need to know, including:
- What does the update mean for advertisers?
- Why is this an issue?
- What is Facebook doing to combat the issue?
- What does this mean for future Facebook advertising?
Meaning of the update for advertisers
Apple now requires all apps to show a prompt to users, asking permission to let the app track them when using other platforms, allowing them to serve personalised adverts. This affects the way Facebook is able to receive and process conversion events from tools like the Facebook pixel. Data will not be collected from users choosing to opt out.
Why is this an issue?
Facebook will be prohibited from collecting data from users that opt out. Therefore affecting the ability to serve them personalised adverts. It will only affect users using the Facebook app and not users visiting the platform via the web. However, the vast majority of users do come from the mobile app making it a cause for concern for advertisers.
What is Facebook doing to combat the issue?
Since the news broke, Facebook has criticised the move by Apple. Stating their concern for advertisers, particularly small businesses. Facebook has since spoken out about the steps they are putting in place to minimise any impact.
As well as having the Apple prompt, Facebook will be adding their own message that provides more information and context. This will explain to users that by accepting, the adverts they see won’t change. Also that if they decline they will still see adverts, but these will be less relevant to them. The message makes it clear that no new data will be collected by accepting, it just allows Facebook to continue collecting data as normal.
Future Facebook advertising
Firstly, it is important to remember that this concerns users on iOS only. So it doesn’t mean that the Facebook pixel becomes redundant, just that some users may opt out of being tracked. This could obviously reduce potential audience sizes and limit the amount of personalised advertising that we can undertake.
We hope that by Facebook providing users with more information and reassurance about accepting their data being collected, that users will opt for being served more personalised and meaningful adverts rather than irrelevant adverts that serve no purpose to them.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about how Forward & Thinking can help you to achieve your goals using Facebook Ads, don’t hesitate to drop us a line at team@forwardandthinking.com.
