The Plan: iOS 14 Update Platform Recommendations

We surveyed many of our partners and asked their recommendations for advertisers who will be impacted by the change.

Note: Recommendations are subject to change.

Facebook

Facebook partners provide the following changes related to SKAd network along with recommendation:

Ads reporting will see a number of changes for iOS 14 app install campaigns. It will depend on Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN) API data:

No more demographic breakdowns
SKAN API will not support attribution window breakdowns (1D, 7D, 28D)
SKAN API will not support real-time reporting
Back data will be reported with a randomized delay of up to three days
iOS devices A/B testing mobile app installs and post-install events will be only available at campaign-level.
No impact to reporting for Android and iOS 13 campaigns
SKAN API will report back data aggregated at the campaign level
Ad level reporting will be based on aggregated data received from the SKAN API
No cross-account reporting between iOS14 & non-iOS14 accounts.

iOS 14 devices won’t be able to measure app Installs and app events for Facebook Attribution, self-serve Conversion Lift, and managed Conversion Lift.
Facebook will share SKAdNetwork data with only those MMPs (mobile measurement partners) that have MMP Business Manager Permissions using Ad Insights API for all iOS14 mobile app install (MAI) campaigns.
Advertisers using FB SDK will get support from AEO and MAI.

Note: Facebook is exploring how they can support advertisers who use only the MMP SDK for other non-app-install iOS14 objectives. These objectives comprise Traffic, Conversion and Product Catalog Sales. Plus, app event optimization, and value optimization. Pre-iOS14 & Android reporting will remain the same.

In September, the following limitations will be faced by users as imposed by Apple’s SKAdNetwork API:

No limit on ads number
One ad set per campaign
One iOS 14 ad account per app
Nine created/published campaigns at any given time
No support for Marketing API to create and edit campaigns targeting iOS 14

Recommendation: Review all the ad accounts running app install campaigns for your app. Consolidate budget as you will have to operate with only 1 ad account for iOS 14 app install ads. If you want to craft separate ad sets or campaigns per geo—start grouping by product category, geos, ARPU (average revenue per user), & language. This will help you to operate with limited campaign numbers.

Recommended Steps for Partners to Prepare for iOS 14:

Update to the latest version of the Audience Network SDK
Leverage non-IDFA match approaches such as adopting Facebook Login

Google

Google partners explained the SKAd Network effect on conversion tracking. Here is the checklist recommendation:

Post iOS14, all SDK or apps that want to access the IDFA will need to take the user’s explicit approval.
For apps, partners recommend Google Analytics for Firebase SDK as an Audience solution and 1P Measurement for apps.
For regulations such as GDPR & CCPA, partners recommend customers to disable personalized advertising solutions for apps.

This will raise Google’s vision to raise privacy for users while ensuring a healthy, ads-supported ecosystem.

Impact for DV360 = Impact on App Install Campaigns for Google Ads

App Campaigns for Installs depends upon the iOS IDFA for two actions:

Measure conversions;
Optimize campaign performance.

As you know, ACi will include two extra ways to optimize for iOS campaigns: SKAdNetwork & Conversion modeling. Here are the recommended changes to campaign best practices:

Consolidate Campaigns

Ensure that your total number of App campaigns are less than 100 campaigns per app. This will help you to make sure each campaign is compatible with SKAdNetwork and has significant conversion signals.

Conversion Volume, Bids or Bidding Strategy Changes

TBD – there can be new requirements and additional changes for campaign minimums.

Recommendation: tCPA campaigns for iOS. Alternative bidding strategy will work as it is likely that iOS 14 will support tROAS for modeled conversions during launch.

Changes to Product Features

iOS14 will disable many ACi campaign features, especially for non-consented users on iOS. Such as:

Negative Filtering
Audience Exclusions
Deferred Deep Linking

iOS14 Preparation Checklist:

Implement Consent Dialog: Boost users to grant consent
Update the GA4F SDK: Update with the July 28 release. It has support for SKAdNetwork
Implement SKAdNetwork: Ensure to have SKAdNetwork
Consolidate campaigns: Ensure to have less than 100 campaigns per app
Migrate off tROAS bidding: Say Yes to tCPA as a bidding strategy
Ensure your app is in sync for iOS14: Ensure your app is ready for iOS14 on the App Store

The Future: iOS14 Update, What Comes Next

Identity Resolution Challenges

Many platforms are promising about the next generation of identity resolution tools. Why? Lack of a foundational identifier will lead us down a probabilistic path despite how technically sophisticated we are on display. This is a minimum requirement for an industry aiming to focus on a precise user targeting at the right time.

There will be several minor networks fade. Why? Because they won’t be able to compete with the identity graph strength of fixed players. Looking at Amazon’s growing programmatic arm, it is quite evident that they will keep growing their market share. Possibly there will be some minor exchanges to better leverage their:

Spanning entertainment;
Deep identity graph;
Gaming, commerce, and smart speakers.

Web Browser & Cookies Tracking

The SKAd Network’s attribution solution is just like Apple’s “Private Click Measurement” proposal. Though not produced till yet, it is believed to be the ultimate state for ITP. It is likely to arrive within next 6 to 9 months. The solution will reach Google’s Chrome browser before 2021 end (just an assumption).

Incremental Testing

Not a new concept, but will gain prominence; especially for brands looking to learn media impact. However, if the media gets poorly targeted and becomes hard to control, it won’t be effective. (beyond the existing walled gardens of Facebook & Google)