In the latest version of the iOS software that powers iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs, Apple introduced a new privacy feature that requires developers to give users the ability to be opted out of tracking in certain cases.
Early data shows that 96% of users in the U.S. are opting out of tracking. Here’s what that might mean for political advertisers and what you should do about it:
What’s Happening
In order to access the system advertising identifier (IDFA) for your phone, app developers must now ask for explicit permission and give users the option to ‘Ask App Not to Track.’ Here’s what that message looks like:
iPhone users can also turn off activity tracking from their settings by default for all apps. This tracking identifier is used for targeted advertising, advertising measurement, and by data brokers who sell information to advertisers.
Apple says that “you can still use the full capabilities of the app, regardless of whether you allow the app to track your activity.”
What This Means For Advertisers
Facebook has been the most vocal in opposing the new change by Apple. The social media company, whose revenue comes from advertising, argues this change will make it more costly for small and local businesses to promote their products and services.
On Facebook’s Business Help Center, the platform warns that advertisers can expect limitations to targeting, retargeting, and conversion tracking. Facebook isn’t the only advertising platform impacted by this change.
What Campaigns Should Do
As always, owned audiences like email subscribers, text messaging opt-ins, and website visitors are the best assets to invest in for your digital campaign. The more first-party data you can collect on supporters, the better positioned you will be to reach them for fundraising and GOTV.
Facebook offers some specific, advanced steps for preparing your advertising account for the change, which you can read about here.
Political advertisers who previously relied on hyper-targeted, geo-located ads will have to revise their strategies as tech companies respond to growing concerns over privacy. Rather than micro-targeted direct mail style ads, digital ads will shift to more broadcast-style messages, albeit with far better performance measurement.
For more in-depth resources, visit this guide on AdLucent.com
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