Apple’s latest iOS update, iOS14, was launched, along with the iPhone 12, in 2020. Since its launch, iOS14 has been surrounded by controversy due to the strict data sharing and privacy policy introduced with the update. The new iOS wants to give its end users more control of their personal data, in order to demand increased transparency from businesses. Due to these stricter data-sharing options, this iOS has been referred to as ‘Google and Facebook’s worst nightmare’ as they could be losing out on data from the growing Apple user base.
The current market share of Apple’s iOS in the UK, as of December 2020, stands at 50.85% through innumerable product offerings including iPhones, iPads, laptops, TVs and other digital products. Let’s take a look at how this new privacy update will affect marketers in the UK.
What is IDFA?
The Identifier for Advertisers or IDFA is a persistent ID used across Apple devices that, when shared with app developers and advertisers, helps them with targeting and personalising ads. It also helps them measure campaign performance and helps create a rich identity graph for ad targeting.
What’s Changed in the New iOS14?
The biggest change in the latest iOS is the IDFA (Identifier for Advertising) setting which will require users to give explicit permission to advertisers. Since its launch in 2012, the IDFA has given brands access to all their data from the moment a user downloads their app. With the latest update, brands will no longer have automatic access to this data. Users will be able to decide who they want to share their IDFA with when they download an app on their phone. Moreover, in order to increase transparency, the system also gives the user a clear explanation of what IDFA is and how it is used.
Another major change in iOS14 is the location-sharing option that now lets users decide whether they want to share their precise location or a broad radius around them.
How do these Changes Affect Marketers?
Marketers have relied heavily on these two features to understand their audience better and create strategies to reach them with maximum impact. Going forward, marketers will have to be more transparent in their approach and convince users to opt-in for the data-sharing features. They will also be required to answer customer questions and explain to them what their data will be used for and what will be the benefits of sharing data with them.
How can Marketers Prepare for these Changes?
To ensure that their customer engagement rate doesn’t drastically drop, marketers need to start preparing for these changes beforehand. First, they need to check out the requirements and ensure that they support the new IDFA prompt so that users can opt in to share their data. Without this, they may end up losing out on all data, making it difficult to create effective campaigns. We also recommend that they go over their data collection and usage strategies so that they can be compliant with the new privacy requirements. Once this is done, they should ensure that their prompt is transparent and lets the user know precisely what their data is going to be used for and how sharing could benefit them. Next, marketers need to check if their brand made use of IDFA for general identification purposes. If yes, they would need to figure out an alternative primary identifier system.
Once these main changes have been implemented, marketers need to ensure that there is consistent delivery of highly personalised and engaging communication at the right time so that the customer can see how their information is being used to improve their experience.
Notably, users will be, by default, opted into apple advertising and personalisation on Apple’s Native Apps(Apple News, Music, App Store). Which signals that Apple might be getting ready to prioritise its own ad network and get a lion’s share of the ad revenue. Apple has previously seen opportunities in apps such as Spotify and Flipboard, which have subsequently led to Apple Music and Apple News. So it might be time to get set up as an advertiser on Apple.
