iOS 14 will require opt in for ad targeting on an app-by-app basis.

Apple, it seems, is on a mission for permission.  At last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, they announced significant privacy updates to their new iOS14, to be released in September. 

One change that could potentially affect our brands is, in order to track users for advertising, apps such as Facebook and Google must ask explicitly for their permission to opt-in, which may make life difficult for these data-hungry platforms who, as we know, make the bulk of their profits from the targeted advertising that we use them for daily.

Users will receive a notification saying “x would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. Your data will be used to deliver personalised ads to you. “ 

I’m currently Beta-Testing iOS14 and to be honest, this notification isn’t as daunting as it seems. It only pops up on first launch of an app and is as easily dismissed as the  “Yes, I’ve read every single word of the T&Cs” that we all tick. By now, most people are well aware that our data is used to deliver personalised (sometimes annoyingly accurate) advertising.  As targeted ads become increasingly invasive, it’s a logical and responsible move by Apple to allow the user to opt-out of tracking. 

What does this mean for our clients? Well, we may see a shift in the scale of the audiences we can target. Although we rarely use ‘in-app’ placements as a destination for our clients’ ads, the data that app users give back to Facebook & Google is interpreted as interests, which can be effectively targeted in our campaigns. As well, there may be increased limitations on location data for advertising.

Through continuing to create visually exciting posts and engaging with the people who have given their attention to that content, we’ve already got valuable audiences that don’t rely on being tracked through app-usage. 

As well, we’re all for building brand equity beyond the walled-gardens of Facebook and Google.

New Beach is a holistic digital agency, so along with social, we represent our clients' brands outside of the usual platforms on owned channels such as eDMs, website traffic, apps and activations.

Give us a holler if we can help you navigate these changes!