Facebook is running a campaign against Apple’s proposed App Tracking Transparency changes, saying it will hurt its ad business. Social media says the changes will especially hurt its personalized advertisements and the way it targets ads.
Despite the upcoming update to iOS 14 having a far-reaching impact across the ads industry, Facebook seems isolated and going it all alone against Apple. Other major players in the industry like Google, Twitter, and Snap have said nothing or have supported the changes.
Facebook has come out fiercely to warn investors of the dangers of Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 changes. On the contrary, Facebook’s rivals in the ads industry, Facebook and Snap, have supported the changes saying they will improve user privacy and even improve their business. It’s a case that isolates Facebook. Google has said almost nothing about the upcoming changes but has instead introduced its privacy changes to its Chrome browser. The tech giant also announced that it will stop tracking individual users.
The upcoming changes are hurtful to Facebook’s business. With the new changes, IDFA users will choose whether to be tracked or not. If users opt-out, apps will not be able to track, which will hurt the way ads are targeted.
The IDFA is a unique identifier on iPhone and iPad devices that assigns every user a unique identity. This unique ID is that social media and other search companies rely on to track users’ online activities. For advertising companies like Facebook and Google, this feature allows them to target their ads to the right audience. For advertisers, this feature allows them to measure their ad campaigns’ effectiveness and measure Return on Investment.
The Post-IDFA Alliance
But even as Facebook seems isolated as it takes on Apple, a few other players have teamed up against these changes. Post-IDFA Alliance is a group of advertising companies, including Vungle, InMobi, Singular, Chartboost, Fyber, and Liftoff, to help marketers and app developers adjust to the upcoming changes.
The group will help advertisers navigate the new landscape and get effective ads before the right customers and measure the effectiveness of the campaigns.