Apple’s decision to emphasize user privacy over targeted advertising has the advertising and mobile game industries worried. So much so that the adtech companies have formed a new alliance to help address the concerns of mobile marketers and app publishers.
Apple is changing its policy with an upcoming version of its iOS 14 mobile operating system to require users to opt-in if they want to share their data, in the former of the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), with advertisers. And so the marketers and app publishers have formed the Post-IDFA Alliance.
The alliance includes mobile marketing firms Liftoff, Fyber, Chartboost, InMobi, Vungle, and Singular. It represents a broad spectrum of companies instrumental to the mobile advertising industry, though as yet it doesn’t have full representation of every mobile marketing company, nor does it have app and game publishers yet.
“Apple’s upcoming policy change regarding user tracking is a significant change for the industry,” said Liftoff CEO Mark Ellis in an email to GamesBeat. “With the Post-IDFA Alliance, we’re bringing in expertise from supply-side, demand-side, and measurement to arm marketers with the tools they need to navigate this shift seamlessly. We aim to ensure a smooth and successful transition, with the assurance that marketing can and will continue to be just as effective on iOS in this more privacy-centric manner.”
He said the group isn’t communicating with Apple and that isn’t its goal right now. Rather, the aim is to join forces with other key marketing technology leaders to help the industry adapt to the coming changes and adjustments that will have to occur in a post-IDFA world, while continuing to drive marketing success on iOS.
Asked if he was concerned about a revenue decline for both adtech and games, he said, “I’m not concerned about a revenue drop — our perspective is that if the industry has the right tools and resources, we’re going to see that marketing can be just as effective on iOS post-IDFA as it is today. That’s why we’ve come together with the Post-IDFA Alliance: to support that transition and help maintain that success.”
Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 update will give users the choice to block the IDFA at the app level, while requiring the industry to adopt the App Tracking Transparency framework (ATT), which requires the industry to be transparent about disclosing tracking to users. Apple is offering its SKAdNetwork, which has more primitive tracking measures involving limited tracking in a 24-hour, non-real-time window, as a substitute.
In response to the update, the alliance — representing demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, and mobile measurement partners — has launched “No IDFA? No Problem,” a resource for mobile marketers and app publishers to support a seamless transition to the post-IDFA privacy-oriented landscape.
The site features videos, articles, case studies, best practices, webinars, and tools to arm app publishers and marketers with actionable information to stay competitive in a more privacy-centric mobile advertising environment.
As marketers and app publishers adapt to the new reality, this group of mobile marketing companies is also developing new techniques and protocols to maximize the success of its clients, investing in research into alternatives.
Here are some statements from the members:
“Apple’s coming policy change is one of the biggest shifts in mobile marketing in recent years, and our community-minded effort gives marketers the tools they need to navigate that shift seamlessly,” said Dennis Mink, vice president of marketing at Liftoff, in a statement. “With expertise from supply-side, demand-side, and measurement, we aim to ensure a smooth and successful transition into this new era, with the assurance that marketing can and will continue to be just as effective on iOS in this more privacy-centric manner.”
Fyber, a monetization platform for mobile publishers: “Co-leading this alliance with our partners is crucial as close collaboration between supply, demand, and measurement is important to help mobile marketers and publishers navigate the uncertainty and challenges of the post-IDFA era,” said Alon Golan, VP Product at Fyber. “Solutions for privacy-aware advertising, like contextual targeting, make us look forward to a bright, privacy-friendly mobile advertising environment.”
Chartboost, an in-app monetization and programmatic advertising platform: “It’s important that key industry stakeholders come together to educate and support app publishers and marketers as we navigate Apple’s privacy changes, which affect both buy-side and monetization initiatives”, says Maggie Mesa, SVP Global Supply & Partnerships at Chartboost. “We are excited to be part of the Post-IDFA Alliance to provide knowledge and resources to help app developers succeed.”
Singular, a data-driven mobile marketing attribution platform: “Properly preparing for post-IDFA user acquisition, and doing so quickly, will lead to a significant competitive advantage for marketers. But it’s clear from the current state of industry preparations that many are still scrambling to get their teams and tech ready for the massive shift,” explained Gadi Eliashiv, CEO and Cofounder at Singular. “That’s why we’re excited to join the Post-IDFA Alliance and work alongside industry-leading partners to provide educational resources that’ll help marketers adapt and ultimately continue to drive growth for their business.”
InMobi, a global mobile advertising and marketing platform: “InMobi has always put consumer privacy first and we fully support the spirit of the IDFA changes. That said, we know this is a large shift for the industry and the Post-IDFA Alliance will play a key part in the education required to make this transition seamless. This will ensure that advertisers continue to benefit from mobile in-app opportunities that have consistently provided high ROI,” said Kunal Nagpal, GM of Publisher Platforms and Exchange at InMobi. “We look forward to collaborating with Liftoff and the members of this alliance and will bring InMobi’s unique mobile expertise leveraging our exchange, DSP and consumer-facing properties to this initiative.”
Vungle, a mobile advertising and app monetization platform: “As marketers and app publishers prepare to face an IDFA-less future, Vungle is proud to join the Post-IDFA Alliance to develop solutions and drive education around adapting to the new iOS privacy protections,” said Martin Price, VP of Product, Vungle. “Together, we can help industry stakeholders transition seamlessly to a post-IDFA world, utilizing strategies like probabilistic attribution – which algorithmically transforms data inputs into actionable UA intelligence – and contextual targeting, which matches the contextual signals from the app to the ad creative that most effectively drives emotional connection.”
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