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As mobile continues to be the primary way in which people use the internet, mobile browser and in-app marketing have become the most critical and effective marketing channels.
Each mobile device has a sequence of random, user-specific symbols known as an Advertising ID. Typical advertising IDs are Google Ad ID (GAID) for Android devices and the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) for Apple devices. Device IDs are the easiest ways to differentiate mobile users allowing marketers to track and evaluate consumer behavior.
MAIDs are typically anonymized, and users have the choice to opt out of remarketing by resetting their IDs. However, amidst growing data privacy concerns Apple introduced changes to its IDFA platform that create a whole new challenge for marketers. Where previously users had to update their device settings to opt-out of advertising, the new App Tracking Transparency framework defines mobile Ad ID opt-in which has the potential to disrupt the mobile marketing ecosystem.
Impact of the IDFA Changes on Your Marketing Capabilities
The question now is: what do opt-in rates mean for mobile app advertising?
1. Poor Targeting Accuracy
Through IDFA's tracking potential, marketers could deliver relevant, personalized ads by evaluating user behavioral data. Besides, one of the best IDFA features was frequency capping that limited the number of times an ad could be shown to a specific individual.
Now that these features are no longer available, it's more difficult to create personalized ads, which increases the chances of showing an ad to the wrong demographic and wasting ad budgets by repeatedly messaging the same individual.
2. Limited A/B Testing Capabilities
The loss of deterministic attribution coupled with limited tracking capabilities will make A/B creative testing incredibly challenging.
Put simply, A/B testing involves comparing two versions of a marketing asset and measuring the difference in performance. It allows you to determine the most effective messaging on a particular messaging platform.
A/B testing allows you to optimize your resources for maximum output with low-risk modifications to the content. Without the IDFA, it will be increasingly difficult to track and measure the performance of individual media.
3. Reduced Measurement and Attribution
With the loss of mobile ad ID tracking, it's now next to impossible to measure and analyze the impact of your mobile advertising. Marketers rely on their ability to measure ad performance and link campaigns to specific users to understand and optimize campaign performance.
Advertisers will likely lose insight into events such as downloads, registration, in-app clicks, and purchases, making it difficult to know what strategies worked or if they worked in the first place.
Mobile Advertising in a Post-IDFA World
Going forward, advertisers must leverage the power of emotional connection when designing in-app ads. Since you don't know if a user will resonate with your ad based on past behavior, you must now seek to persuade them.
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