The Apple iOS 14 Advertising Impact

Here’s what we know so far about the ramifications of the iOS 14 advertising impact.

In 2020, Apple announced that enhancing user privacy would be a top priority with their fall update (iOS 14). They have not been completely transparent or given full details as to what this update entails, leaving the industries like marketing and higher education with many unanswered questions. Apple did release the iOS 14 update in September 2020; however, user privacy updates were delayed, allowing more time to plan for and adjust to the changes. As of today, Apple is still expected to release the user privacy updates in 2021, but the exact details and timeline are still unknown.

What you should know about the iOS 14 advertising impact

While much of the impact is still unknown, several digital platforms (including Facebook) will adjust how they target users and measure success. This means that how you, your team, and/or your partners use these platforms will likely change.

In return, RNL will also adapt to this impact, and we are planning to adjust our solutions to minimize disruption and lift for our campus partners as much as possible. We also have premier partnerships with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, which gives our teams prioritized communication and support as we continue to navigate these changes.

Aligning personalized advertising and user privacy

While we respect Apple’s decision to be a leader of change in the industry and prioritize user privacy, we do believe personalized advertising and user privacy can coexist.

For the past several years, we have been predicting a shift within user privacy, as well as preparing for limited pixel tracking within our digital marketing solutions. We are integrating with more campus CRMs for a more complete picture of engagement and ROI from our digital marketing efforts. Campus partners are also investing more in our search engine optimization (SEO) solutions to supplement paid lead generation efforts.

As digital platforms make updates to their products to adhere to Apple updates, RNL will do the same. Once the update is released, RNL will be able to quickly assess impact, adjust best practices as needed, and bring prompt updates to our campus partners.

Immediate steps you should take

At this point, we know that Facebook specifically is making adjustments to their platform that will require next step action for marketers. These steps include ensuring your domain is verified within Facebook Business Manager, adding your partners (such as RNL) as a verified domain partner, and prioritizing various events within your domain.

Unfortunately, full details of the Apple update remain unknown—which makes it difficult to fully gauge the iOS 14 advertising impact. Several digital advertising platforms (including Facebook) have expressed their frustration with Apple in hopes to increase transparency.

Frequently asked questions about the iOS 14 advertising impact

Why is Apple making this update?
Apple believes in user privacy, and with every iteration of products, they continue to prioritize this. Apple is making updates to the user experience which include describing how each app uses data and asking permission to track. Read more about Apple’s User Privacy and Data Use.

How will this update impact my digital advertising efforts?
The Apple iOS 14 privacy update is expected to include a user prompt where iOS14 users can more easily opt out of sharing their data. If users opt in, there will be no change. If users opt out, we may be limited with the data we are able to collect, impacting both targeting users and tracking key performance indicators such as conversions (I.e., inquiries, donations). The level of impact will not be understood until these changes go into effect.

Once the update is released, RNL will be able to quickly assess impact, adjust best practices as needed, and bring prompt updates to our campus partners.

RNL currently manages my digital advertising campaigns. What do I need to do?
At this point in time, we know for sure that your team will need to take action due to product updates from Facebook. This entails (1) ensuring your domain is verified within Facebook Business Manager, (2) adding RNL as a verified domain-partner, and (3) prioritizing various events within your domain. We will be following up very soon with specific direction but wanted to share this now so that you can communicate with your team and start planning to get ahead of these updates.

I currently work with an outside agency who manages my digital advertising campaigns. What do I need to do?
We encourage you to reach out to your partner to inquire about the changes they are anticipating with Apple’s update, how they are adjusting their solutions to adhere and adapt, and if they need any action from your team. With Facebook, for example, if you plan to leverage Facebook Events for conversion tracking, there are actions required from Business Manager admins including verifying your domain, sharing your domain with your agency, and prioritizing events.

What is my domain has already been verified?
Great! If you are an RNL campus partner, we will be following up soon with additional direction. If your domain has been already verified outside of your Business Manager account, you will need to reach out to those accounts and request that those account owners share the domain with your account and potentially additional partners. We suggest leveraging Facebook’s documentation for additional domain verification support.

What if I have more questions?
Please contact RNL and we’ll be happy to chat with you and share what we know.