We are witnessing a seismic shift in the industry and your business stands to take a significant hit if you don’t adjust your plans accordingly to reflect the current times and attitudes. We are, of course, talking about iOS 14.5 Facebook tracking.
It is the result of the years-long movement based on user concerns regarding how big companies are handling data.
More and more, we are seeing the effects of this update on the famous operating system. We are bound to see a more radical change in the future as it ripples outward, transforming the advertising world, slowly but surely.
Other power-players like Google are set to roll out their own implementations in the same vein, so it’s worth taking a look at the cause of all this. Where, why, and how it started.
That would be the above-mentioned Apple update.
The iOS 14.5 Facebook tracking landscape comes with its share of hurdles to overcome, so let’s take a closer look at how it all works!
The iOS 14.5 Facebook Tracking Challenge
Facebook has always used the Pixel to collect information about its users.
This bit of JavaScript code gets placed on every page a person might visit and it uses cookies to store information about their habits during that browsing session on their device.
Advertisers then use this data to personalize ads to their audience and offer a more relevant and streamlined experience.
The problem with this system is that for the longest time the general public was not aware of the extent to which these apps they used every day tracked their behavior and preferences. As a consequence, many have spoken up about the issue.
Facebook’s publicized third-party cookie scandal culminated in Mark Zuckerberg appearing before the U.S Senate to answer questions regarding his policy on handling user information. On the back of this, there have been many measures enacted worldwide, all to increase transparency in data collection and transaction.
Due to the mounting public pressure, it was inevitable that a big player would get the ball rolling in the direction of transparency and ethical data collection. Apple stepped up to the plate to do just that with its 14.5 update.
While Facebook felt it was unfairly targeted by the change (even taking out ads against Apple and warning that the Internet as we know it is about to change), Apple has stated that they are merely standing up for the consumer.
Regardless of which party has the moral high ground, the change is here to stay, and it has set the tone for many others to follow in their footsteps.
The industry is undoubtedly moving away from third-party cookies.
Companies with iOS apps are now required to work within the new App Tracking Transparency framework.
This includes displaying a prompt to users along these lines:
“[App Name] would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. Your data will be used to deliver personalized ads to you.”
Users are then given the simple choice of “Allow/Don’t allow”.
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the opt-in rate has been abysmal.
Originally planned to come out with the iOS 14 update, the App Tracking Transparency feature hit the ground running at a later date, making an impact on the Facebook iOS 14.5 landscape.
This move has significantly weakened the Pixel. The data of a substantial number of users has been taken off the grid, so to speak.
It doesn’t matter how sophisticated your system of gathering and leveraging data through third-party cookies is.
If you were only using the Pixel, an overwhelming majority of iOS users have been taken off your radar.
Bottom line, iOS 14.5 Facebook ads won’t be as customizable as before, due to the lack of information you can collect from your users.
With the preferences and habits of your leads and customers hidden, you are flying blind. You no longer have anything to anchor your ad campaign choices.
Nothing to guide you.
If your primary audience consists of iOS users, we can absolutely understand why this change could be downright scary for your business.
But there are ways around the restrictions imposed on iOS 14.5 Facebook Tracking.
What iOS 14.5 Facebook Tracking Should Look Like
When the industry shifts, it creates a wave of change that starts out small but becomes unstoppable.
Just like when surfing on real waves, you can’t go against them and resist, or you will get swallowed whole.
You need to ride the wave of change, going with the flow to stay afloat.
By embracing the wave and riding it you can find yourself reaching new heights. From your new vantage point, you will discover many fresh opportunities never before thought possible.
The solution lies server-side.
Through the implementation of the Facebook Conversion API, we can set up Server-to-Server (S2S) tracking. Instead of processing data through a user’s device, we do it on the server.
By setting up middleware, a web application meant to receive information, we are able to collect all the data points that are now out of the Pixel’s reach. Once collected, all this information can be leveraged to improve your intended audience’s ad experience and customer journey.
S2S is not only the most reliable option in these tumultuous times, but it also offers a greater degree of control than the traditional Pixel. Each event that it tracks is stored individually, allowing for quick inspection in the case of troubleshooting.
It’s also capable of handling a massive amount of events, perfect for any large-scale operation.
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