In the past two years, big tech companies have been under intense scrutiny for their software’s privacy regulations or lack thereof. The outcome of this pressure is a dramatic increase in privacy policies, to the point that it will change how we as advertisers do business. One of the most recent major waves of this privacy tsunami is the iOS14 update from Apple. 

For the Treehouse, our primary focus of this notice is lead generation campaigns running through Facebook, as they will be the most affected. Prior to the update, the BrandBlaster team was able to track different events or actions of a user coming from Facebook to your website, thanks to a pixel. In digital marketing, a pixel is a snippet of code that allows us to track and gather data from a user.  With iOS14, we’ll still be able to track users but there will be limits on how much information a pixel can gather per user.

How we target and measure campaigns will also change, specifically, how reporting on these campaigns is conducted. The window of time allotted for lead attribution from Facebook is shrinking. The current window of time is 28 days between click and attribution. However, that window will significantly narrow to a 7-day time frame from click to attribution once iOS14 is implemented. Directly affecting the ability to track from traffic to conversion.

It doesn’t stop there, as real-time reporting will no longer be supported, there could be up to a 3-day delay on pulling data for leads, clicks, impressions, and other metrics we use to measure the performance of a campaign. This will have an adverse effect specifically on Facebook lead generation.  These software changes mean less information visible to advertisers. In our opinion, this is an intentional change to put more power in Big Tech’s pocket while masquerading as “maintaining privacy” for the little guy. 

The iOS14 update is changing how advertisers operate, and the Treehouse is no exception. Our BrandBlaster team has already implemented several tactics in an effort to test how we can change our practices to better serve you. This includes setting up landing pages to redirect traffic, and switching gears from lead generation campaigns to conversion campaigns. Based on our research, we expect fewer conversions, but potentially higher quality leads overall. This decision from Apple was a lemon to advertisers across the board. Thankfully, we at the Treehouse have a recipe for lemonade that remains tried and true. It’s 2 parts dedication and 1 part innovation. You can count on the Treehouse to stay ahead of industry updates and continue to look out for your company’s best interest.