The What, Why and How of Apple's Privacy Changes

A dynamic shift in the landscape of digital marketing and data centric advertising has occurred this week when Apple changed its privacy procedures. In this installment of my blog, we are going to cover what happened, why it happened and how it affects us as marketers and advertisers. 

What did Apple do?

On Monday, June 22, 2020 Apple hosted its Worldwide Developers Conference where they announced certain privacy changes to their upcoming iOS 14 software. This change will make tracking users across digital platforms like apps and websites much more difficult.

Apple allows default access to the company’s IDFA or Identifier for Advertisers. This allows advertisers to gather important data during a user’s journey through apps and websites. This data is then used to build target markets, lookalike audiences and maybe more important attributing conversions. 

When iOS rolls out this fall, advertisers will no longer have default access to Apple’s IDFAs. The decision to share this data will be up to the user. Each person will have to opt in through pop ups by developers, publishers or third parties.

Why did Apple do this?

Online privacy has been a concern coming from the consumer’s voice and Apple has been one of the fastest moving tech companies to combat this fear. It began when Apple introduced its first version of ITP in 2017. ITP stands for Intelligent Tracking Prevention which bars tracking cookies to roam openly through Apple’s Safari Browser.

This is the next step in Apple’s apparent mission to give its consumers the privacy they want. The reason why they are heading in this direction can be rooted from what Apple makes money off of. Apple is a consumer tech company, not a data distribution company. Apple is protecting the value of its products by giving their consumers what they want. From this viewpoint, it is clear where the motivation comes from.

How does it affect marketing?

 According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s twice-yearly report by PwC, Mobile Ad revenue in 2019 was nearly $87 billion. This represents almost three quarters of the digital ad spend market that year. Now think of how many of your family, friends and co-workers have an iPhone or apple device. This change in access to data will fundamentally change the way advertisers can identify markets and commit to ad spend.

Another affect this has on marketing is tracking conversions and ROAS. For example, if an app developer is using Facebook mobile ads to drive downloads, it has become impossible to track if targeted users ended up downloading without the user opting in to tracking. This not only hurts the app developer because he or she can’t definitively know if the ad spend is working, but it also hurts Facebook because marketers might become weary of spending money without clear ROAS. According to an article written by George P. Slefo of Ad Age that a spokesperson has reached out to the publication and said, “We share the industry’s desire for more transparency and controls in the way ads run online, while ensuring personalized advertising continues to deliver value to both people and businesses.” 

What does the future look like?

Other companies with ad platforms and data gathering systems may have to join the privacy movement. Companies like Google will more than likely follow suit, but they will hold off as much as possible.

This is the time for technology companies and media companies to collaborate and create systems that cater to the modern consumer’s want for privacy and to protect the idea of personalized and relevant advertising.

Here are some great articles to read if you desire more information on the topic.

Ad Age Article

Tech Crunch Article

Campaign Spotlight:

 Social media platforms are a focal point of life in this digital era and now more than ever, these platforms need to be aware of what things they allocate time and money into. Facebook is in the midst of a brand boycott because of its lack of response to brand ads being placed around offensive content. Twitter has been proactive in managing respectively the content posted, amplifying the messages the Black Community want to deliver and supporting its Black employees.

To build on the actions Twitter has taken, the platform has put into place a campaign that pulls important tweets from Black users and puts them in the real world. For example, Bernice King, CEO of The King Center, had a tweet of hers plastered on a building in Los Angeles. Other names involved with this campaign are Ashley Simpo, Coretta Scott King and Frederick T. Joseph.

The digital landscape is fast and messages have short lifetimes even if they go viral. Through this campaign, Twitter has come up with a way to lengthen the life of important messages. This is a wonderful campaign and a great show of support from Twitter. 

Below is a link to the official Twitter account and Twitter Blackbirds account, which is an account run by the Black employees of Twitter. If you would like to view more executions of this campaign. Please visit these accounts.

 Twitter Blackbirds Account

 Twitter Account

How Brands Should Respond to Social and Societal Movements

Before I start talking about this topic, I would like to share a few words. I will never understand the pain and suffering the black community goes through on a daily basis. Furthermore, I acknowledge that I have gained from how society is structured currently, but acknowledgement is not enough. I stand with the African American Community in fighting against systematic racism and will challenge myself to create real change however I can through whatever means I have. This piece is my first step in doing so. 

The year 2020 may be the hardest year for brands to navigate since the stock crash of 2008. Brands have had to adapt to Covid-19, social distancing norms and even killer hornets in some areas of the United States, but one issue still remains. Systematic racism exists in our country and the latest incident involving George Floyd has hit the boiling point for the American People.

Today, I am not going to talk about my views on either the racism that exists or my views on police. Rather, I would like to discuss some things you can do as a brand to help make real change. If I can help one person change one brand during this impactful time in history, our country has inched ever closer to truly being equal.

 Cookie Cutter and Piggyback Brand Responses:

There are two ways brands can respond to times like these that do nothing to create change. These two ways usually work together. The first is the cookie cutter response. Tell me if you have heard this before.

“Here at Blah Inc. we stand by the black community in this time of heartache and frustration. Blah Inc. is committed to our employees and customers and will forever stand by and support those that fight for what they believe in.”

Words are nice, but consumers now are more educated and more involved than ever before, and they will see through the empty air that is this cookie cutter statement.

Piggybacking is where a brand waits till other brands do something then copy and paste. This action is just as empty and even more cowardly.

Now let’s talk about how brands can actually foster change. 

Proper way to write and release a statement:

 The things said in a cookie cutter response need to be said, but there needs to be proof of action with a goal for change. Words are empty without action to back it up. This is how you can turn the previous statement into one that has impact.

“Here at Blah Inc. we stand by the black community in this time of heartache and frustration. Blah Inc. is committed to our employees and customers and will forever stand by and support those that fight for what they believe in. We have begun planning and executing action plans to create change in our culture and in the world around us.

First, Blah Inc. has donated X amount of dollars spread across charities and movements that our employees and clients recommended. Second, we reached out to our internal staff and brainstormed ways we can change our system to make real change going forward. Some of these plans include culture training sessions, identifying minority colleges to send recruiters and trainers to and setting up charity funds that support job training programs in minority areas of X city.

This is a start and we are hopeful that the actions we take today will help make tomorrow better. “

The key difference is communicating to the public about action items that the company is taking to foster change. People do not want to hear about how this one cooperation “supports” the movement. People want to know what you are doing to actually support and change. 

Lastly, let’s talk about this very important point on its own.

Fostering real change in a brand:

All the actions that were stated in the example response above are viable actions that can create change, but all brands are different with different capabilities. For example, a local restaurant chain with 3 locations can’t donate huge amounts of money, but they can create programs to change within the chain and volunteer time and expertise instead of money.

All brands can take action to change and grow. Find ways that fit within your capabilities that foster real change. Communicate these plans to your clientele base to inspire other brands and people to change as well. One brand can’t change the world, but a collective action can bring about real change.

Campaign Spotlight:

Social Media has been the place where people have been consuming news and educating themselves on the protests and ways to help. In this installment of Campaign Spotlight, I would like to share an Instagram campaign that really impressed me. #sharethemic is a new Instagram movement that connects black women with a message to white women accounts that have huge followings. The movement was created by Bozoma Saint John and the founders of Alicia + Olivia. 

Selena Gomez, Julia Roberts, Alex Morgan and Kourtney Kardashian are some of the women that are donating their Instagram accounts which have millions of followers. Some of the black women that are participating are Tarana Burke, founder of #MeToo, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and fashion mogul Kahlana Barfield Brown. 

The campaign has its own Instagram now with over 30 thousand followers. A statement on the account reads, “Today, more than ever, it is NECESSARY that we create a unifying action to center Black women’s lives, stories, and calls to action.We need to listen to Black women.”

To keep up to date on what social movements are being created and what brands are doing to combat racism and create unity click the button below. The Ad Age publication is running a continuously updated blog post on all the news regarding social media movements and brand actions related to this matter.

3 Thoughts for Marketers to Bounce Back from COVID-19

Every business right now is trying to figure out how their business is currently being affected by COVID-19 and how it could affect it in the coming future, but as marketers, we need to readjust our mindset to prepare for a bounce back. These are three thoughts you and your team should focus on right now to better prepare your brand to bounce back from COVID-19. 

1. How is COVID-19 affecting your consumers’ life and buying cycle? Short and long term change?

As marketers, we should concern ourselves on how the situation is affecting our consumers rather than how it affects our own business. This thought process will help spark ideas, identify problem areas and generate solutions. For example, e-commerce is becoming king now and brands will have to adapt to the new way consumers go through a buy cycle. Research, product comparison, peer review and decision making happens online now. Figuring out what touchpoints you can create within those stages of the new cycle is key. 

2. Evaluate the changes your competitors are making.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This is a good habit to do in normal times, but even more now. Make notes on what strategies your competitors are using, what channels they are communicating through and what messages they are putting out there. This can be a jumping point on how to alter how your brand does its marketing. 

3. Identify areas of opportunity and seize them

After you have identified how your consumer’s life has changed and will change in the future, plus you have evaluated what your competition is doing, you are ready to start plotting your come back tour after COVID-19. Use this info to identify areas that you can take advantage of using new strategies you come up with or ones you picked up from other brands. 

Conclusion:

Thinking about the present, especially in this uncertain time, is important, but do not neglect to have thoughts of the future. Visionaries and leaders spend a good amount of time thinking about the future. As marketers, we must think ahead to get ahead and help our brand or brands bounce back from COVID-19. 

Campaign Spotlight:

The best kind of advertising comes from stories. Right now, we need stories of hope, love and kindness more than ever. Montefiore has my favorite ad example of supporting the medical frontlines workers I have seen so far. 

ADWEEK runs a column every day where they showcase an ad that they love. In their latest column, the editorial showcased Montefiore’s ad supporting the frontline workers in New York. The ad is based on an action that the Montefiore’s Health System Hospital workers do when patients are discharged after recovering from COVID-19. 

The hospital staff at the facility plays “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z when discharged patients are leaving. The song is a well know anthem of the area and showcases the resilience of the city. This sparked inspiration for Montefiore and Alto, a new agency, to create the ad. To read more in depth into this wonderful piece of storytelling you can click on the picture below to access ADWEEK’s article. 

Stay safe and healthy friends. 

Social Media in a Pandemic

Welcome to the Anderton Creative Blog. If you want to hear what a young man thinks about advertising issues and trends, you have come to the right place. I will also talk about one campaign a post that caught my attention or that I love. Let’s get into it. 

Social media in a pandemic

 I have been living this scenario, as many of you are, for what seems to be an eternity. Only recently, I have sat back and thought about what I am doing differently during this time in regard to social media. The company I currently work for has some social media structure, but by no means are heavily invested in it. After some thought and looking back on what I and other accounts are doing, these are three things I would do right now when running a social media account. 

1.    Spread facts and information pertinent to your brand

This could mean the reopening of your state or a change in status for your brand. These are facts your patrons need to know. This should be priority one when pushing content on social media during this time. 

2.    Post and share helpful info

I have been pushing a lot of shared content about working from home and how to be safe in public. By no means is my company the expert in this but sharing content about these topics and more is helpful for your audience.

3.    Mind-numbing or sense of normal 

Lots of people are searching for moments of normal, where they can escape the reality of what is going on right now. As a brand, you can help people obtain moments of joy or just mind-numbing entertainment. Some brands can do this better than others, but every brand can find a way to give their audience a moment. 

 An example of this would be, a professional sports team running back old highlights or starting debates among their fans. This gives the fans some sense of normalcy when arguing that Dirk is definitely the second-best power forward of all time or just watching old highlights from the 2011 championship run for the Mavericks. I know I am guilty of both of these things. Give your audience some escape and they will be grateful for it. 

Campaign Spotlight

Since it is a pandemic themed post, I might as well share my favorite pandemic themed campaign so far. 

Nike Post

This was posted on Nike’s social media and I immediately felt emotion when I read it. I have played sports my whole life and I have definitely “hit the game winner for the finals” when I was younger. I can relate to the feeling of wanting to play in front of a crowd. This is a perfect spin on a global movement that makes it relatable and personal to Nike’s specific audience. This is my favorite covid-19 related campaign I have seen so far because I can relate to this. 

 This is how you create a movement. The action they want from us is general and global, but the way they package it is personal and niche. If you would like to urge your audience to stay home or donate or whatever, find a wrapping paper that hits them personally.