Eric Seufert’s Post

The open intertnet is free for everyone to use…. But it’s free because it’s supported by advertising. This move from Apple is a fundamental challenge to the very concept of the open web. While preventing tracking and measurement without consent and seeking to protect user privacy can be justified as being within the browsers remit and in the users interest. But enabling users to block ads rather than just tracking tools, is a more fundamental issue, that has too many second order effects and Apple should be challenge on this.

Why did SKAdNetwork fail? SKAdNetwork failed because Apple couldn’t incentivize the broader mobile advertising ecosystem to integrate with it. Advertisers were never going to demand 4.0 compatibility from their partners, absent either enticement or severe repercussions. And ad platforms and attribution tools were never going to proactively institute 4.0 compatibility without being forced to by their advertising clients.

Why is nobody talking about Apple Search ads? Apple has engineered itself a huge unfair advantage. Here’s how: → Capped access to search data for Google and FB → Kept their own access levels the same That means Apple search ads are much more important. So pay attention! Apple search ads - now much more important If you have an important app, you need an Apple ad strategy. If you don’t have an airtight strategy, you need to ASAP.

Let me put this delicately - Apple Search Ads suck 👎 Here’s what bugs me the most: Apple changed its ATT policy to target Facebook and other competitors. They wanted a bigger slice of the pie. In reality, they just shrunk the overall size of the market 🫠 The worst part is they didn’t replace what we lost with a meaningful channel. Our team tried Search Ads, and it didn’t scale at all. So we just turned it off 📴 I’m hearing many developers compare Unity’s clumsy pricing rollout with Apple’s actions last year. But as frustrated as we are with Unity, their changes will not be as painful as Apple’s ATT policy. The difference is Apple prolonged its rollout, so it was harder to see its effects. But here’s what Apple and Unity have in common 👉They are trying to strong-arm us into using more of their services when they should be creating a better product than the competition 🤦🏻 That type of behavior hurts developers. It hurts customers. And I think it will ultimately hurt Apple and Unity’s brands.

🍎 Apple is testing a new AI-powered ad format similar to Google & Microsoft's Performance Max, as reported by Lara O'Reilly at Business Insider. 🤷♂️ Why should you care? 1. Building their own version of PMAX can increase the adoption of lesser used placements on the App store, thereby potentially increasing ad revenue for Apple if advertisers see success. 2. If ad revenue increases and PMAX is successful for Apple, could this lead to ads being placed across more of their Apps i.e. Maps etc? 3. Success here could help further justify Apple launching their own search engine (as ongoing rumours continue to indicate this could be coming). So much to think about. What's for sure is that this is an exciting time for Apple Search Ads! 🎉

Web Eraser, Apple's proposed ad-blocking tool, was notably missing from their announcement at WWDC this week, but that doesn't mean it isn't still coming. AdMonsters asked our Chief Product Officer Vegard Johnsen for his expert take on why the industry was so concerned about this feature and why it’s still a very real possibility for the iOS 18. “Most publishers, in particular, small and medium-sized ones, are not in a position to demand a subscription, so total ad blocking leaves them without any good options for revenue. There are also negative consequences for consumers, since it forces publishers into an adversarial position.” He thinks instead it’s time for an industry-level conversation about the value exchange and finding a middle ground for an ad-supported internet that puts the user first. Check out the full article here https://bit.ly/4emU6TZ #adfiltering #valueexchange #weberaser #wwdc

A very significant move - particularly if you consider X reliance on Apple Apps… We simply can’t have “news” channels or information providers stirring up hate It seems that where regulation is struggling - brand value is driving action anyway. We are going to more and more of this as brands recognise their resilience is in their ecosystem up and down stream…. Particularly when mandatory reporting kicks in. https://lnkd.in/erjnrkcv

Curious to see the side-loading of app stores pop up as an issue in this Romanian probe vs Apple. It's also one of the obligations of the EU's Digital Markets Act (and of a connected study launched by the EC). Looking at the press release, the Romanian authority seems to be pursuing concerns over Apple's ATT policy, like enforcers in France, Germany and elsewhere. But it also makes an interesting reference to the ban on side-loading. Perhaps the combination of ATT, which seemingly does not apply to Apple's own services when collecting data, with the ban on side-loading makes life for rival advertising businesses even harder. The two rules would be "two sides of the same coin," as Margrethe Vestager once said. Are national antitrust enforcers blocked from probing Big Tech for conduct covered by the DMA? Certainly not retroactively. And even in the future, assuming there is non-compliance, it seems possible per the text.

We had a debate about the importance of UTMs with one of our clients yesterday and they didn't know that Apple with iOS17 is bringing some changes to the ecosystem You should read this article from Andrew Foxwell team: https://lnkd.in/dAPbKbB9 Or at least the TL;DR of it: - This update will most impact: - Email campaigns - SMS campaigns - Safari private browsing mode - Apple says that tracking links (i.e. UTMs) are going away, but, to clarify, this is ONLY for Safari private browsing (like incognito mode) for now – though we presume this will expand in the future - Click IDs (i.e. fbclid and gclid parameters) ARE getting stripped from what we’ve seen so far in beta testing - Attribution will still be possible with unique landing page URLs etc., but user match rates could suffer — but again, this is ONLY for Safari private browsing, email, and SMS campaigns. - This is likely just the next step of tracking privacy via Apple (and in the future, presumably other tech companies) in a long series that will make tracking and attribution more difficult

2 Tips On Google Ads - Device Bidding & Ad Scheduling Don't let your Google Ads fall flat! Here's a common pitfall: neglecting device bidding. 🔍 Check your devices tab and optimise for conversions. If tablets aren't bringing in leads, cut them off. If mobiles are performing well, pump up the budget! 💡 Next tip: don't let your ads run 24/7. Schedule them for when you're open. 🕒 Collect data, find your prime times, and boost those budgets! 💰 #GoogleAdsTips #GoogleAdsOptimisation #Digitalmarketing