For those not familiar with IDFA, it’s Apple’s specific acronym for what the industry calls mobile IDs. On Android, they are known as AAID. Mobile device manufacturers provide these device identifiers for each mobile device they make, and they are used by publishers to monetise their apps and by advertisers to reach users.
So what changes in the autumn? Apple announced that apps needing to access and use the IDFA must secure one-time user permission, either at startup or later while using the app. More specifically, Apple moved consent from within their Settings app to provide consumers more transparency and make it easier to exercise control or opt out. To add to the publisher’s dilemma, the app will only have one opportunity to secure user permission.
Apple provides the Identifier for Advertising (IDFA) to mobile app publishers to support advertising and measurement. While Apple has taken aggressive moves to limit identifiers on the web, the app ecosystem has been relatively untouched by the same sort of policy changes to date. Revisions to the IDFA were widely expected, ranging from total redaction to a rotating identifier to per-app IDFAs.
With Apple’s requirement that apps receive permission by users to access and use IDFA on iOS, it is expected that not all users will grant consent. Thus, the ability to reach customers and measure performance on mobile devices or connect data for those that rely on IDFA will be impacted.
LiveRamp has you covered
LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) was designed with the foresight that all mobile IDs will be limited because they don’t offer transparency and choice to the consumer. LiveRamp’s ATS puts consumer privacy first by providing a durable and privacy-compliant path for publishers to build first-party relationships and get consent from individuals. From there, publishers and advertisers can commercially connect while maintaining the respect and trust of the individual. It’s also why ATS is being rapidly adopted globally by publishers who want to add incremental addressability to increase revenue opportunities across cookieless environments, while avoiding a disruption of their current revenue stream. In addition to ATS, LiveRamp will continue to support a consented IDFA graph as well.
The benefits of implementing ATS go beyond the trusted digital ecosystem. The solution is comprehensive, agile, and built to scale—and can be used anywhere an individual logs in or authenticates. It’s multichannel and supports customer journey engagement across display (on mobile and desktop) as well as mobile apps and connected TV. This means that brands have the means to buy media (on IDL) cross-channel and know not only that they are reaching individuals (not just devices) with consistency and accuracy, but that they can also measure with precision.
LiveRamp is committed to remaining open, neutral, and to promoting a healthy ecosystem. Our identity infrastructure solutions like ATS prepare the ecosystem to thrive with current or anticipated platform changes introduced by the walled gardens and device manufacturers.
Ready to learn more or get started with ATS? Send us an email at [email protected]