Since the launch of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in April this year, app marketers have been searching for the best ways to operate in this new privacy-focused environment. How players across the mobile ecosystem treat identifiable and anonymous traffic, measure campaign performance, and target consumers will play a central role in the future of programmatic advertising.

According to the latest global data from Remerge’s Post-IDFA Dashboard, as of August 4, 2021, non-ID traffic volume (34%) continues to catch up to ID traffic levels (66%). Meanwhile, the global adoption rate of iOS 14.5+ stands at 70%. From a regional perspective, Western markets such as the United States (73%) and Germany (81%) are already showing high levels of adoption, while in other regions such as INSEA , where Indonesia is at 57%, there is a lag.

App marketers are reacting differently to these developments around the world and in a new report, Remerge experts recently shared their thoughts and analysis on programmatic trends in North America, APAC and EMEA.

Advertisers double ID traffic
Patrick Eichmann, Managing Director, Americas
App marketers are in a tough spot right now, especially since not every player in the space is fully equipped for SKAdNetwork. MMPs, SSPs and DSPs are at different levels in terms of readiness, however, I am encouraged by the progress that has been made since May, where SKAdNetwork-enabled bid requests topped the 50% mark. in the USA.

As technology providers prepare for this new era, it’s clear that marketers remain uncertain about certain elements of their campaigns: How will I measure the performance of my iOS spend? How will I handle conversion values? How do you know if it’s the right time to put more effort into media mix modeling and incrementality? It will take time to properly answer these deeper business questions, but that doesn’t mean marketers should sit still.

Right now, there are real opportunities for mobile advertisers in the region. IDFA will eventually die out, so I’d take advantage of its presence while it’s there. In June 2021, we found that on average 63% of bid requests in the United States were still associated with an identifier, which means that for our customers there was no significant impact on the performance of their campaigns. Because performance remains relatively strong, some of our largest customers in the US are doubling down here. Many of them are using this period to analyze the granular data and insights from these ID campaigns, knowing it will benefit their business in the long run and help them navigate the emerging privacy-centric world.

Ongoing spend for Android and iOS ID users
Hide Cho, Country Manager, Japan and Korea
In South Korea, marketers behave according to the type of app they have and where it is available. For example, game and content companies active in Western markets, such as the United States and Europe, are paying close attention to developments around iOS 14 and the advertising options available to them. Meanwhile, domestic companies, which include apps for non-gaming verticals such as commerce, food delivery and subscriptions, are more concerned about Android users, as this market dominates South Korea. South (although iOS’s share is growing).

Much like the United States, Japan is an important market for iOS globally, so the ATT changes have caught the attention of almost every app marketer, many of whom are looking for short-term and long-term fixes. and best practices from abroad. At the same time, companies are beginning to test new methodologies such as incrementality and experimenting with IDless traffic.

For South Korea and Japan, the focus will be on user acquisition and owned media as adoption rates for the latest versions of iOS increase. I think we’ll also see more organizations adopting SKAdNetwork. For now though, advertisers will continue to spend on Android and available iOS ID traffic.

Retargeting remains a priority
Maria Abdull Latif, Regional Director, INSEA
For now, advertisers are still focusing on their Android user bases. Retargeting and re-engagement campaigns have not lost momentum in the region, especially for verticals such as gaming and e-commerce, where major players continue to invest heavily in this approach to increase the audience of their applications.

Android dominates the INSEA market, giving companies operating in the region a clear advantage. As the iOS world evolves, they can use this time to test SKAdNetwork, improve their performance attribution, and improve their budget decisions, while learning from what others are doing in more iOS-focused environments. Investing in non-identification at this stage will have minimal effect on the status quo, however, in the medium term it will put advertisers in a position of strength when it comes to navigating the eventualities of an anonymous future, both for iOS and Android.

Advertisers should look for alternatives
Kate Taganova, Director of Sales, EMEA
In EMEA, advertisers react differently to the rollout of new Apple features and can be divided into two groups. The unpredictable nature of the market means we’ve seen a group of app developers play the waiting game and refrain from making concrete decisions, largely because running successful retargeting campaigns is always doable. on iOS. Similar to what we’ve seen in the US, the other group is using this time to gather learnings and plan for the new IDless reality as the entire industry will eventually have to align with Apple’s vision. regarding user privacy.

Recently, adoption rates for new iOS versions have accelerated in the region, which means there is less ID inventory. Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are among the top countries with the highest volumes of non-ID traffic (July 2021). Previously successful mobile strategies based on identifiable audiences are set to disappear, and advertisers need to start looking for alternatives if they want to remain profitable in the future.

Although the share of iOS in the EMEA region varies from country to country, the situation affects everyone in the region. We anticipate that there will be a significant reduction in advertising budgets on iOS until there is a solid product on the market that fully meets these new needs.

Apple’s update and current limitations in measuring campaign performance with SKAdNetwork have forced data-conscious marketers to experiment with incrementality. At Remerge, we’ve seen early adopters of this methodology, such as Delivery Hero and PhotoSi, reap the benefits. Over time, as the number of anonymous users begins to exceed identifiable ones, the industry will have an even better understanding of how to measure performance on non-ID traffic and we will begin to see a recovery in iOS spending.

A Closer Look at Remerge Dashboard Data
Access ID or no ID? A regional view of the latest trends and data for the full report and analysis from Remerge’s experts.