Since the launch of i0S14, there have been a number of changes to the mechanics of data collection via the Facebook pixel and also reporting via Facebook ads manager.
It’s very easy in these scenarios to jump to the conclusion that any drop in performance is down to the most loudly talked about challenge, but we can’t forget that there are still other factors at play.
In addition to the iOS14 rollout, we have also seen the following within the accounts we manage:
- Increase in CPMs and therefore more expensive advertising
- General platform bugs and issues
- Retirement of reporting features (adios breakdowns!)
- More frequent ad rejections
- Changes in consumer behaviour as stores reopen
Add all the above together and it’s no reason that a number of advertisers are struggling at the moment. It’s certainly not all doom and gloom however, and in many cases the accounts we manage haven’t seen a huge drop off directly tied to iOS14.
If you are struggling with performance at the moment, don’t just assume it’s down to iOS14 as that might not necessarily be the case.
But how can you tell?
Your first port of call to get a sense of how iOS14 is impacting your performance is the new Aggregated Event Management tool, situated in your ad account events manager.
As most of you will know, the introduction of the Aggregated Event Measurement tool (AEM) provides the ability to prioritize events for each of your accounts (limited to 8). When reviewing AEM, you may be seeing lower numbers due to the fact that if you’re prioritising purchases, for example, you may lose data from other events.
Andrew Foxwell explained that ‘AEM is actually ALL prioritized events that unique opted-out users have taken as a result of your paid ads within a 1-day click, and applied within 48-72 hours of the event occurring which may be a result of the lower numbers you are seeing.
In the chart below, AEM also gives you the option to directly view discarded events. This is essentially redundant events due to duplication, or iOS users that have opted out of tracking:
So when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, all the data is still there. It’s just the way Facebook is now presenting this data has changed, like delays in reporting since the attribution window has changed from 28 days to 7.
If you have your domains verified and 8 events set up then you have done the best thing for your accounts. Keeping testing as changes occur, but also keep an eye on your AEM report and all the usual figures to get clarity on your performance.
If you have any questions about current performance and iOS14, feel free to drop us a line and we’ll be happy to have a chat.
