# How the latest iOS update impacts your digital marketing campaign
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2021-08-02
Category: TECHNOLOGY
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/technology
Meta Title: Apple's Major Privacy Updates Impacting Digital Marketers
Meta Description: Discover how Apple's iOS 15 updates impact email privacy, data tracking & digital marketing strategies, and what it means for marketers and consumer
URL: https://financedigest.com/how-the-latest-ios-update-impacts-your-digital-marketing-campaignhtml

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_By_ **_Michael Bush,_** _Commercial Director,_ [_Climb Online_](https://climb-online.co.uk)

Apple announced big updates for iCloud and iOS 15 at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference this June, with a particular focus on privacy and data tracking. Newly unveiled features from the tech giant include the ability for users to load remote content privately without disclosing their IP, as well as using “burner” email accounts to sign up for email offers.

This comes hot on the heels of the iOS 14.5 update, which has major implications for targeted advertising on Facebook, as [well as limiting the reporting of specific goals and actions](https://www.financedigest.com/what-actions-can-business-leaders-in-the-finance-industry-take-to-improve-wellness.html "What actions can business leaders in the finance industry take to improve wellness?") on websites, by allowing users to opt out of personalised ads by default. This hampers the ability of [marketers to effectively](https://www.financedigest.com/how-businesses-can-effectively-pivot-marketing-game-plans-for-christmas-2020.html "How businesses can effectively pivot marketing game plans for Christmas 2020") reach and engage with segments of the audience, as well as collect user behaviour data to measure the efficacy of ad campaigns and provide a more personalised experience.

These new updates, which come as part of a wider response to the debate concerning consumer privacy rights, demonstrate the need for [marketers](https://www.financedigest.com/how-data-sharing-can-give-brands-confidence.html) to adapt their [digital](https://www.financedigest.com/choosing-a-freelance-digital-marketing-consultant.html "Choosing A Freelance Digital Marketing Consultant") marketing strategies to keep in-line with the changes, whilst continuing to engage and resonate with target audiences.

**What are the changes?**

A central feature in Apple’s iOS 15 update is Mail Privacy Protection, which comes in [response to concerns about how brands gather and distribute consumer data](https://www.financedigest.com/assurance-v-security-reassessing-responsibility-for-data-assurance.html "Assurance v Security: Reassessing Responsibility for Data Assurance"). MMP gives users the ability to view emails without disclosing their IP, while also introducing a pixel-blocker. This means that ESPs like Mailchimp, who use an invisible one-pixel image to track unique and gross open rates, can no longer do so, and in turn can no longer track the effectiveness of subscriber engagement.

Another feature unveiled in the new iOS update, Hide My Email, [allows users](https://www.financedigest.com/datawallet-partners-with-indorse-and-steemit-allows-users-to-earn-profit-for-sharing-data.html "Datawallet Partners with Indorse and Steemit, Allows Users to Earn Profit for Sharing Data") to sign up for email offers with a randomly generated address from Apple in place of their own. This address operates as a burner account, with [Apple forwarding the email to the user](https://www.financedigest.com/samsung-users-53-more-likely-to-make-an-insurance-claim-than-those-with-apple-devices.html "Samsung Users 53% More Likely to Make an Insurance Claim than Those with Apple Devices"), leaving them to delete the temporary address to prevent it from being spread online. The flip side of this is [digital marketers](https://www.financedigest.com/5-digital-marketing-tips-to-keep-insurance-companies-competitive.html "5 digital marketing tips to keep insurance companies competitive") will be at a loss to tell whether an [email](https://www.financedigest.com/your-money-is-safe-but-your-data-might-not-be.html) sign up is legitimate, or merely a burner account.

The introduction of App [Privacy Reports also allows users to gain more information](https://www.financedigest.com/privacy-vs-security-is-the-cybersecurity-information-sharing-act-beneficial.html "PRIVACY VS SECURITY: IS THE CYBERSECURITY INFORMATION SHARING ACT BENEFICIAL?") on how apps collect and use their personal data, and display how much of that data is being shared with third parties. This is a particular problem for marketers who rely on second- and third-party data for [tracking and ad targeting](https://www.financedigest.com/electric-car-maker-lucid-on-track-for-2022-2023-output-targets-ceo-says.html "Electric car maker Lucid on track for 2022, 2023 output targets, CEO says").

**The impact on** [digital marketing](https://www.financedigest.com/the-peptic-ulcer-drugs-market-to-proliferate-with-digitized-upswing.html "The Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market to proliferate with digitized upswing")

The downside of the new iOS updates is primarily the [risk of collecting unreliable data](https://www.financedigest.com/how-data-visualisation-is-helping-the-insurance-sector-understand-environmental-risks.html "How data visualisation is helping the insurance sector understand environmental risks"). MMP [means that many optimisation services](https://www.financedigest.com/open-ecosystems-in-financial-services-what-does-this-mean-for-banks.html "Open Ecosystems in Financial Services: what does this mean for banks?") used by ESPs, as well as subject line tests will be more likely to yield unreliable results, as these are often based on open rates. Similarly, optimisation for send time can no longer track opens, and therefore cannot determine subscriber engagement, while “live” experiences that are delivered based on collecting subscriber [data for open times](https://www.financedigest.com/decision-making-in-times-of-crisis-should-they-be-based-on-gut-feeling-or-data.html "Decision-making in times of crisis: should they be based on gut feeling or data?") will be far less effective.

Given the changes, KPIs will [need to focus](https://www.financedigest.com/cfos-need-a-focus-on-forex-in-financial-planning-tools-accountagility-reveals.html "CFOs need a focus on forex in financial planning tools, Accountagility reveals") on benchmarks for delivered emails instead of email opens, and marketers will need to test open rates and establish before and after benchmarks for subject line and send time before the iOS 15 update this autumn. Due to the new features introduced with Hide My Email, it is important that [marketers monitor](https://www.financedigest.com/the-hemodynamic-monitoring-systems-market-to-clamber-on-the-shoulders-of-innovation.html "The Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Market To Clamber On The Shoulders Of Innovation") email deliverability, and ensure they have an ESP that can remove bounces.

**New strategies for** [digital marketers](https://www.financedigest.com/linear-digitized-transition-to-form-the-crux-of-liposomes-market.html "Linear Digitized Transition to form the crux of Liposomes Market")

With email mostly being opened on smartphones, if Android [adopts similar privacy options it would mean nearly](https://www.financedigest.com/sales-revenue-of-tpms-battery-market-to-soar-in-the-near-future-owing-to-growing-consumer-adoption.html "Sales Revenue of Tpms Battery Market to Soar in the Near Future Owing to Growing Consumer Adoption") 98% of smartphone users would be able to opt out of disclosing email opens. This [places strategies that do not require the data of email opens at the forefront for the future of digital](https://www.financedigest.com/the-evolution-of-loyalty-and-its-place-in-the-digital-age.html "THE EVOLUTION OF LOYALTY AND ITS PLACE IN THE DIGITAL AGE") marketing.

Utilising first-party data from platforms that deliver real customer value, such as [loyalty programmes or interactive digital](https://www.financedigest.com/lloyds-goes-digital-but-what-does-that-mean-for-loyalty.html "LLOYDS GOES DIGITAL – BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR LOYALTY?") experiences, will create a more integrated and seamless experience across multiple marketing channels, not merely email.

By using customer [data](https://www.financedigest.com/tips-for-leveraging-big-data-in-business-decision-making.html) platforms, marketers will be able to bring consented customer data together into a unified customer profile, making it far more useful as it gives a fuller customer profile, and allows marketers and brands to [create a personal experience](https://www.financedigest.com/digitalisation-why-using-the-opportunity-of-fintechs-can-create-an-innovative-digital-client-experience.html "Digitalisation: why using the opportunity of Fintechs can create an innovative digital client experience") for the customer.

Though these strategies must be done at the planning and delivery stages of [marketing campaigns, successfully navigating them will allow digital marketers to move away from an over-reliance on email marketing, and place more emphasis on business outcomes and the overall value of marketing separate](https://www.financedigest.com/the-membrane-separation-market-to-simulate-on-a-stupendous-note.html "The Membrane Separation Market To Simulate On A Stupendous Note") from merely open rates and digital engagements.

The updates to iOS 15, though posing a host of new [challenges – particularly as marketers are likely to feel the pinch of targeted ads being impacted in the earlier iOS 14.5 update – also gives both companies and marketers a chance to shape their own data](https://www.financedigest.com/new-gleif-challenge-facility-extends-ability-to-trigger-updates-of-legal-entity-identifier-data-to-all-interested-parties.html "New GLEIF Challenge Facility Extends Ability to Trigger Updates of Legal Entity Identifier Data to All Interested Parties") and customer privacy policies, allowing them to better understand and engage with their customer base, driving increased loyalty and resulting ROI.


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