Spotlight
SKAdNetwork Adoption Rises, But Still Too Low For Devs To Avoid Disruption
Most companies (both advertisers and ad networks) are still nowhere near ready for iOS 14.5.
In other words: buckle up. The next few months are going to be bumpy.
IDFA survey: 62% of consumers will not allow app tracking
One of the big unknowns around iOS 14 is how many users will actually opt in to tracking. Ultimately, surveys can only go so far, but this is a pretty good one.
However, the thing that stood out most to me most is buried way at the bottom of the article: 75% of survey respondents believe allow app to track you means the app can know everything you do online.
This is simultaneously shocking and sadly unsurprising. Readers of this newsletter obviously realize this definition of 'tracking' is invalid and impossible, but I have to believe Apple knew that wouldn't be the case for the vast majority of end users…and chose to push forward with this message anyway.
Opt-In Design Do’s & Don’ts for Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) on iOS 14
Some great best practices for implementing the AppTrackingTransparency prompt, if you're planning to go that route. This writeup includes a number of illustrated examples based on what Apple is apparently approving/not approving in real life.
Industry Buzz
Snapchat Announces New Partnership with Gannett to Reach More SMB Advertisers
Snap has been on a tear recently, and this new partnership is both quirky and interesting: it involves integrating with a newspaper publisher help local businesses run ads on Snapchat.
Most of those local businesses almost certainly wouldn't consider Snap advertising otherwise, and wouldn't know the first thing about setting up a campaign even if they did — seems like a smart diversification play.
PayPal wants to be a super app with new budgeting features
While 'super apps' are pretty common around the world (WeChat is the quintessential example, but it's hardly alone), they've never really caught on in the US and Europe.
I can't really see PayPal being the one to change that, though they probably have a better chance than most thanks to their name recognition and historical strength in payments.
Walled Gardens
Arizona House passes bill that threatens Apple and Google's app stores
The gist of this is that companies running app stores with over a million downloads per year would be required to allow apps to offer alternative payment methods.
If that sounds like an awfully roundabout way to single out Apple and Google, that's because it is: the main backer of the bill is the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes Spotify, Epic Games, Match Group, and most of the other familiar names that typically come up in a disagreement around App Store commission rates.
This isn't law yet in Arizona, and may never get there…but it's an early preview of the kind of proposals that will likely become more common around the world over the next few years.
Privacy & Security
Google says it won't track you directly in the future as it phases out cookies
This announcement is mostly about web measurement (for now). But it's relevant here because the wall that has historically separated web and app users is going to continue breaking down.
For example: Google's decision not to show the new AppTrackingTransparency prompt in their apps is likely a product of the same thought process — as the industry leader, they simply don't need that level of granular tracking anymore.
Tips & Techniques
The Fundamentals of Mobile Growth Marketing
This whitepaper is based on the Stanford course taught by Branch co-founder Mada Seghete and Ethan Smith, CEO of Graphite (the mobile growth agency behind amazing brands like Ticketmaster, Robinhood, Masterclass, and Medium).
It's literally an entire business school class condensed into a 100-page PDF — you'll want a copy, even if just to keep it on the shelf for future reference.
UX
App Fuel 30
Finally, here's a collection of 30 annotated, visual examples of exceptional app UX.
Yes, I know there a number of database-style directories filled with these UX teardowns…but it's also nice to get a self-contained 'greatest hits' digest like this in PDF form.
Podcast
Director, Growth Product @ The Athletic: Caitlin Roman
Rewards of the Unknown
Caitlin Roman brings her collective experiences in consulting at McKinsey and Product at LinkedIn & Medium to the world of sports news at The Athletic. Having come up in these subscription powerhouses, Caitlin has a potent combination of high level business strategy experience along with the tactical ability to work side by side with her teams to execute. All of these elements were crucial for a subscription business like the Athletic during a tumultuous 2020 in sports.
To hear more about Caitlin’s amazing story about how she found her way into product, how she thinks about leading her teams, and her adventures in Ethiopia, take a listen to this episode of How I Grew This.
Events
Mobile Growth Online: Women in Mobile
Panelists: Reed Online UK, Olympic Channel, Secret Escapes, Adidas.
When: Wed, Mar 10, 2:00 PM (GMT)
Mobile Growth Online LatAm
Topic: Organic App Growth Strategies for 2021 for Retail, eCommerce, Finance, and More When: Wed, Mar 24, 3:00 PM (GMT-3)
Who’s Hiring?
- Moburst | Account Director — Remote
- Moburst | Account Executive — Remote
- Moburst | Creative Copywriter — Remote
- Moburst | Graphic Designer — Remote (US East Coast preferred)
- Niantic | Performance Marketing Manager - Direct Marketing — San Francisco
Do you have a mobile growth role you’d like to share with the community?
Just fill out this form — it’s free!
To be honest, you're probably just as tired of reading about the IDFA Apocalypse as I am of writing about it, and the stark reality is if you're not ready at this point...well, it's probably too late now to get there before iOS 14.5 lands later this month.
If you're still on the fence about what to do, here are a few quick-reference resources:
(And yes, I intentionally dug up some non-iOS 14 links for this issue because I think many of us could use the distraction — keep scrolling!)
Alex Bauer