Spotlight
FTC sues company that sells consumers’ sensitive location information
For the last few weeks, Kochava has been in the news for a rather unsavory reason: the FTC sued them for practices related to sensitive consumer information, including handling of geolocation data.
In our corner of the mobile map, Kochava is known for their MMP attribution offering. This makes the whole situation painfully confusing for almost everyone, because MMPs are all about data…but not selling it. To make sense of this situation, you have to know that the data in question for this lawsuit comes entirely from a different line of Kochava's business, the Kochava Collective (for a full explanation of the nuance, you should read the well-articulated open letter from Kochava's CEO).
Very few adtech stories make it into the mainstream media spotlight, but this is proving to be one of them. And while some outlets are making a genuine effort to explain the subtleties of the situation, most are not. The unfortunate result is an oversimplified, bastardized narrative in which an unscrupulous vendor is partnered with some of the best-known apps in the world…and then selling user location data on the side.
That narrative is shamelessly misleading, but a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes.
In this new reality, where news stories about user privacy and data security spread like wildfire, brands will have to start keeping their eye on a much bigger picture: even if you're not making use of them, what other offerings are available from your tech partners? And could any of them become a liability for your brand in future?
Sephora Won’t Be The Last Brand Whose Data Foundation Needs A Touch-Up
This article is not related to the Kochava situation, but it is an example of exactly why it's so important maintain a well-groomed tech stack…and what can happen in this new privacy-aware world (big fines!) if you don't.
Industry Buzz
Apple plans to double its digital advertising business workforce
If you've been paying even a cursory degree of attention to the iOS tea leaves, the growth of Apple's ads team should be no surprise.
The only real question now is whether all this is just for ads in Apple’s own apps (Maps, Stocks, News, etc.), or for everyone else too (iAd 2.0). Because if Apple really wants to expand its ad revenue as much as this news suggests, they'll certainly have to look beyond their current App Store ad placements.
PS, if you don't have a Financial Times subscription, you can try clicking through from Twitter or reading this alternative article.
Data
Apple is gaining on Facebook and Google in online ads after iOS change
Following on from the story above, Appsumer published a new mobile ads marketshare report on Tuesday, and headlines like this one are the inevitable result.
As is often the case in these situations, I've heard some observers raise private doubts about the reliability of the underlying data. But at this point, there are so many signals pointing in the direction of 'Apple is doubling down on the ads business' that it doesn't really matter. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire.
Events
Mobile Growth Los Angeles
When: Tue, Sep 13, 6:30 PM (PDT).
Where: Cross Campus.
Panelist: Slickdeals.
Mobile Growth Online
When: Wed, Oct 5, 12:00 PM (PDT).
Where: Virtual Event.
Panelists: Slickdeals & Dine Brands.
Who’s Hiring?
- Cash App | Growth Marketing Lead, Paid Social — New York, NY | Remote
- Sweetgreen | CRM, Marketing Operations Manager — Los Angeles, CA | Remote
Do you have a mobile growth role you’d like to share with the community?
Just fill out this form — it’s free!
This issue of the newsletter is on the shorter side…but there were a few interesting developments this week that felt too timely to delay.
Let's start with the most obvious one: as predicted, iOS 16 is coming on Monday morning! SKAdNetwork 4.0 missed the train (it's still 'coming later this year'), but one privacy-related change will be included: a new pasteboard access permission. Make sure you're ready for it.
Also, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should consider dropping by the App Promotion Summit on September 29 — I'll be there and would love to say hi!
Alex Bauer