TikTok has announced a new solution for Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN), which is the ad and app performance tracking alternative that Apple now provides for marketers who are looking to measure campaign performance, while grappling with reduced datasets due to Apple’s iOS 14 App Tracking Transparency update.
SKAdNetwork enables anonymized performance tracking, built into Apple’s app network, so you can still gather campaign performance feedback from the system, even with users switching off full tracking.
In order to facilitate this, TikTok has now built a new SKAdNetwork framework into TikTok Ads Manager, which categorizes privacy thresholds into four different levels, with each level then corresponding “to varying degrees of granularity to be reported back to TikTok”.
As explained by TikTok:
“This tiered approach empowers Apple to enhance its API with crucial new features. As a result, mobile marketers and networks gain more information and reporting capabilities, leading to more meaningful campaign optimization through actionable insights.”
Yeah, it’s a technical solution, not for everyday advertisers. But for those seeking more in-depth data, and a better way to work with the latest Apple tracking changes, the new SKAdNetwork solution could provide valuable insight.
And if you have no clue what any of this even means, you’re in luck, because TikTok has also published a new overview manual, in partnership with AppsFlyer, to explain SKAdNetwork in more detail.
Essentially, the SKAdNetwork process will provide you with more performance data, via iOS actions, even as users switch off app tracking.
It’s not the same level of insight that you had previously, but it’s better than nothing, and it will better inform your overall campaign approach.
And it can improve performance. TikTok says that adopting SKAN 4.0 on TikTok has resulted in lower cost per acquisition and higher conversion rates for many partners.
If you have the technical capacity, and you need more data, it could be a good consideration.
You can learn more about TikTok’s SKAdNetwork integration here.
