Privacy manifests, iAd framework removal, Apple Vision Pro, Google Privacy Sandbox, and more

The first quarter of 2024 is a wrap, and the annual Kochava Summit hosted industry leaders in Sandpoint, ID, February 13-15. Check out all the excitement, photos, sponsors, and more on LinkedIn.

With 2024 in full swing, let’s unpack the most notable product and partnership updates of the year so far. Key highlights include:

• Privacy manifest prep for iOS 17
• iAd framework removal and required SDK updates
• SDK support for Apple Vision Pro
• Google Privacy Sandbox for Android
• TikTok SAN migration updates
• Release of Meta Install Referrer
• New Kochava Cost partners
• New and updated partner integrations

SDK Updates in Prep for Apple’s Privacy Manifests

New privacy manifest and SDK signature requirements for apps on iOS 17 go into effect May 1, 2024. Please consult this detailed blog post to understand what actions you may need to take on your next app update after May 1.

SDK Updates in Prep for iAd Framework Removal

In 2023, Apple deprecated the original iAd framework used to provide attribution for Apple Search Ads (ASA) after having launched the AdServices framework in 2021. See our related blog post about Kochava support for the AdServices framework.

Apple is now communicating that they will completely remove the iAd framework from iOS within the next year and a half, and any apps with SDKs containing iAd framework code will no longer launch on iPhone or iPad.

If you have any questions, please contact your client success manager or email support@kochava.com

Measurement Support for Apple Vision Pro

In February, Kochava updated its iOS SDK with visionOS support, enabling brands to measure apps on Apple’s Vision Pro, a virtual reality headset released at Apple’s 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple’s Vision Framework offers advanced computer vision technologies, enabling developers to create apps that deliver more immersive and interactive user experiences. The framework’s ability to process and analyze images and videos in real-time will undoubtedly lead to innovative features such as augmented reality (AR), object and scene recognition, more personalized content, and new frontiers for app innovation and customer engagement.

To measure apps on Vision Pro, be sure to use Kochava iOS SDK v8.

Google Privacy Sandbox for Android

Are you yearning to learn more about Google Privacy Sandbox for Android and how this key initiative will change mobile advertising? We encourage you to read our recent blog and watch the on-demand webinar Navigating Google Privacy Sandbox—Part 1. Part 2 is coming soon, so subscribe to our newsletter to be alerted when registration opens.

Kochava is an official testing partner for Privacy Sandbox as listed on Google’s partner page. If you’re interested in becoming an early testing partner in collaboration with Kochava, please connect with your client success manager.

TikTok SAN Auto-Migration Completed

For advertisers running campaigns with TikTok for Business, the automated migration of accounts to TikTok’s new self-attributing network (SAN) integration was completed in March. Please see this related blog post for further details.

If you opted out of the auto-migration, please connect with your TikTok account rep and Kochava client success manager to discuss the process for coordinated manual migration.

Meta Install Referrer Support

In January, Kochava released support for Meta Install Referrer, a new Android-specific measurement solution designed to help attribute ad views and clicks to app downloads. This helps advertisers see a more complete performance picture for their Meta Android Campaigns and will likely result in reduced unattributed installs in reporting, as some installs instead report as view-through or cross-session click-through installs. This supports same-session click-through attribution as well as use cases unsupported by Google Play Install Referrer. Read this related blog post to learn more.

New Kochava Cost Partners

Adjoe and Digital Turbine are the newest partners for Kochava cost aggregation support. Updates and enhancements were also made for InMobi and Unity Ads cost integrations. Kochava Cost enables advertisers to pull in accurate spend data across all omnichannel media partners into the Kochava dashboard for one, aggregated view. This helps advertisers better understand and visualize their return on ad spend to optimize campaigns for the greatest impact.

To browse a complete list of supported partners, please refer to this support documentation. You can also view the primary data fields (e.g., campaign, country, creative, site) that each partner’s cost API supports.

If you’re not currently measuring your spend through Kochava Cost, connect with your client success manager or email support@kochava.com to request a walk-through tutorial.

New Partners and Updated Integrations

Here is a list of new partners that completed a first-time integration with Kochava during Q1 2024, followed by existing partners that made updates to their integrations.

• Abacus
• Acquaad pvt ltd.
• AdCloud
• Adeo Media
• Adkiko
• Adsever
• Affrise Media
• aivdigital
• Akinsta
• AppBlizz
• Appska
• Audiomob
• Azzure Media
• Backstreet Affiliates
• Big Media
• BlazeMobi
• BrainX
• brockads
• CASH CAMP AFF
• Clickmob
• Clipad
• Cocomob
• DC

• DigiAce Media Private Limited
• DigitalPaw
• Digitnetic IT Solutions Pvt Ltd
• Dreamad
• Dreammobi
• Enthusiast Gaming
• Epsilon
• Evadav
• Flyhead Media Private Limited
• GMThub
• hopemobi
• influx
• Jampp CTV
• Leadmob
• Leadsorbit
• LinkGoAds
• Magneta Digital
• Media Tasks
• mobitech
• Munimob
• MyBid
• Octaads
• OTMR SURVEY (OPC) PVT LTD

• PEAKADS PTE. LTD.
• PineMobi
• Quasarmobi
• quiver
• Rozmob
• Santa Digisolution
• seanear
• Sinfin Ads
• Sparkads
• SunMedia
• SuperAdMedia
• SWT
• TARBOCH
• Tarsan_Propellerads
• Toraaprime
• TrackonAds
• Xplore Digital
• Yoyomob

• Aanicca Ventures Inc
• Admind Technologies
• Adquant Apple Search Ads
• Adsbalance
• Advertmobile
• Applovin
• BIGO Ads
• Cauly
• CJ Affiliate Universal
• Clickdealer
• Curate Mobile
• DEPP
• Digimotive
• Digital Adz Hub
• Digital Turbine
• DST
• Epsilon
• Facebook Conversion API
• Facebook Conversions API

• GameAnalytics
• Google Ads Validation Ping
• Google Web
• Impact
• InMobi DSP
• Kakao
• Kakao_valupotion
• kwaiforbusiness
• LeadGenetics
• Lenovo
• Martin
• Melodong
• Mobidea
• Mobivity
• Mobnerve
• MOLOCO
• Naver performance display ad
• O2Global
• Quantcast

• Quantcast Search Ads Maven
• Reddit
• RelizNET
• Remerge
• Rocket Lab
• Roku OneView
• Sinfin Ads
• Skai Apple Search Ads
• Softonic
• The Trade Desk
• TikTok for Business SAN
• tvScientific
• Two Trey BINOM
• Tyroo
• U2opia
• UnityAds
• Xplore Digital
• Yelohi
• Zoomd DSP

Steps to take with your next iOS app update after May 1, 2024

Per a February 29 post from Apple, beginning May 1, 2024, developers submitting an app update that leverages commonly used third-party software development kits (SDKs) identified by Apple will be required to update versions of these SDKs to include a privacy manifest and signature.

While the Kochava SDK has not been added to the list of SDKs requiring privacy manifests starting May 1, we recommend that our clients be aware of and start planning for what we believe will become a requirement for all mobile measurement partner (MMP) SDKs in the near future.

Please consult this helpful checklist:

#1 Understand the Impacts of Privacy Manifests

The upcoming change to Apple’s requirements is important for developers utilizing any SDKs, including Kochava iOS SDKs. The introduction of privacy manifests marks a significant shift in how developers manage third-party SDKs within their iOS apps. The core takeaway is the accountability placed on developers for all code within their apps, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing data collection practices. Privacy manifests empower developers to retain SDK functionality while adhering to privacy standards—requiring user consent for data tracking via the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework.

Please find a prior blog post here that provides additional details around the launch of Apple’s privacy manifests.

#2 Pay Special Attention to Tracking Domains

A critical aspect of implementing privacy manifests involves declaring tracking domains. This process entails identifying and declaring any domains that track users through data collected by the app. When a domain is declared, any traffic from the app to the domain is blocked if the user has not been prompted and opted in through the ATT framework. As such, incorrect implementation could unintentionally restrict essential functionalities. For this reason, it’s crucial to work closely with Kochava, and any of your other SDK providers, to ensure correct implementation.

#3 Using a Kochava SDK? Here’s What You Need to Know

Our team has released iOS SDK version 8, which adds a specific tracking module to fully support privacy manifests and the required SDK signature. Tracking domains are automatically built into v8’s privacy manifest file, meaning that developers do not have to declare these domains manually.

Please consult this support documentation, which covers the process for migrating to iOS SDK version 8.

What happens if you choose the wrong path?
If you choose the incorrect path, Apple will simply reject your app submission, and you will know you need a privacy manifest. Your app will not suddenly be removed from the App Store. Contact your client success manager or Support@Kochava.com for guidance along the way.

How to become an early testing partner with Kochava

Google Privacy Sandbox for Web has recently come increasingly under the microscope as the adtech industry witnesses early signs of third-party cookie deprecation’s impact on ad monetization across the open web. With Google’s 1% third-party cookie deprecation beta for Chrome users starting in early January, initial observations have noted Chrome users without cookies monetizing approximately 30% worse than users with cookies.

Propelling the adtech industry toward a more privacy-first approach is a massive undertaking, especially for the most dominant mobile and browser ecosystem in the world. Google is taking a collaborative approach with the industry to tackle this monumental shift, and Kochava is thrilled to be partnering with industry leaders such as IAB Tech Lab to ensure that Privacy Sandbox meets our customer’s needs. As a longstanding mobile measurement partner (MMP), Kochava is particularly focused on the coming of Privacy Sandbox for Android—and its implications for the mobile ecosystem.

A Refresh on Privacy Sandbox for Android

In August 2019, Google launched Privacy Sandbox as an initiative to develop new standards for websites to access Chrome user information without compromising user privacy. In February 2022, Google announced that Privacy Sandbox would be coming to its mobile operating system, Android. Privacy Sandbox for Android is often likened to Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN), a privacy-enhancing technology for understanding iOS campaign performance in a privacy-first world, although the scope and impact of Sandbox will extend beyond SKAN’s purview.

In their own words, here are Google’s stated goals with Sandbox for Android:

So what are the tools in the Sandbox? As illustrated in the following graphic, Privacy Sandbox on Android consists of four primary technologies. Let’s unpack each in further detail.

Attribution Reporting API

The Attribution Reporting API serves as a privacy-first solution for marketers to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. It facilitates the aggregation of conversion reporting data (triggers) from different sources (i.e., attribution data from an ad click or impression) while maintaining individual user privacy. Using this API, marketers can assess the impact of campaigns without compromising individual user identities—ensuring privacy compliance while still providing a base level of performance insight for the purposes of campaign optimization.

Similar to SKAN for iOS, the Attribution Reporting API within Sandbox features privacy-preserving thresholds and outputs only anonymous, aggregated performance data. No user or device-level data is available. Unlike SKAN, which originally supported only app-to-app conversion paths (until the release of web-to-app support for Safari in SKAN 4.0), Sandbox will support app-to-app, app-to-web, web-to-app, and web-to-web user paths from the outset.

This API supports observance of measurement data through two types of attribution reports:

• Event Level Reports connect specific attribution sources from an ad click or ad impression with trigger data from conversions. The fidelity of signal output is more limited, as the connection is one-to-one.
• Aggregatable Reports provide a richer fidelity of trigger conversion data, but in only an aggregate format not necessarily tied to particular attribution source data.

Kochava is currently focused on testing Event Level Reports, which more closely resemble the style of reporting through SKAN on iOS.

Why it’s important
The current state of mobile attribution on Android relies on Google Advertising ID (GAID), UTM referrer, and/or other device characteristics, including user agent and IP address, that may be transmitted off device to perform one-to-one attribution between an ad impression or click and the resulting conversion. The Attribution Reporting API will eliminate reliance on this user and device-level data and bring advertising measurement on device. Sensitive signals will no longer need to be sent off device—making them unavailable for unauthorized collection, use, and covert tracking. With the eventual deprecation of GAID, UTM referrer, and access to other device signals, the Attribution Reporting API will be the lifeline through which marketers can understand the performance of their campaigns to inform their optimization decisions.

See Google Developer Documentation HERE.

Protected Audience API (formerly FLEDGE)

Originally named FLEDGE, now affectionately called PAAPI (Protected Audience Application Programming Interface), this set of APIs aims to support on-device auctions for remarketing and custom audience segmentation based on interest groups. The goal is to serve personalized ads to users in line with previous app engagement, but without any third-party data sharing.

Why it’s important
User data no longer needs to be sent off device for the purposes of building user profiles attached to GAIDs or other device/user-data derived profiles for personalized ad targeting across ad networks, DSPs, and other ad platforms. Adtech vendors will be able to tap into anonymous, yet highly accurate signals to inform ad buys based on user behaviors, interests, and historical app usage.

See Google Developer Documentation HERE.

Topics API

The Topics API in Google’s Privacy Sandbox for Android is designed to give marketers a privacy-centric method to target relevant audiences based on their interests. Advertisers can understand the topics engaged by users and serve them personalized and targeted ads without revealing individual user identities—respecting user privacy and maintaining data confidentiality. A topics taxonomy will provide hundreds to potentially thousands of human-curated interest labels that help categorize a user by interests.

Why it’s important
One might liken this to IAB Tech Lab’s Audience Taxonomy, which provides standard nomenclature for the classification of audience segments. The Topics API will provide the new standard for classifying Android users for targeting purposes by leveraging on-device learning. This replaces ad tech platforms collecting user and device data to build their own profiles on users attached to GAIDs or other third-party generated identifiers.

See Google Developer Documentation HERE.

SDK Runtime

SDK Runtime establishes a more secure framework for apps integrating third-party software development kits (SDKs). Because app developers are not always aware of a third-party SDK’s full functionality and data collection practices, SDK Runtime places third-party SDKs into a modified execution environment featuring well-defined permissions and data access rights privileges.

Why it’s important
Over the years, adtech news publications have featured many stories about rogue, third-party SDKs behind advertising fraud schemes, covert data collection, and other nefarious practices. While these SDKs were intended to leverage valuable app functions and features, rogue actors have been known to hide covert functionality deep within their codebase, enabling them to exploit data-access permissions for nefarious purposes, unbeknownst to the developer who integrated them for legitimate use cases. SDK Runtime technology will put third-party SDKs in a dedicated runtime environment that makes such exploitation impossible—giving app developers and the end consumer peace of mind.

The complete library of Kochava Android SDKs will be available through SDK Runtime.

See Google Developer Documentation HERE.

MMPs and the Attribution Reporting API

Let’s zoom in on the Attribution Reporting API—a key focus for the team here at Kochava.

Mobile measurement partners (MMPs) are able to integrate with the API to provide conversion analytics and performance insights for advertisers under the new privacy framework of Sandbox. It’s important to note that while ad network vendors can use the API to receive self-attributed event and summary reports for conversions they drive/influence, only an MMP is positioned to provide cross-network, last-touch attribution by integrating with the array of aggregation services set up by various ad network vendors. Google lays out multiple scenarios for cross-network attribution with an MMP in this developer documentation. Similar to how MMPs work as a unified decoder ring of sorts for the various SKAN-enabled media partners with which a brand is running campaigns, MMPs will again be sitting at the intersection, translating cross-network Sandbox data into a holistic reporting layer marketers can make sense of.

The Attribution Reporting API also provides for lookback window configurability adjustable by the advertiser and/or via their MMP partner. This is more flexibility than we see on SKAN, where such windows are fixed. Sandbox also provides 30 days of post-install event measurement for better user quality and retention insights out of the gate, compared to what SKAN offered at launch.

As neutral third-party measurement services, Kochava and other MMPs play an important role in the advertising ecosystem. The Attribution Reporting API provides both event-level and aggregated attribution reporting to MMPs, which along with other aggregated omni-channel data helps MMPs empower marketers to understand overall campaign effectiveness and optimize spend across multiple media channels. The Privacy Sandbox model creates opportunities for MMPs to innovate with privacy-focused solutions that decomplicate the lives of marketers amid the increasingly complex privacy considerations of digital advertising.

Kochava Sandbox Testing

Kochava engineering and Android SDK development teams have commenced testing of the primary Attribution Reporting API flow:

1. Registering ad clicks or views (impressions) that lead users to a particular app or website to complete a conversion (known as attribution sources)
2. Next, registering triggers (conversions) that signify a user taking a valuable action such as installing an app, making a purchase, or starting a free trial
3. The Attribution Reporting API receiving both attribution sources and triggers, making relevant matches for conversion attribution and sending one or more triggers off device through event-level and aggregatable reports

Are you interested in Sandbox testing with Kochava?

While testing is already underway with a small selection of clients and partners, we’re looking to expand our testing group. Please note that currently our testing is focused on Event Level Reports.

Stay Updated

Privacy Sandbox for Android is a multi-year effort, and Google has not given an exact timeline for general release. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected and up to date on future Privacy Sandbox milestones and related updates to Kochava products and services. You can also enroll for notifications directly from Google.

Minimal impacts to Kochava and what marketers need to know

On January 4, Google began rolling out third-party cookie deprecation by default for 1% of Chrome users. For perspective, Chrome commands a 63% global web browser market share, with some 3.2 billion users⁽¹⁾. According to Google’s announcement, this action is being implemented to facilitate testing ahead of a full roll-out in Q3 2024, when the change will be in effect for 100% of Chrome users.

Other browsers, including Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox, have already introduced privacy-driven initiatives that limit the use and application of third-party cookies; however, complete deprecation still remained on a distant horizon. That’s changing here in 2024.

Additionally, third-party cookies enabled advertisers to measure metrics such as click-through rates, conversions, and attribution across devices and sites, providing visibility into how users interacted with ads across the customer journey. This helped optimize campaigns for higher return on investment.

Publishers leveraged third-party cookies to serve interest-based ads on their sites, retarget prior visitors, and measure ad engagement, using the data to maximize yield from their ad revenue.

In recent years, increasing privacy legislation and browser restrictions have limited the capabilities of third-party cookies. As the industry transitions, alternative privacy-focused solutions are emerging for audience targeting, personalization, and measurement.

How do these changes affect the measurement and attribution solutions provided by Kochava?

Kochava and Third-Party Cookie Deprecation

The attribution methodologies employed by Kochava for its measurement solutions do not rely on third-party cookies. To perform attribution of conversion outcomes back to ad campaigns, Kochava leverages the following:

• Device identifiers—gathered with user consent and in compliance with applicable policies of the respective device operating systems (OS)
• Authenticated partner attribution APIs—common with self-attributing networks to support deterministic and/or modeled conversion attribution
• Install referrer solutions—available across a variety of app stores (Google Play, Samsung, Huawei) and certain publishers (Meta)
• Privacy-first measurement frameworks—SKAdNetwork on iOS; upcoming Privacy Sandbox on Android
• Probabilistic and/or contextual device metadata—configurable by the end advertiser based on chosen privacy settings across platforms, devices, and partners
• Third-party identity graphs—via partnerships with Blockgraph and other third-party identity/household graph providers
• Aggregated, market-level data—leveraged as a privacy-first input for marketing mix modeling (MMM) solutions such as AIM by Kochava

While Kochava attribution functionality is not affected, it’s important to understand the impact on your mobile web-based campaigns. We recommend communicating with the ad networks, demand-side platforms, and/or super publishers you run mobile web-based campaigns with to understand how their ad targeting, retargeting, and/or optimization capabilities may be impacted.

Stay Updated

Subscribe to our newsletter for ongoing updates on industry developments. For specific questions about your Kochava account, please contact your client success manager or email Support@Kochava.com for any specific questions.

Android-specific measurement solution benefits advertisers

App install reporting on Meta Android Campaigns is improving within Kochava. Our integrations team has been working closely with Meta on the implementation of a new solution called Meta install referrer, and we are excited to announce that support is live as of January 5, 2024. We are now able to share install-level reporting on additional measurement use cases for clients who choose to leverage this solution.

What Is Meta Install Referrer?

Meta install referrer is an Android-specific measurement solution designed to help attribute ad views and clicks to the correlating app download. This means that it supports same-session click-through attribution as well as use cases unsupported by Google Play Install Referrer: most view-through attribution and cross session click-through attribution.

What Is the User Flow?

When a user views or clicks on an advertiser’s app install ad on Meta’s app (i.e., Facebook or Instagram), Meta’s app encrypts and logs the relevant ad campaign metadata in the Meta app’s local storage layer on-device.

Once the resulting install completes and the user first opens the app, the Kochava Android software development kit (SDK) reads Meta install referrer data from the local storage layer on-device and uses it for install attribution.

How Does Meta Install Referrer Help?

Advertisers will now see a more complete performance picture for their Meta Android Campaigns. It’s anticipated that the volume of unattributed installs in your reports will reduce and instead report as view-through or cross session click-through installs.

How to Use Meta Install Referrer with Kochava

Minimum Android SDK Version
To use Meta install referrer for your Android app(s), you need to be using Kochava Android SDK version 5.1.0 or higher. Please see the Meta/Facebook entry under the Additional Steps section of this support document.

Inputting Your Install Referrer Decryption Key
To enable decryption of Meta Install Referrer payloads, be sure to follow the steps outlined in this support document to input your Install Referrer Decryption Key. For Meta install referrer, there are two steps:

1. Your application development team needs to acknowledge the on-device connection between our and Meta’s client-side tech. Simply follow these steps on your next application submission to Google Play (or respective Android APK location).

2. Kochava leverages the same process used for Google Play Install Referrer, which involves a decryption key. If you already entered this key to support Google Play Install Referrer per this support document, you do not need to repeat these steps.

Please note that the Kochava attribution waterfall uses only one of the three attribution methods across Meta install referrer, Google Play Install Referrer, and self-attributing network claims—ensuring that both aggregate and user-level output do not contain duplication.

These new install-level reports are available both through Kochava install detail reports and Kochava Query within the installs_primary table.

FAQs Answered by Meta

Is there support for iOS?
No, iOS does not have an equivalent to the Meta install referrer mechanism.

When is Meta install referrer applicable for attribution?

• Install attribution
  • Click-through attribution for all campaigns
  • View-through attribution for all Advantage+ App Campaigns and Manual App Promotion Campaigns with broad targeting (e.g., where age, gender are set to “default).
• Google Play Store and 3rd party app stores
• Does not include campaigns redirecting to landing pages

How does Meta define broad targeting?
Broad targeting is required to receive view-through install data. You can find the supported campaign configuration below:

• Age: Default setting (18-65+) is applied
• Gender: Default setting (All genders) is applied.
• Location: Country groups, countries are all supported.
  • Note: For more targeted locations (such as cities or zip codes), if the campaign uses inclusion targeting with any of these, it would need to be set as relaxed.
• Detailed Targeting: Interest segments, behaviors, advanced demographics are set as relaxed.
• Custom Audiences: Set as relaxed.
  • By relaxed, we mean that the following box should be ticked in ad campaigns:

For additional questions, please connect with your Meta account representative. If you need help checking your configuration in Kochava, please contact your client success manager or email support@kochava.com.

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Leverage these four insights to boost your advertising strategy in the new year

The landscape of connected TV (CTV) advertising is in a state of rapid transformation, presenting brands with an expanding array of platforms and devices to reach viewers streaming content over-the-top (OTT) of the internet. In this blog, we’ll unpack four key insights derived from the “Supercharge Your CTV Advertising with Outcomes-based Measurement” webinar, hosted by Kochava and featuring experts from Samsung Ads and Sling TV. Dive in as we explore these takeaways so you can leverage them to enhance your CTV advertising strategy in 2024.

#1 Understanding the Inventory and Device Ecosystem

The key to mastering CTV advertising lies in navigating its fragmented nature. As inventories expand and category lines blur, it becomes crucial to understand where and how ads can be served. This knowledge allows for strategic placements and enhanced visibility, ensuring that campaigns reach their intended audiences effectively. Here’s a brief overview:

Streaming Services: Ads can now be served on various streaming services (OTT platforms) such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, where viewers consume on-demand content. While certain services offer an ad-free experience at a premium subscription rate, most have introduced discounted tiers in exchange for ads.

FAST Channels: Free ad-supported streaming TV channels offer linear and on-demand viewing experiences that is 100% free with commercial breaks where ads can be inserted.

Network Apps: Many traditional TV networks have their own streaming apps or digital platforms where viewers can stream live or on-demand content, providing ad slots within these streams.

Connected Devices: Ads can be served through a variety of devices used to stream content. These devices can include smart TVs, CTV set top boxes and sticks (Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, etc.), mobile phones and tablets, and even gaming consoles.

Programmatic Exchanges: Automated buying and selling of CTV ad inventory through programmatic exchanges enable advertisers to target specific audiences across multiple CTV apps and services.

Direct Deals/Purchases: Advertisers can directly purchase ad slots from CTV publishers or platforms, often guaranteeing premium placement and specific audience targeting.

Cross-Device Targeting: Serving ads on CTV, then retargeting those viewers on other devices like smartphones or tablets can create a cohesive multi-device advertising strategy.

#2 The Emergence of FAST Channels

FAST channel revenue is projected to reach $12bn in 2027. This forecast highlights a major shift in viewing habits to audiences increasingly favoring free, ad-supported content. This trend affords marketers a prime opportunity to connect with diverse demographics, particularly cord-cutters and millennials. To effectively engage these viewers, advertisers might target their campaigns within popular content genres on FAST channels, such as classic TV shows and movies.

Ad format selection is key, with pre-roll ads showing strong completion rates and mid-roll ads keeping viewers engaged. Interactive ads, though rarer, can significantly enhance engagement. Marketers must also consider user behavior, including viewing times and multi-screen interactions, to optimize ad impact.

#3 Advancing Measurement for Tangible Outcomes

The paradigm of CTV advertising measurement is shifting from traditional metrics such as impressions and reach to outcomes-based approaches. Advertisers now seek to connect ad views with consumer actions, aiming to quantify the impact of their campaigns in terms of tangible results such as website visits, purchases, or app installations. As a result, CTV is no longer just a brand marketing play, but also a performance marketing medium where marketers can connect spend to direct response performance.

Learn more about outcomes-based measurement in this related post.

#4 Revitalize Your Strategy

When it comes to CTV campaigns, a clear objective-oriented strategy is paramount. Advertisers should consider the full spectrum of inventory options, including unguaranteed spaces, to reach their target audiences effectively without overspending on data fees. The focus should be on delivering high-quality, engaging content, while also being mindful of frequency capping and the importance of testing different approaches.

The Role of Creative in Streaming Ads
The transformation in viewer behavior has given rise to interactive ad formats like shoppable ads. Utilizing QR codes and cross-device targeting strategies, these ads offer a bridge between CTV and mobile, enhancing the potential for audience engagement. Creatives should be high-resolution and crafted to align with the campaign’s KPIs, ensuring they captivate viewers and drive the desired action.

The Intersection of Brands and Custom Content
As brands explore the FAST space, the opportunity to create custom content tailored to campaign objectives and target audiences presents a novel way to engage with viewers. Sponsorships and partnerships in this space enable brands to craft unique experiences that resonate with their audience.

Navigate Your CTV Campaigns with Kochava

Accurate outcome measurement is the linchpin of campaign success. With tools that facilitate attribution and optimization, Kochava’s analytics and attribution solutions are at the forefront of enabling this precision. Brands seeking to explore custom content or channel bundling will benefit from partnerships that offer access to proprietary data, enhancing their ability to measure and understand their impact across CTV platforms.

The future of CTV advertising demands a blend of informed decision-making, adaptability, and strategic flexibility. By embracing a variety of strategies, including outcomes-based measurement and innovative creative approaches, brands can shape their success in the dynamic world of CTV advertising. For those eager to dive deeper into the intricacies of CTV advertising and hear directly from industry experts, the on-demand webinar featuring insights from Samsung Ads, SlingTV, and Kochava is available now.

Want to talk with an expert about your CTV campaign measurement? Contact us.

New Account Usage dashboard, Google Ads SKAN integration updates, TikTok migration, and more

Happy New Year from Kochava, and welcome to 2024! This year is shaping up to be pivotal for AdTech. Be sure to check out Kochava’s Predictions for Top Tech Trends in 2024 and app developer predictions from our CTO, Ethan Lewis, in App Developer Magazine.

Let’s take a quick look back at notable product and partnership updates that rounded out 2023 here at Kochava. Key highlights include:

• New Account Usage dashboard
• Google Ads SKAN integration updates
• TikTok SAN migration updates
• Snapchat updates
• New and updated partner integrations

New Account Usage Dashboard

An Account Usage dashboard is now available in the Kochava platform. It can be found under the Account Options interface by selecting Account Usage from the left-hand navigation menu.

This dashboard provides our clients with quick access to billing-related metrics, so they can understand account usage trends for a given time period. Available metrics include:

• Monthly Active Devices
• Total Matched Installs
  • Matched Installs
  • Self-Attributing Network (SAN) Claims
  • SKAdNetwork Conversions
• Reengagements
• Impressions
• Clicks

For more information on this new dashboard and available metrics, please consult this support document.

Google Ads SKAN Integration Updates

Our integrations team is actively finishing updates to our Google Ads SKAdNetwork (SKAN) integration that will

• Migrate Google Ads SKAN data ingestion to use the v15 API, which supports SKAN 4.0 conversion data.
• Pass SKAN conversion model mapping to Google Ads the first time a user adds their credentials to facilitate improved Google Ads SKAN reporting in Kochava.
• Send an updated SKAN conversion model mapping to Google Ads whenever a user updates their conversion model configuration within Kochava.

Once these integration updates are completed later in January, Kochava will facilitate a one-time push to pass all existing conversion model mappings to Google Ads for any advertisers that previously entered their credentials to facilitate Google Ads SKAN reporting.

For additional questions, please contact your client success manager or email support@kochava.com.

TikTok SAN Migration

Per this prior post related to the migration of TikTok for Business Ads to a self-attributing network integration model, TikTok is targeting March 20, 2024, to have all apps cut over to the new integration. TikTok account representatives are actively reaching out to encourage clients to make the transition. If you have not yet contacted Kochava to have us run the automated script that programmatically migrates your account, please reach out to your client success manager or email support@kochava.com.

Snapchat Reengagement Attribution and VTA Reporting Restrictions

If you’re running reengagement campaigns with Snapchat and would like to see increased performance for iOS, Kochava supports attribution using the campaign details included in the _Deeplink event metadata. Please reference this support doc, which outlines the required steps.
If you’re uncertain about the _Deeplink event implementation for any of your apps and whether you’re set up to benefit from this update, connect with your client success manager or email support@kochava.com.

Separately, Snapchat view-through attribution (VTA) reporting restriction began as of January 8, 2024. See our prior post on this subject for more details.

New Partners and Updated Integrations

Here is a list of new partners that recently completed a first-time integration with Kochava, followed by existing partners that made updates to their integrations.

New Partner Integrations

• ADacts
• Adfill
• Adstarling
• adstreet digital
• Adtrio
• Advermatic
• Adwizard Media
• AmNetworkads
• apeironads
• Appalley Private Limited
• Backgardon
• Bidshade Media
• BighkMedia

• BIKIKO
• CloudCampaigns
• Datazop
• Digital ShoutOuts Media Pvt. Ltd.
• Fuksiarz
• Gingko
• GlobalMobile Ads
• Hunginstall
• Innovia
• JioCoupons (Jio Platforms Limited)
• Kavanga FZC LLC
• lnr_aff

• Mingle Ads
• Nextag
• Phyads Media
• qlmobi
• REPLUG Agency
• S3G6
• Skai Ads Apple Search Ads
• Smart Earning Affiliate
• Sony Playstation
• Tat-Adz
• Topsmobi
• Vinmedia

Updated Partner Integrations

• adjoe
• adMarketplace
• Adquant Apple Search Ads
• ADSCHOLARS Marketing Management
• Amazon Ads
• Amplitude
• Apcanopus
• Appier
• Avow
• Bonjour Techies
• CLO
• Cognitiv

• CY
• DEPP
• Discipline Digital
• EZmob
• Flashtalking
• Google Ads (XNA)
• InMobi
• Joinship
• LiveTop Media
• Livingnet Media
• MAAS
• Maddict
• Maddict
• Memob+
• MobYoung

• MVP LLC
• NMRDigital
• NMRDigital
• Playwire
• Roku OneView
• Searchads.com by Mobile Action
• Spectrum Digital
• StackAdapt
• tvScientific
• Vytomi Media
• Yahoo – Gemini
• Yahoo!
• Yelohi

If you’re an ad network, publisher, DSP, or other partner looking to integrate with Kochava, please contact Integrations@Kochava.com.
For a list of all integrated networks and publishers, click here.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding these updates, please contact your client success manager or email support@kochava.com. Always stay in the know by subscribing to our newsletter.

Unpacking key takeaways from Kochava’s recent AI webinar

In a recent dynamic webinar on Generative AI’s potential within AdTech, an expert ensemble discussed pivotal insights and perspectives. Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from the discussion.

Must-Know: AI Defined

To begin, Ethan Lewis, CTO at Kochava, provided clarity on what AI truly is—an approach to training computer systems to perform tasks that mimic human behavior. But it’s more than that: it converges mathematics, computer science, and cognitive science to simulate human intellect. Lewis smartly differentiated AI into ‘Narrow AI’; focused on specific tasks, and ‘Artificial General Intelligence’ (AGI) that can self-learn and explore new concepts—although largely theoretical at this point.

Large Language Models (LLMs): Opaque Monsters or Tools of Potential?

One question that came up was about the secrecy surrounding large language models (LLMs). Lewis clarified that these models are essentially black boxes—their internal workings are not well understood due to their complexity and the billions of parameters involved in their operation. This lack of transparency, according to Lewis, indeed poses a unique challenge. However, he also pointed out that leveraging LLMs is an essential part of integrating AI into AdTech.

AI In Real-World AdTech

Katie Darren, Manager of Client Analytics at Kochava, noted a number of existing applications of AI, including machine learning. She detailed Kochava’s long-standing predictive churn modeling that leverages learnings from the first seven days of user engagement post-install to anticipate how that user will behave in a customer’s app for the subsequent 30 days. These insights, in turn, prime better marketing responses, especially when coupled with channel and campaign attribution. Marketing dollars can readily be optimized toward the channel partners, campaigns, and strategies that drive the highest engagement and user retention rates.

Mike Brooks, an AdTech investor and advisor, chimed in about the positive potential generative AI could have in real-world AdTech, particularly in media buying. All the experts collectively acknowledged the potential for generative AI to glean deeper insights about customers through generated content and analyze vast amounts of data to optimize advertising campaigns quicker and smarter.

Drawing the Fine Line: Brand Guidelines and AI

All excitement aside, the road to AI liberation isn’t without bumps. Brooks expressed reservations about generative AI’s potential to infringe brand guidelines and dilute brand identities. One solution is training AI on brand guidelines to ensure compliance and always maintaining human checkpoints along the way. Emphasis was also put on implementing ethical practices, such as citing, tracking, and watermarking generated content to ensure brand authenticity and transparency on the use of AI.

Hamilton Radcliffe, GM of Search Ads Maven at Kochava, further spotlighted success quantification issues while using AI for marketing, emphasizing the need for clear success criteria and direction. Nonetheless, Radcliffe sees a future where businesses could focus more on their primary goals while the menial, mundane marketing tasks take care of themselves through AI-driven automation.

The Promise of Generative AI in Marketing

Despite their concerns, the speakers were optimistic about the paradigm-shifting potential of generative AI in marketing, enabling marketers to learn more about their customers and better tailor advertising strategies accordingly. A particular question from the audience fueled this discussion by pondering whether generative AI could trigger a substantial uptake in multivariate testing for all elements of ad campaigns. Boosting the point, Mike Brooks added that research suggests the possibility of achieving scale faster using AI, having more efficient testing, and wasting fewer impressions.

The speakers all agreed that over the next 6 to 12 months, creative roles would see a seismic shift. The capacity to generate various content forms and personalized recommendations is set to be a key driver of marketing operations.

The Future of AI in AdTech

Generative AI holds unfathomable promise for the future of AdTech and marketing, with its potential to revolutionize creative applications, customer interaction, and campaign optimization. However, brand guidelines and ethical considerations need to stay at the forefront of this technological push for balance and sustainability. Rest assured, it’s a thrilling new chapter that’s only just beginning to be written. Brooks had thought-provoking advice for SMBs looking to get their feet wet with AI: leverage larger companies who’ve already paved the way in adopting AI into their platforms.

Kochava, as an example, recently added an AI Prompt to its platform in order to allow marketers to more easily and quickly extract insights from their marketing data. Learn more about Kochava AI Prompt here.

How are you planning to work generative AI into your marketing workflows? Get in touch with us to see how we can help.

Catch the Full Webinar On Demand

Our on-demand webinar, “Generative AI’s Explosive Potential in AdTech“, is available now! Hear the entire discussion directly from seasoned industry professionals about the potential and challenges of AI. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your understanding and apply these insights directly to your digital marketing strategies. Don’t just keep pace with the industry; set it.

The North Face’s ascent to optimized measurement

The North Face, a globally recognized brand under the VF Corporation, has a robust international footprint in the retail sector. Their eCommerce app rewards users with loyalty points through the XPLR Pass program, creating a dynamic and engaging shopping experience. However, with such a diverse range of brand entities, The North Face faced a significant challenge: efficiently consolidating data from multiple media channels and in-app events into a single platform.

The Solution: Measurement & Attribution with Kochava

The Impact: Consolidated Media Channels and Increased User Acquisition

The North Face has successfully consolidated all paid and owned media channels onto a single, unified platform, enhancing data integrity and providing valuable insights into the origins of their most devoted clientele. Armed with a comprehensive overview of campaign performance, they can readily identify the top-performing channels and in-app events that foster the most impactful growth.

Within a span of 60 days, The North Face witnessed an impressive 41% surge in new user acquisition and more than a 60% increase in app users who joined the XPLR pass program through their owned media channels, showcasing consistent month-over-month growth and an overall boost in-app engagement.

The Power of Effective Owned Media Measurement

By leveraging Kochava’s solutions, The North Face was able to streamline their data, gain valuable insights, and ultimately drive significant growth in their user base and loyalty program. Inspired by The North Face’s success story? Explore Kochava’s comprehensive suite of mobile measurement solutions today and see how they can help your business achieve similar results.

For a deeper dive into The North Face’s journey, you can access the full case study here.