Apple Search Ads & Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs)
Updated: Dec 24, 2020
Unlike web-based tracking, which uses cookies, attributing results from specific marketing channels is more complex on mobile.
I view this as a good thing as mobile devices makers like iOS and Android have made user privacy a high priority. Search Engine Watch has a great article that delves into the specifics of Mobile App Attribution.
The downside for advertisers is it can be hard to tie down-funnel performance to specific marketing channels. This makes ROI calculations difficult. This is especially the case with Apple Search Ads as you cannot optimize campaigns for post-install events (registrations, opens, purchases, etc.). You can only optimize for impressions, taps, and installs.
Thankfully, there are solutions!
Apple Search Ads & MMPs
Apple Search Ads integrate with several mobile measurement partners (MMPs). MMPs are third-party analytics platforms that track in-app data and can tie ad campaign performance to in-app activity. The metrics that you track via an MMP are up to you. Below are a few examples of the types of events an advertiser may track by vertical:
Gaming – levels completed.
Retail – purchases & revenue.
Automotive – price quotes submitted.
The in-app data can then be tied to granular Search Ads dimensions like campaign, ad group, and keyword. You can then stitch together spend data from Apple with in-app data from MMPs to optimize for ROI.
Below are two hypothetical examples of what can happen when you only optimize for installs/cost per install (CPI) and don’t have visibility into in-app events like revenue.
Example #1: No MMP
Example #2: Has an MMP
If you don’t have an MMP, Keyword 1 would be preferable due to a low CPI. But as you can see, Keyword 2 is really the top performer when you factor in return on ad spend (ROAS).
Who Are the MMPs?
Here’s a list of the top players (listed in alphabetical order):
Adoya & Attribution
Adoya is an integrated partner with Branch but we’ll work with any MMP. Our goal is to ensure you’re getting the best of your Apple Search Ads campaigns & looking beyond the install.
What experience do you have with MMPs? Have you used those on our list or built a custom solution?
Stay tuned for future articles that will delve into Apple Search Ads attribution & optimization.