Kochava Unveils Support for SKAdNetwork

Offering a standard adoption approach for advertisers and registered SKAd networks

Every advertiser and participating SKAd network has important decisions to make over the coming months as to how, and if, they’ll adopt Apple’s SKAdNetwork. SKAd provides a means to anonymously attribute an install to a given ad network and by design, only allows aggregate reporting of ad network performance. 

SKAd has some limitations, and it should not be considered as replacement for IDFA-based or probabilistic device-level attribution provided by mobile measurement partners (MMPs). For example, it is not possible to use SKAd to attribute an individual click to an install at the device level. Another caveat is that SKAd does not send real-time conversion postbacks to ad networks. 

Other known limitations of SKAd include: 

• No view-through attribution or impression visibility
• No row-level install or in-app conversion reporting (aggregated conversions only)
• No reengagement/retargeting support
• No device ID or user-level visibility
• Campaign tracking parameter limited to values (1-100)
• Lack of real-time postback signals for optimization
• Inability to perform multi-touch attribution with reporting of influencers
• Lack of clarity around attribution configurability

For the foreseeable future, the SKAd will live alongside tools, like Kochava, that offer real-time, row-level attribution insights consented to and based on the IDFA where appropriate and probabilistic in the absence of app tracking consent. 

Kochava is uniquely positioned to support Apple’s SKAdNetwork

The real-time network infrastructure, 4,500+ integrated partner footprint, and data syndication capabilities developed by Kochava to serve the largest enterprise brands in the world puts us in prime position to help provide standardization and scalability to SKAd adoption for advertisers and participating SKAd networks. 

Snapshot of Kochava SKAd Solutions

Kochava is working with partners across the ecosystem to establish a standard reporting framework usable by any MMP and produced by any ad network using SKAd for deterministic, cohort-based attribution reporting. Due to the limitations of SKAd and postback delays from Apple to ad networks, Kochava understands the value in having a consistent reporting structure. It will facilitate ad networks to report on SKAd cohort outcomes and enable MMPs to consume the cohort reporting to augment real-time results based on probabilistic attribution. 

By standardizing reporting between vendors, Kochava will consume the cohort-based measurement signal produced via SKAd participants and box-balance the cohorts against the resulting attributed conversions from probabilistic measures. This will enable marketers to validate probabilistic efforts with the signal from SKAd despite being cohort-based and not device-based.

Kochava has experience providing incrementality reports which deliver aggregated cohort insights and quantify relative lift-over-base performance on a per-channel or campaign basis. Our expertise in this area over the past few years will serve our customers well as we deliver a differentiated value proposition to marketers who scale omnichannel media efforts. Further, the ability to link exposure against control and cross-reference with cohort-based attribution via SKAd enables marketers to remain informed in their media efforts.

Handling SKAd calls for advertisers

In SKAd, the advertised app is responsible for making two calls: the registerAppForAdNetworkAttribution() or updateConversionValue(_:). The upcoming Kochava SDK for iOS 14 will wrap these calls and/or make these calls automatically on the developer’s behalf, simplifying the adoption effort for our advertiser customers. All other SKAd functionality takes place server-side via the postback, which is sent to the ad network’s specified postback URL. 

Handling SKAd postback data for networks registered with SKAd

Ad networks will be looking to integrate with SKAd in some way in order to gain insights on Apple-reported attributions and support advertisers who demand adoption.

When an ad network registers with SKAd, Apple accepts a single endpoint for sending attribution information. While the ad network could choose to ingest this data themselves, that approach poses several challenges that could hinder adoption.

1. The ad network must take on the cost burden to support the new infrastructure to ingest, store, and syndicate SKAd data to other parties.
2. Ad networks are unlikely to follow one standard and consistent reporting model, resulting in a wide array of formats that will complicate interoperability between partners.
3. Advertisers and MMPs will have to rely on a party that is not impartial and unbiased to access attribution data reported by SKAd.

1. Kochava already has the network infrastructure and real-time syndication capabilities to handle SKAd postback data on behalf of networks, alleviating an unnecessary cost burden for ad networks.
2. Kochava will provide a standard and consistent reporting model for scalability and interoperability between ecosystem parties.
3. Kochava has no vested interest or bias in the attribution outcomes reported by SKAd.

Coming Soon: Ad network registration for SKAd support

Ad networks will soon be able to register with Kochava for SKAd support. Here’s a preview of how the process will work. 

1. The ad network creates a free Kochava account.
2. As part of the onboarding process for SKAd support, ad networks choose a custom subdomain and generate the endpoint (eg, partner-name.adsmeasurement.com/skadnetwork) that they’ll provide during SKAd registration for postbacks. 
3. Via integration management, the ad network can grant access to SKAd data to any MMP for specific app IDs. MMP access will be limited to only those SKAd conversions where the app ID matches one of those specified by the ad network.
4. The ad network shares the access key with the MMP.
5. The ad network inputs their adsmeasurement.com endpoint as the company URL when integrating with SKAd. This allows Kochava to receive conversion signals from SKAd on their behalf. (NOTE: This also requires that the advertiser is sending their install/event singal to SKAd. The native Kochava iOS SDK will be updated with this capability for Kochava advertiser customers.) 
6. Upon receipt of delayed SKAd postbacks for the ad network, Kochava syndicates them to the designated MMP’s via real-time postbacks. 
7. Kochava stores the SKAd data, generating standardized reporting available via the API. 
8. The SKAd data report (including all traffic for all MMPs, all campaigns) is also available in an account dashboard for export.

Are you an ad network, publisher, or DSP with questions? Contact integrations@kochava.com.

Are you an advertiser? Stay tuned for more announcements on our upcoming SDK release for iOS 14. For questions, contact your Client Success Manager, or email Support@Kochava.com. 

Brian Wilson – Director of Product Management
Kochava