New view-through attribution (VTA) reporting for ASA in Kochava
Running campaigns on Apple Search Ads? Get ready for enhanced view-through attribution reporting.
On March 27, Apple releases new updates to the AdServices framework that allows mobile measurement partners (MMPs) to retrieve view-through attribution (VTA) data points for enhanced reporting. While Apple introduced VTA metrics for Apple Search Ads (ASA) reporting with its release of Campaign Management API 5 in May 2024, the latest update brings a new level of granular visibility to view-through attributed conversions. MMPs can now ingest VTA data at the individual conversion level—enabling marketers to further optimize their Apple Search Ads campaigns.
Active iOS marketers leveraging Apple Search Ads are likely to receive this notification from Apple:
To date, attribution for Apple Search Ads has been limited to taps (aka clicks) on an ad placement. Only when an iOS user tapped your ad would a subsequent app install (either download or redownload) be attributed. With VTA, Apple can now capture credit for installs that occur within 24 hours of a user simply viewing your ad, even if they don’t tap and engage with it. This creates new attributable scenarios.
Let’s take a competitor keyword campaign, for example. A user may see your search results ad upon typing the name of one of your chief competitors in the App Store, then scroll right past your ad and tap on the organic result for the brand they’re looking for. If within the next 24 hours the same user on the same device revisits the App Store, searches your app, clicks an organic search result, and installs, Apple Search Ads can claim attribution based on the previous impression served under your competitor’s keyword. How much weight marketers wish to place on ASA view-through claims may depend on individual brand strategies and goals.
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Next Steps for iOS Marketers Leveraging Kochava
Kochava is integrated with the AdServices framework and deploying updates to its Apple Search Ads integration to ingest the new claim type value for impressions once it’s available on March 27. If you’re leveraging the Kochava iOS software development kit (SDK), end-to-end integration with the AdServices framework is built in. If you’re plugged into Kochava via server-to-server integration, you’ll need to make updates to your direct integration with the AdServices framework in order to capture the new claimType flag and syndicate it with payloads you send to the Kochava install notification API. Contact your Client Success Manager or email support@kochava.com for guidance.
View-through attribution data will be available within analytics, reports, and Kochava Query. You can filter specifically to view-through attributed conversions by setting the match type to impression.
VTA On by Default
If you’re actively running campaigns on Apple Search Ads, VTA is on by default once the change takes effect on March 27. Should you not wish to allow this for your Apple Search Ads campaigns, you can disable view-through attribution within the Kochava Partner Configuration for Apple Search Ads. You’ll have to manage this setting individually across each iOS app. When activating first-time Apple Search Ads integrations on iOS apps in the future, the setting will be auto-on and need to be disabled manually if you wish to block VTA.
Manufactured Impression Timestamp for VTA on Non-ATT Opt-In Users
Apple Search Ads attribution is IDFA-less and works outside of Apple’s privacy-first attribution frameworks SKAdNetwork (SKAN) or AdAttributionKit (AAK). An install on your iOS app is eligible for VTA and click-through/tap-through attribution regardless of user opt-in status to Apple’s AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) framework, as the tracking occurs 100% within Apple’s own first-party ecosystem.
To ensure user privacy, Apple Search Ads claim payloads for installs wherein users have not opted in for consent to tracking via the ATT framework will have their impression timestamp redacted. Since attribution processing requires a timestamp, an impression time must be manufactured by Kochava in order to appropriately establish an impression-to-install time for attribution consideration based on your lookback windows. By default, Kochava will manufacture an impression timestamp 23 hours prior to the install. This is a configurable setting that can be adjusted from 23 hours down to 1 minute, and its functionality is identical to the solution Kochava introduced to address click-based claims wherein the click timestamp was removed for non-ATT opt-in users (see prior post).
The Role of ASA in Your iOS Growth Strategy
Apple Search Ads, integrated directly into the App Store, is a privacy-centric advertising medium, making it an attractive go-to option for marketers. The introduction of view-through attribution gives advertisers a clearer picture of the total value Apple Search Ads campaigns provide, especially as the surge in demand for Apple Search Ads continues.
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Do you need help managing your Apple Search Ads campaigns?
Many iOS marketers find scaling on Apple Search Ads overwhelming—particularly when managing a large volume of keywords across many campaigns, regions, and languages. Search Ads Maven by Kochava is a campaign management and automation platform that integrates with Kochava or any other MMP and enables you to automate bidding strategies, daily budget adjustments, keyword discovery, and other optimization workflows for your Apple Search Ads campaigns. Learn more here.
