Procter & Gamble Co. was one of the companies that collaborated with the China Advertising Association to test a new data collection tool designed to avoid the transparency rules of tracking Apple applications, it is reported The Wall Street Journal.
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The state-backed Chinese advertising agency has developed a new user tracking method called CAID to replace access to IDFA or the advertising identifier of an iPhone or iPad. Starting with iOS 14.5, Apple will not allow apps to access a device’s IDFA without the user’s express permission, which will impact tracking on multiple apps and websites used to target ads.
CAID has conducted tests in China with major companies such as Baidu, ByteDance (TikTok) and Tencent, as well as Proctor and Gamble. In mid-March, Apple began warning developers not to circumvent the transparency rules for tracking applications with methods such as CAID. Apple has told developers that trying to circumvent new ad tracking restrictions will lead to removal from the App Store.
“The App Store’s terms and recommendations apply equally to developers around the world, including Apple,” said an Apple spokesman. The Wall Street Journal. “We strongly believe that users should be asked for permission before being tracked. Applications that are found not to comply with the user’s choice will be rejected.”
As a major global advertiser, P&G has a major interest in tracking users and is the largest Western company involved in efforts to create an alternative to tracking applications. P&G has many major brands including Gillette, Charmin, Pampers, Tide, Bounty, Pantene, Crest, Febreeze and more.
In a statement, P&G said The Wall Street Journal that it contributes to the Chinese Advertising Agency in its efforts to “provide useful content that consumers want in a way that prioritizes data confidentiality, transparency and consent”. Providing useful content to consumers “means partnering with platforms and publishers – both directly and through our advertising associations around the world.”
P&G maintains its own consumer database that is not based on Facebook, Google and other advertising platforms. Conformable The Wall Street Journal, P&G has built a database of 1.5 million customers worldwide using a combination of anonymous consumer IDs and personal information that customers share. P&G makes extensive use of this database in China, where it spends 80% of its digital ads buying with targeted ads.
P&G declined to provide further details about the CAID tool and did not say whether it would use the technology. It’s not yet clear how Apple will respond to CAID if some of the world’s largest companies adopt the ad tracking alternative. When news broke of warnings to Chinese developers, a veteran of the Chinese marketing industry said that Apple’s actions could “stop” CAID testing.
Other US companies including Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Nielsen also work with the Chinese advertising agency for CAID.
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