What’s Changed With The Aggregated Event Measurement System?
In the ever-changing digital landscape, it’s paramount to keep up with the latest developments, particularly when they concern the world of paid media.
In the last few days, Meta has made some significant changes surrounding Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM), a crucial tool that we (and everyone else should) use in the post-iOS 14.5 world to measure conversions.
No More Juggling Eight Conversion Events
Previously, advertisers were encumbered with the need to configure and prioritise eight distinct website conversion events for AEM, and if you change the priority order, your whole ad account could suffer.
This traditional method meant that prioritised events were handled differently compared to non-prioritised ones. For example, when optimising an ad set for a non-prioritised event, you would not reach users on iOS devices who had opted out, however, you could target them when optimising for prioritised events.
However, in a welcome move, this need for prioritisation has been removed. The implications of this change are not entirely clear yet, but it suggests a more streamlined, holistic, and user-friendly approach to handling events.
Optimising for Value Without the Hassle
Value Optimisation, a feature that enables advertisers to aim for higher value purchases, required advertisers to activate Value Sets within the Web Event Configuration, post-iOS 14.5. This procedure monopolised at least half of the eight event prioritisation slots, which, fortunately, will no longer be necessary.
Aggregated Event Measurement Tab: A Thing of the Past
In the Events Manager interface, advertisers could access a tab designated for AEM. The intention was to provide a comprehensive report of events processed using AEM. However, many advertisers reported limited and lacking data, if any at all. This tab will no longer be available, suggesting a shift in how data will be accessed and processed.
Domain Verification: A More Lenient Approach
Verifying your domain, a step confirming ownership, used to be a prerequisite to configuring and prioritising your eight web events. This requirement is being abolished, a significant relief for those unable to verify the domain for various reasons.
While no longer required for event configuration, domain verification is still recommended for its benefits, such as disallowing other advertisers to point ads to your domains.
Conversion Domain Selection: No Longer Necessary
Previously, advertisers had to choose a conversion domain where their pixel was located when creating an ad. This additional step has been removed, further streamlining the advertising process.
What’s The Next Steps?
The changes introduced by Meta are just the tip of the iceberg. Many unanswered questions remain about these new developments:
1. Why the Change?
While the previous process was undeniably annoying and frustrating, it aligned with iOS requirements. So, why has Meta decided to make these changes now?
2. How is it Possible?
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) protocol isn’t going away any time soon. The handling of opt-outs remains a requirement. So, how is it possible to eliminate the event prioritisation step now?
3. What’s Next for Aggregated Event Measurement?
It’s anticipated that AEM will continue to evolve, despite many of the advertiser responsibilities associated with it being phased out. What alterations will we see to AEM, and will new steps be introduced?
4. What Impact on Optimisation and Attribution?
Most importantly, how will these changes affect attribution, reporting, and ad optimisation? Will these changes be positive, negative, or go unnoticed? The assumption is that there will be no detrimental change; otherwise, why make these adjustments at all?
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