Facebook announced a change to their cookie consent prompt in Europe. They will be introducing a new third-party data control for the European region, which will enable people to control whether Facebook can record web and third-party app data. This also includes whether companies can use device cookies with Facebook products.
The European Region is a specific list of countries including:
- The European Union (EU)
- Non-EU Members, but in EEA-Only/EFTA or Customs Union
- Non-EU members, but part of European Outermost Regions (OMR)
- United Kingdom (UK)
The expected changes and updates for people in the European Region starting July, 2021 include:
- Cookie consent prompts for people in the European Region who are logged in to Facebook, Messenger or Instagram, including two controls:
- Cookies On Other Apps and Websites will enable people in the European Region to control whether Facebook can record web and third-party app data received about them through its business tools.
- Cookies from Other Companies will enable people in the European Region to control whether other companies can set or read cookies from their devices when using a Facebook product.
Facebook will provide people with the ability to revisit their cookie consent choices in Settings.
Why This is Important:
Businesses should anticipate an impact on campaigns that are being served in the European region. There is a possibility that advertisers will see a decrease in ad performance and can expect performance fluctuations over the next several months. As Acronym’s EVP & GM, International, Farah Sadiq explains:
“As long as you’re marketing to EU citizens, it’s imperative for businesses to ensure they are compliant. Concerns about privacy and use of important information is only going to increase, leading to ever-evolving and more stringent regulations that will span beyond EU borders. It’s definitely time for businesses to review all performance marketing strategies and focus on building first party data that is important for driving better results. This means prioritizing data collection that would influence the way businesses engage and connect with their customers. Forward-thinking marketers are already creating and managing first party data in a comprehensible and usable manner across various communication channels.”
This cookie consent and privacy update will affect any advertiser on Facebook and Instagram. In fact, there may be a decrease in reported off-site conversions in Ads Manager, Ad Reporting, and the Ads Insights API. Reporting for onsite events will not be impacted (impressions, link, clicks, etc.)
Acronym’s Director of Paid Social Media, Gellena Lukats explains the impetus behind these updates:
“The Social Media Industry is pivoting, toward privacy-first thinking. This EU cookie prompt, along with GDPR compliance and iOS changes are pushing toward audience first media. This industry push means we, as marketers, need to be more robust with first and third-party audiences – creating profiles and LTV models based on contextual marketing, while, of course, being privacy compliant.”
Although these updates mainly impact brands in the EU, individual States in the U.S. are also passing privacy laws, including those listed here.
If you would like more information on how to prepare for these changes, please contact our experts in Europe, Singapore or North America today.
