What this change by Apple does reinforce is the need to remain flexible and adaptable in the area of digital marketing.  In considering our adaptability, it is useful to consider some issues.

Given the move by Apple to increase customer’s privacy in the data that is collected about them, a move which will be followed by other large companies, are we keeping pace with new privacy protections for customers and clients?[10]. New restraints on the data that can be used for measurement and analysis can create competitive advantage in moments of dramatic change for organisations that are prepared to invest or adapt [11]. 

Perhaps, we need to transition away from total reliance on deterministic, user-centric models of advertising and use more holistic, macro-level models that look at variations in ad spend and revenue over time to attribute efficiency to channel-specific ad campaigns[12].  It may be that models such as Media Mix Modelling (MMM) which uses aggregate data may become as important as data driven marketing in this new era [13].

What is clear with the changes that will occur is the on-going importance of deepening our understanding of our clients [14].  The products that suffer most in the loss of the identifier-based advertising targeting are those that target niche audiences and depend on high rates of monetization participation, or very extreme levels of monetization from a small segment of the customer base[15].  The need to understand our clients so they are receptive to the products or services we provide remains paramount.

Linked with a greater understanding of our clients is the need to be more creative and use creativity as a point of differentiation.  While novel, creative, and attractive ads cannot fully replace the efficiency lost in digital advertising from the deprecation of advertising identifiers, it can help to reach the most relevant segment of an audience by penetrating through generic, nondescript advertising from competitors[16].

The changes being brought in by Apple will have an impact on the data collected, however it does provide us with an opportunity to reflect on our current practices and develop new ideas and practices that can enhance our digital advertising.