A new job posting at Apple suggests that the tech giant may have intentions of entering the digital advertisement space. Apple is searching for a senior manager with 8+ years of technical experience and a proven track record of launching advertising-related products. However, Apple hasn’t confirmed plans to build any DSP.
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After crippling the digital ads industry, Apple takes steps to enter for itself. In recent years, Apple has been butting heads with online advertising giants, mainly Facebook. In fact, Apple’s April 2021 update, which allowed iPhone users to block certain apps from tracking them, is estimated to have cost Facebook over $10 billion in revenue.
At the time, iPhone users praised the company for prioritizing customer privacy over corporate greed. However, Apple’s motives may not have been as altruistic. According to DigiDay, Apple is searching for a senior manager to help them build a privacy-forward and sophisticated demand-side platform.
A demand-side platform, or DSP, is an interface that allows digital advertisers to run, manage, and optimize digital ad campaigns. DSPs allow marketers to purchase ad impressions in real-time and are a vital technology in digital advertisements.
Apple has an existing advertisement business but remains relatively small, especially next to advertising giants Facebook and Google. Additionally, Apple’s existing advertisement business has been criticized for being “expensive” and “dreadful.”
Paulina Klimenko, chief growth officer at PubMatic, called the probable DSP the “next logical step in [Apple’s] evolution” as the company has already built a network of products and services connected with user data.
However, Apple still hasn’t officially disclosed whether or not they will be building a demand side platform to expand their advertising business. Additionally, it’s unknown whether the new DSP will only distribute advertisements on iOS devices or if the service will extend to third-party properties.
Additional to the rumors, sources within Apple have briefed media outlets on possible new opportunities for advertising with Apple. In addition, other anonymous sources from Apple have indicated that since early 2022, there has been an increase in App Store providers’ recruiting talent for its Ad Platform.
DigiDay speculates that the news of Apple’s recruitment efforts for a new DSP and new advertising opportunities might explain why Apple is expected to have an unprecedented presence at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. At the festival, Apple is rumored to hold discrete facilities where they can host media executives.
Apple’s new DSP has been hit with reasonable criticism. The criticism was for suppressing the ability of third-party digital advertising companies to track user data for advertisement purposes while expanding their own advertisement business. In response, Apple denied any allegations that its privacy features were intended to bolster its ad business.
In contrast, Apple boasts of the benefits of their own privacy-forward advertisement system over their competitors. Apple’s advertisement platform does not use sensitive information for advertisement purposes and doesn’t hyper-target specific individuals.