FTC: mobile ISPs abuse privacy, Snap blames Apple for shortfall, Performance ads an analytics scam?

Send us Fan MailThe consolidation of internet, cable, voice, content, distribution, smart devices, advertising, and analytics exemplified by these large vertically-integrated ISPs—which represent approximately 98.8% of the mobile internet market—has increased the volume of information they are capable of collecting about consumers, improved their insight into consumers’ behaviors, and strengthened the persistence of identifiers capable of tracking users across platforms and assets.Snap blamed Apple for their shorfall this quarter but the real question is whether that is reality or just part of the “privacy theater”? In 2020, AirBnB cut $542 million of performance advertising spend and saw no measurable falloff in attributable sales. They continued this ad-slashing practice in 2021, with similarly eye-popping numbers. Could it be that all those ads did nothing?The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local businesses and national brands.Near Memo Ep 38Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/