For years, many in the advertising community have maintained that consumers want targeted marketing with relevant advertising. It appears, however, that as consumers get an increased say in how they are targeted, that idea isn’t holding up.
When Apple updated its iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads, it came with an opt-in component. That change forced apps to get an affirmative opt-in to allow tracking user activities across multiple apps or while online.
So, how many people chose to opt-in for this targeted and more relevant advertising? About 4%.
That’s right. 96% of Apple’s users in the US chose to opt-out of tracking, according to Flurry Analytics, a division of Verizon Media, that looked at more than a million instances. Worldwide, opt-out levels were higher at 12%.
Either way, however, that’s a long way from previous estimates that predicted 40% might opt-out.
H/T Ars Technica