What is Facebook Aggregated Event Management? [And How Will It Limit Event Tracking For Brands?]
In anticipation of the upcoming iOS14 rollout, Facebook recently launched Aggregated Event Management (AEM) for mobile web campaigns. This platform will continue to support app and web-based conversions by limiting the transition of sensitive data transmission while still supporting specific advertising use-cases.
The new management tool is a result of the increasing concerns and shifts within the tech space regarding privacy including the IDFA announcement, changes with regard to cookies, and updates to Chrome and Safari, (which already limits first-party cookies to seven days).
Here’s a closer look at Facebook Aggregated Event Management, how it works, and what advertisers should focus on in terms of the next steps.
What is Facebook Aggregated Event Management (AEM)?
Facebook’s Aggregated Event Measurement is a protocol that allows for the measurement of web events from iOS 14 users.
“Our solution is analogous to Apple’s Private Click Measurement but is designed to solve for key advertiser use cases not addressed by Apple’s proposal. Aggregated Event Measurement will continue to evolve with upcoming browser changes to help our advertisers support consumer privacy.”
When will Facebook AEM start?
The limits imposed by Aggregated Event Measurement won’t apply until Apple begins to enforce their iOS 14 changes. Until that time, you can set up your events to use Aggregated Event Measurement but won’t impact optimization or reporting until the full rollout.
How will Facebook’s Aggregated Event Management impact advertisers?
Brands will be limited to tracking eight-pixel events per domain. This includes both pixel event conversions as well as custom conversions based on specific URLs. Other events can still be used for the creation of website custom audiences, but not for conversion tracking.
Events will be chosen within Business Manager > Events Manager and brands can rank each event based on priority for the business. Facebook will only record one event for users who opt-out of tracking, the last event touchpoint in order of priority.
For example, if a purchase is ranked as number one but a user comes to the site from an ad and only adds to cart, Facebook will still record add to cart as it’s ranked number two and was the last touchpoint.
What are the next steps for advertisers?
1. Choose the events that will send the data that is most valuable for your business goals.
Advertisers with admin access to Facebook’s Business Manager gained entry to the Aggregated Event Management dashboard in early February. This allows brands to rank their priority events in terms of what matters most for tracking purposes.
Pro-tip: If you’re an agency setting up AEM on behalf of a client, ask for temporary admin access to their Business Manager.
2. Be sure to consider all key funnel events as you pick your priorities.
While your main focus might be conversions, being able to optimize towards and track mid and upper-funnel events will be key to a long-term strategy.
Pro-tips:
- Be sure your domain is verified with Facebook before prioritizing your events.
- If value optimization is important to your brand, be aware — selecting it alongside a conversion event will take four out of the eight conversion events.
- Custom conversions outside of Facebook’s standard events will also count towards the 8 for tracking.
- Pageview is not included in the 8 conversion events.
Learn how to configure events to use Aggregated Event Measurement in Events Manager.
Be sure to check out “The Future of the Web” to find out everything you need to know about the new restrictions, cookies, IDFA, first-party data, and all things privacy from our Tinuiti experts.
About the Author: Katy Lucey, Director of the Paid Social team at Tinuiti focuses on strategy and execution across social platforms as well as cross-channel media strategy and measurement.
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