When Apple first rolled out its iOS privacy updates, advertisers around the world felt the impact. Suddenly, the ability to track behaviour, measure outcomes, and target people with precision became far more limited. What once felt like a straight line between ad spend and leads now feels more like a puzzle — with missing pieces.
For local businesses and franchises, the challenge has been especially sharp. Without precise location data, it’s harder to reach the right people in the right suburb at the right time. But while many advertisers saw these changes as a setback, at Digi Agency we’ve treated them as an opportunity to innovate.
The Challenge of Local Targeting Post-iOS
Apple’s security and privacy-first approach meant Meta and other ad platforms lost a lot of the granular signals they once relied on. This made it more difficult to:
- Target ads to people based on their exact behaviours.
- Accurately attribute leads back to campaigns.
- Build “hyper-local” audiences with confidence.
For gyms, fitness studios, and franchises relying on foot traffic, that shift could have been devastating. But the truth is, smart strategy and content-led advertising can fill in the gaps.
Content as the New Compass
Content creation has become the cornerstone of how we cut through the noise. Instead of relying solely on algorithms, we craft primary text and creative that calls our audience out directly.
Think: “Hey Toowong – your new premium training facility is here” or “Cleveland locals, are you ready for a new era of fitness?” By writing with specificity and featuring imagery shot in the community, we give people instant recognition. Even if the algorithm isn’t perfect, the content itself acts as a signal — letting prospects know the ad is for them.
Adapting with Meta’s Tools and Andromeda System
Meta hasn’t stood still either. Their Andromeda system has quietly reshaped how ads are delivered, focusing less on narrow targeting and more on machine learning-driven optimisation. While it’s not perfect, it’s becoming smarter every day.
At Digi, we treat Andromeda as a partner we’re constantly learning from. Every campaign is a feedback loop — testing, refining, and feeding the system new variations of creative. By doing so, we help Meta’s AI work in our favour, improving reach and efficiency even within tighter privacy boundaries.
Safety Nets and Smarter Structures
We also build safety nets into our campaigns. This means running layered strategies, where if one audience underperforms, another is ready to pick up the slack. Instead of betting on one targeting method, we diversify across lookalikes, interest-based audiences, and broad signals, while letting creative do the heavy lifting.
One of the simple but effective methods we use is targeting by Wi-Fi connection. If someone is regularly logging on at a local address, we can make the safe assumption they’re living or working nearby. It’s not perfect, but it adds another layer of confidence to our local targeting.
The Prospect Journey Still Matters Most
Even with these updates, the fundamentals haven’t changed: people still want to feel seen, understood, and inspired to take action. By combining sharp creative, smart use of Meta’s evolving tools, and safety nets in our targeting, we’re able to deliver strong lead volumes for our clients — even in the post-iOS world.
Final Takeaway
iOS updates have changed the game, but they haven’t killed it. At Digi Agency, we believe that innovation, creativity, and adaptability are more powerful than any algorithm change. By focusing on content that resonates, leveraging Meta’s machine learning, and building targeting safety nets, we’re helping businesses continue to generate leads at scale.
The landscape may be shifting, but the opportunity is still there — if you know how to adapt.
👉 If your campaigns feel like they’ve been slowed down by Apple’s updates, let’s talk about how we can help you turn that challenge into an advantage.
