three keys to combating ad fraud and viewability issues
TRANSCRIPT
DIGITASLBi PERSPECTIVE
May 2014
Three Keys to Combating Ad Fraud and Viewability Issues
There have been numerous articles in the news recently regarding ad fraud and viewability, leading marketers to question whether or not they are getting what they paid for. Are their ads being served to real people? Are they being served while people are watching? These are actually not new questions. Fraud and bots have challenged digital advertising since its earliest days. However there are now powerful safeguards that can be implemented to curtail the situation. Here are the top three methods that the Media Technology group at DigitasLBi recommends:
1. Build and evolve partnerships across the industry that define buying requirements and set standards.
2. Implement third-party ad servers, which provide visibility and control over what ads are running. 3. Deploy verification solutions, which monitor inventory for brand safety, fraud and in-target
delivery. The DigitasLBi Approach
DigitasLBi understands the necessary interdependency across the industry for an optimal solution. We embrace the value of ad verification technology, and we continue to participate in early testing and adoption for all of our clients. We recommend activating ad verification features across all digital campaigns and inventory types to ensure cutting edge protection. The incremental cost is estimated at less than 3% of media spend, based on volume; for cost-conscious clients, activating only for network and exchanges is an option. At the very least, clients can leverage the existing verification solution built within their ad server, although features may be limited. Our ad verification providers, media teams, and media partners closely monitor flagged impressions, work to remediate any issues, and optimize activity accordingly. Through the use of ad verification technology in Q1 2014, roughly 4% of our clients’ tracked impressions were flagged and identified as suspicious or fraudulent. Out of those impressions, 50% were never actually served due to real-time blocking capabilities. Unfortunately, as fraudulent parties continue to evolve their tactics, these will likely never be 100% bulletproof solutions. Future-Proofed to Achieve Results
The Media Technology group at DigitasLBi considers verification as part of the baseline offering to a client’s technology stack. We actively evaluate the ad verification landscape throughout the year; every solution is evaluated with a detailed scorecard and custom weight for each category according to the client’s needs. We test and utilize top tier solutions such as Integral Ad Science (DigitasLBi Preferred), DoubleVerify, Vindico’s Adtricity, Comscore, and Sizmek’s Peer39. In addition, we account for historical experience and independently fact check to determine the ideal solution. As the industry continues to develop and evolve standards and technology vendors build improved solutions, we will continue to work in the best interest of our clients and provide best-in-class services to protect their brands. Contact For More Information
Jully Hong, VP/Group Director, Media Technology, DigitasLBi [email protected]