Recent research from US Internet Security Company, Solve Media, noted nearly one quarter of the traffic online display ads attract may be fraudulent, generated by automated programs called bots. The latest figures are just another example of why it’s increasingly important value to police our industry and keep the malefactors out.
It’s such a significant issue that Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau in the US, described the dangers of online traffic fraud to the industry as being analogous to having unprotected sex, or allowing cars to roll off assembly lines with defective car tyres.
Dramatics aside, online traffic fraud is best described as a kind of hijacking, whereby a sizeable amount of the billion dollar digital advertising industry is siphoned off using ‘bots’. These non-human codes trick the systems into thinking an ad has been meaningfully engaged with, either by mimicking a click on an ad, or hosting ads on fake sites. In turn, this triggers a whole host of ramifications, from skewing measurement to funding organised crime. It threatens the integrity of our industry at a time when we are already working hard to address consumer concerns around issues such as privacy and online behavioural advertising (OBA).
Ultimately, online traffic fraud has the potential to create an atmosphere of suspicion around digital advertising for both advertisers and consumers. Marketing managers may find themselves wondering whether the valuable dollars they are spending on brand campaigns actually include fraudulent impressions thanks to bots (and often unbeknownst to the publisher), or whether their ads are appearing on off-message sites.
At the same time, legitimate and trustworthy publishers will be finding the Bot generated illusion of inflated impressions is artificially driving up the supply of inventory and reducing its value.
The news is not all doom and gloom though. In the US, the IAB launched the Traffic of Good Intent Task Force, whose combined efforts resulted in the publication of Best Practices – Traffic Fraud: Reducing Risk to Exposure. In Australia, we will shortly be launching a similar taskforce, with a view to creating best practices that will protect our industry from fraudulent online traffic.
The reason for this is simple. To more effectively address the negative impacts described above, the entire digital advertising industry needs to better understand the nature and sources of non-intentional traffic. We need insights and to recommended solutions to the digital advertising industry. Doing so will simultaneously increase the friction and therefore cost for bad actors engaged in the use of non-intentional traffic, and increase the accuracy of measurement for Traffic of Good Intent.
In line with our IAB Australia Big Digital Tent philosophy, our Traffic of Good Intent task force will include representatives of the entire digital media chain.
IAB Australia also has a number of other projects underway to help minimise ad fraud. One of these is embracing viewability when the technology and metrics are sound, and we are planning to shift away from using page impressions as a metric to compare sites. Additionally, an important part of our existing online audience measurement methodology is to focus on people metrics, with a panel tracking human behaviour not just ad impressions.
In the end though, no matter what link in the chain you are – publisher, agency or advertiser – we all have a role to play in preventing online traffic fraud. And when all the key players in digital advertising come together to tackle this issue, the IAB Australia is confident the humans can, and will, beat the bots.
As our customers exhibit growing desire to be recognised for their preferences and passion points, ...
In the third and final episode of our 3-part CMO50 video series exploring modern marketing and why it’s become a matter of trust, we’re delighted to be joined by Telstra’s former CMO and now digital services and sales executive, Jeremy Nicholas, and Adobe VP Marketing Asia-Pacific and Japan, Duncan Egan.
Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.
Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?
As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.
