We are now more than two years in to the great ad fraud scandal – so how successfully is the industry solving the problem?
Two years ago, an Association of National Advertisers report shone a light on critical issues holding the digital media industry back. Its Media Transparency Initiative revealed a system of agency kickbacks and rebates that was stealing efficiency from digital ad buyers, while ad-tech platforms also stood accused of charging excess fees and giving poor control.
These last two years needed to be – and have been – transformative for anyone involved in the supply chain. Fraud, backhanders, data misuse and loss of trust have been unavoidable in the headlines, and a number of leading players have taken significant steps in addressing them.
Since then, advertisers have become much more demanding buyers, heeding a number of best practices that some have long advised – insisting on only verified ad inventory, demanding viewability, and only buying when prices are fully transparent.
Many ad-tech platforms have made pretences to move in exactly this direction – and some stayed true to their word. But relying on these third parties to do so is still leaving many ad buyers with a sense of inequity, and Juniper research still suggests the global cost of ad fraud will more than double to $44 billion by 2022.
Yet, advertisers should not have to work so hard to wrestle with their suppliers. They need to be empowered. And the best of way of doing so is by seeking out the support of industry groups with their best interests at heart.