Who says centuries are always exciting? The fact mentioned in the next statement is bound to send chills down your spine. As of 2022, the total cost of ad fraud was estimated to be $81 billion, predicted to increase to $100 billion by the end of 2023. With the programmatic advertising market growing beyond leaps and bounds, the vulnerabilities of the system to ad fraud are also expanding.
From stacking multiple ads behind a single ad or stuffing the same in a 1x1 pixel, fraudsters have dipped their hands in violating technology in the most rugged form. Amid this digital crisis, the need for ad fraud mitigation solutions among the programmatic players is instrumental in ensuring adherence to data regulations and protecting consumer privacy.
Our CEO, Deepankar Biswas, engaged in a fruitful conversation with Website Planet decoding the ad fraud risk and how mitigating the same with ClearTrust is a win-win for publishers and advertisers.
But before getting there, let’s take a quick look at the current scenario.
Trends in the programmatic ad fraud market
- AI in ad fraud- The rise of generative AI and similar technology has enabled fraudsters to create highly sophisticated bots with complex programming making them harder to detect. By leveraging AI to the optimum extent, ad fraud activities are rising creating additional pressure on the marketers to fight a mighty enemy.
- CTV – The new fad- CTV advertising has proved to be a potent force in maximizing ad revenue and targeting a wide range of consumers. As such, its vulnerability to ad fraud is also a hot topic of discussion. From cross-device frauds to Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) , there are no stones left unturned by the malicious actors, allowing them to seamlessly carry out fraudulent activities and skip detection.
- Rise of click fraud- From click spam to click injections, fraudsters are increasingly using techniques that inflate ad impressions and deceive advertisers and publishers alike. By painting a seemingly positive picture of a high-performing campaign, the bad actors attempt to skip detection by constantly using bots and click farms to carry out these techniques and paint a human-like impression.
Why are ad fraud mitigation solutions the need of the hour?
The year 2023 marks a critical juncture in the realm of digital advertising, where the necessity for robust ad fraud mitigation solutions has become more pressing than ever. Several factors underscore the urgency for publishers and advertisers to invest in reliable ad fraud protection
- Ad spend wastage- Ad fraud leads to significant financial losses as advertisers unknowingly pay for interactions with non-existent users or bots.
- Reputation damage- Being associated with fraudulent activities can tarnish the reputation and credibility of both publishers and advertisers.
- Compromised credibility- Heavy penalties in the form of chargebacks and AdSense account suspension lead to the loss of credibility of publishers. With a blackened reputation, publishers with premium inventories may face multiple obstacles in attracting big-ticket clients.
- Building consumer trust- Ad fraud erodes consumer trust as users might encounter misleading or irrelevant ads due to fraudulent traffic. Moreover, compromised consumer privacy is an alarming issue which is required to be dealt with stringent regulations. To ensure quality adherence to standards and retain more consumers, ad fraud mitigation solutions are the new normal for long-term sustainability.
What makes ClearTrust stand out in this battle against ad fraud?
Highlighting the magic of our customized filters in conversation with Website Planet, our CEO spoke about the success stories of our clients and how our solutions have proved to be instrumental in redefining their marketing activities.
Check out the full interview here with Website Planet.
The interview speaks volumes about how ad fraud has evolved over the years and how ClearTrust is trying to make a powerful statement by necessitating the implementation of ad fraud mitigation solutions with an innovative approach.
