This document discusses how digital ad fraud works through fake impressions and clicks. It explains that fraudsters set up sites and load them with ads or search ads. They then use bots to generate massive amounts of fake traffic and clicks to steal advertising dollars from impression-based (CPM) and click-based (CPC) ads. The document outlines how this impacts different types of digital ads like display, video, mobile, and search ads, as well as the industries most targeted by fraudsters. It also discusses techniques used by fraudsters to disguise fraudulent traffic and evade detection.
presentation on ad fraud and ad blocking, and the intersection with bots -- bots dont use ad blocking and their fraudulent activities mess up measurement and ROI
Digital ad fraud continues to increase, as more ad dollars shift into digital. This is a recap of current forms of ad fraud and current techniques and technologies being used to combat it.
In 2021 some marketers are still asking whether ad fraud is real and whether it is pervasive. This serves as a simple reminder of some of the evidence collected over the years.
Digital ad fraud is as rampant as other forms of fraud in other industries. what are some ways to think about prioritizing solving digital ad fraud, relative to other digital marketing activities that advertisers can spend money on?
presentation on ad fraud and ad blocking, and the intersection with bots -- bots dont use ad blocking and their fraudulent activities mess up measurement and ROI
Digital ad fraud continues to increase, as more ad dollars shift into digital. This is a recap of current forms of ad fraud and current techniques and technologies being used to combat it.
In 2021 some marketers are still asking whether ad fraud is real and whether it is pervasive. This serves as a simple reminder of some of the evidence collected over the years.
Digital ad fraud is as rampant as other forms of fraud in other industries. what are some ways to think about prioritizing solving digital ad fraud, relative to other digital marketing activities that advertisers can spend money on?
Simple things that ad ops pros can do right away to optimize the business outcomes of their programmatic campaigns -- and ensure less ad dollars are wasted due to ad fraud (bots)
What is online ad fraud and what does um do about itAlan King
Presentation on Brand Safety measures undertaken by UM London.
It's our view that agencies need to lead the charge against ad fraud. We use brand safety software as standard to protect clients' interests.
this is an alternative depiction of the lifecycle of a media impression; it is more accurate because ad blocking should subtract only from the human subset of the population. fraud bots dont use ad blocking - because they want the ad to load.
Digital ad fraud has not only NOT gone down; it has actually gone up in certain cases. There are some improvements when companies make special efforts. Ad blocking is also emerging as a threat.
putting aside ad fraud for a moment, what's the elephant in the room? we're talking about your digital marketing. Do you think it is working? How do you know?
Previous studies that addressed the impact of losing third party (“3P”) cookies on ad revenue did not clearly differentiate between the impact on ad tech intermediaries versus on publishers. Instead of “advertiser CPMs” (what advertisers pay) this study uses “media CPMs” (what the publishers get) to better isolate the impact of tracking vs no tracking on publishers.
Ellen Pao was right. I have seen and documented the fake stuff since at least 2013. In digital, virtually unlimited fake accounts, fake traffic, fake users, fake ad impressions, etc. can be created. How many of the 50 slides in this deck were you familiar with?
FouAnalytics is an alternative to Google Analytics, but with fraud and bot detection baked in. Marketers can use FouAnalytics to look at their own campaigns, find the domains and apps that are eating up their budgets fraudulently, and turn them off, while the campaign is still running. How does that compare to your blackbox fraud detection that just gives you a percent IVT number?
digital ad fraud is as rampant as ever; new ripples caused by privacy regulations are starting to affect the market. and more BS from trade associations pretending to be doing something
How many of these hidden costs were you aware of?
Without even talking about digital ad fraud, there are other costs in the digital ad supply path that eat up most of every dollar that advertisers spend in digital. There are known costs of 60 - 70% extracted by adtech middlemen.
Ad fraud is running rampant in digital advertising. To clean it up, all the participants in the value chain need to work together to fight the bad guys and the sophisticated technologies and techniques they are using.
Advertisers have deployed technology and relied on new industry standards to reduce wasted ad spend due to fraud and low viewability. But have those actually worked to drive up RoAS (return on ad spend)? Research data suggests that there are still high amounts of ad fraud that remains to be cleaned up and that the fake traffic, impressions, and clicks further corrupt the analytics that advertisers use to measure the success of their campaigns. Hear practical recommendations from Dr. Augustine Fou, independent cybersecurity and ad fraud researcher, on how to measure and mitigate ad fraud using high tech tools and low tech techniques.
Simple things that ad ops pros can do right away to optimize the business outcomes of their programmatic campaigns -- and ensure less ad dollars are wasted due to ad fraud (bots)
What is online ad fraud and what does um do about itAlan King
Presentation on Brand Safety measures undertaken by UM London.
It's our view that agencies need to lead the charge against ad fraud. We use brand safety software as standard to protect clients' interests.
this is an alternative depiction of the lifecycle of a media impression; it is more accurate because ad blocking should subtract only from the human subset of the population. fraud bots dont use ad blocking - because they want the ad to load.
Digital ad fraud has not only NOT gone down; it has actually gone up in certain cases. There are some improvements when companies make special efforts. Ad blocking is also emerging as a threat.
putting aside ad fraud for a moment, what's the elephant in the room? we're talking about your digital marketing. Do you think it is working? How do you know?
Previous studies that addressed the impact of losing third party (“3P”) cookies on ad revenue did not clearly differentiate between the impact on ad tech intermediaries versus on publishers. Instead of “advertiser CPMs” (what advertisers pay) this study uses “media CPMs” (what the publishers get) to better isolate the impact of tracking vs no tracking on publishers.
Ellen Pao was right. I have seen and documented the fake stuff since at least 2013. In digital, virtually unlimited fake accounts, fake traffic, fake users, fake ad impressions, etc. can be created. How many of the 50 slides in this deck were you familiar with?
FouAnalytics is an alternative to Google Analytics, but with fraud and bot detection baked in. Marketers can use FouAnalytics to look at their own campaigns, find the domains and apps that are eating up their budgets fraudulently, and turn them off, while the campaign is still running. How does that compare to your blackbox fraud detection that just gives you a percent IVT number?
digital ad fraud is as rampant as ever; new ripples caused by privacy regulations are starting to affect the market. and more BS from trade associations pretending to be doing something
How many of these hidden costs were you aware of?
Without even talking about digital ad fraud, there are other costs in the digital ad supply path that eat up most of every dollar that advertisers spend in digital. There are known costs of 60 - 70% extracted by adtech middlemen.
Ad fraud is running rampant in digital advertising. To clean it up, all the participants in the value chain need to work together to fight the bad guys and the sophisticated technologies and techniques they are using.
Advertisers have deployed technology and relied on new industry standards to reduce wasted ad spend due to fraud and low viewability. But have those actually worked to drive up RoAS (return on ad spend)? Research data suggests that there are still high amounts of ad fraud that remains to be cleaned up and that the fake traffic, impressions, and clicks further corrupt the analytics that advertisers use to measure the success of their campaigns. Hear practical recommendations from Dr. Augustine Fou, independent cybersecurity and ad fraud researcher, on how to measure and mitigate ad fraud using high tech tools and low tech techniques.
Bad guys have both the opportunity and motive for large scale digital ad fraud, especially as the industry and big advertisers continue to let it happen. It will take a coordinated effort among various stakeholders to put a dent in this global plague.
“Many clients have asked me to assess and recommend fraud detection and mitigation companies. This deck is intended to provide clients an objective and independent point of view and commentary on the known players in the digital ad fraud space.”
Productivity of the ads should be a central measure of the usefulness of the ads - which can be directly correlated to ROI for any particular company, any product, in any industry. For example, if an ad is not seen by humans it can never lead to a real purchase of any kind.
AD Fraud and AD Blockers have been the biggest threat for Digital Advertising industry. The whitepaper discusses 9mediaOnline's initiatives to tackle the threats.
FouAnalytics - site analytics and media analytics for practitioners to detect fraud and take action themselves - on-site tags and in-ad tags measure sites and ad impressions, respectively
Maximizing the ROI from Online MarketingScott Abel
Presented by Gian Fulgoni at Web Content Chicago, June 17-18, 2008.
Marketing dollars are moving rapidly from traditional media to the Internet. IDC estimates that $25 billion was spent on search and display advertising, in 2007, up 27% over 2006. However, the very nature of consumers’ online behavior dictates that marketers think in new ways if they are to maximize the return from their investments in online advertising.
This presentation will examine how consumers are using the Internet and identify the ways in which advertisers can best market to them. This will also reveal the key metrics that marketers need to use as they plan and analyze their online marketing efforts so as to maximize their ROI.
The database used for this discussion will be comScore’s panel of 2 million people who have given comScore explicit permission to track the complete details of their online activities.
Field Guide for Validating Premium Ad InventoryDistil Networks
Many of the current technologies used to detect fraud are great at detecting the amount of fraud (e.g., post-bid analysis). However, we need more technologies and techniques that focus on how to stop fraud before it happens. Having continuous, real-time data is important for this; but equally important are the policies and disclosures of the publishers and ad networks themselves.
Key Takeaways:
- The State of Digital Ad Fraud -- Terminology, landscape and trends
- The advertiser and publisher perspective -- Top issues and concerns
- Tools of the trade and best practices -- The different technologies and approaches to detecting and mitigating digital ad fraud
- Anatomy of a successful premium ad inventory program -- Whitepages’ guiding principles, policies and procedures
how the money flows from the advertisers through the ad tech intermediaries to longtail, fraud, and fake sites, with the help of botnets and traffic sellers
bad guys started with fake websites, then moved to loading ads only to save time and bandwidth; now they are simply faking bid requests and flooding exchanges
“In addition to the ad fraud itself, bad guys make money by selling the “picks and shovels” too – e.g. bots, traffic, clicks, malware, fake apps, etc. They have an entire ecosystem to extract value. What follows are just a few examples, scratching the surface.”
The original idea of the digital media trust collaborative is was sharing threat intelligence to more quickly remove fraudulent domains and apps from media buys.
most buyers who buy in programmatic channels think they are getting enormous "reach" -- i.e. their ads are shown on many sites; but this data shows the exact opposite is true. Their ads are being shown on a small number of sites (less than 1,000); the buyers might as well have bought more direct from good publishers.
Using Google Analytics to find abnormal traffic and fraud; this is a how-to, to get hourly charts instead of daily rolled-up or averaged data, which hides the fraud.
from the IAB FY 2019 advertising revenue report, we show that CPM and CPC ads represent 92% of all digital spend; these are the favorite targets of fraudters
When marketers buy from good publishers and pay HIGHER CPMs, they get better outcomes and marketing efficiency, despite the higher CPM. This is because there are human audiences that visit those good publishers' sites.
why do hackers hack? of course, it's fun for them. But they hack to make tons of money with their unique skillset. How does hacking connect to ad fraud? Here are a few examples.
marketers assume their digital marketing is working as expected; but if they looked more closely at analytics, they may see that some of those assumptions are not valid -- i.e. they are not getting what they thought they paid for. Take a closer look yourself.
Data from FouAnalytics, on-site measurement and in-ad measurement was compared to DBM exchange data for 26 exchanges, 7.5 trillion impressions (30 day period) to analyze browser market share -- specifically Safari/iOS.
Findings include: 1) bots pretending to be Safari/iOS outnumber real Safari users 5 to 1, and 2) there is a 1.5X average surplus of Safari impressions available on exchanges compared to unique cookies.
More from Dr. Augustine Fou - Independent Ad Fraud Researcher (16)
In the digital age, businesses are inundated with tools promising to streamline operations, enhance creativity, and boost productivity. Yet, the true key to digital transformation lies not in the accumulation of tools but in strategically integrating the right AI solutions to revolutionize workflows. Join Jordache, an experienced entrepreneur, tech strategist and AI consultant, as he explores essential AI tools across three critical categories—Ideation, Creation, and Operations—that can reshape the way your business creates, operates, and scales.This talk will guide you through the practicalities of selecting and effectively using AI tools that go beyond the basics of today’s popular tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, or Dall-E. For each category of tools, Jordache will address three crucial questions: What is each tool? Why is each one valuable to you as a business leader? How can you start using it in your workflow? This approach will not only clarify the role of these tools but also highlight their strategic value, making it perfect for business leaders ready to make informed decisions about integrating AI into their workflows.
Key Takeaways:
>> Strategic Selection and Integration: Understand how to select AI tools that align with your business goals and how to conceptually integrate them into your workflows to enhance efficiency and innovation.
>> Understanding AI Tool Categories: Gain a deeper understanding of how AI tools can be leveraged in the areas of ideation, creation, and operation—transforming each aspect of your business.
>> Practical Starting Points: Learn how you can start using these tools in your business with practical tips on initial steps and integration ideas.
>> Future-Proofing Your Business: Discover how staying informed about and utilizing the latest AI tools and strategies can keep your business competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
5 big bets to drive growth in 2024 without one additional marketing dollar AND how to adapt to the biggest shifting eCommerce trend- AI.
1) Romance Your Customers - Retention
2) ‘Alternative’ Lead Gen - Advocacy
3) The Beautiful Basics - Conversion Rate Optimization
4) Land that Bottom Line - Profitability
5) Roll the Dice - New Business Models
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
Videos are more engaging, more memorable, and more popular than any other type of content out there. That’s why it’s estimated that 82% of consumer traffic will come from videos by 2025.
And with videos evolving from landscape to portrait and experts promoting shorter clips, one thing remains constant – our brains LOVE videos.
So is there science behind what makes people absolutely irresistible on camera?
The answer: definitely yes.
In this jam-packed session with Stephanie Garcia, you’ll get your hands on a steal-worthy guide that uncovers the art and science to being irresistible on camera. From body language to words that convert, she’ll show you how to captivate on command so that viewers are excited and ready to take action.
Come learn how YOU can Animate and Illuminate the World with Generative AI's Explosive Power. Come sit in the driver's seat and learn to harness this great technology.
Google Ads Vs Social Media Ads-A comparative analysisakashrawdot
Explore the differences, advantages, and strategies of using Google Ads vs Social Media Ads for online advertising. This presentation will provide insights into how each platform operates, their unique features, and how they can be leveraged to achieve marketing goals.
What’s “In” and “Out” for ABM in 2024: Plays That Help You Grow and Ones to L...Demandbase
Delve into essential ABM ‘plays' that propel success while identifying and leaving behind tactics that no longer yield results. Led by ABM Experts, Jon Barcellos, Head of Solutions at Postal and Tom Keefe, Principal GTM Expert at Demandbase.
A.I. (artificial intelligence) platforms are popping up all the time, and many of them can and should be used to help grow your brand, increase your sales and decrease your marketing costs.In this presentation:We will review some of the best AI platforms that are available for you to use.We will interact with some of the platforms in real-time, so attendees can see how they work.We will also look at some current brands that are using AI to help them create marketing messages, saving them time and money in the process. Lastly, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI in marketing & branding and have a lively conversation that includes comments from the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will learn about LLM platforms, like ChatGPT, and how they work, with preset examples and real time interactions with the platform. Attendees will learn about other AI platforms that are creating graphic design elements at the push of a button...pre-set examples and real-time interactions.Attendees will discuss the pros & cons of AI in marketing + branding and share their perspectives with one another. Attendees will learn about the cost savings and the time savings associated with using AI, should they choose to.
The Secret to Engaging Modern Consumers: Journey Mapping and Personalization
In today's digital landscape, understanding the customer's journey and delivering personalized experiences are paramount. This masterclass delves into the art of consumer journey mapping, a powerful technique that visualizes the entire customer experience across touchpoints. Attendees will learn how to create detailed journey maps, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for optimization. The presentation also explores personalization strategies that leverage data and technology to tailor content, products, and experiences to individual customers. From real-time personalization to predictive analytics, attendees will gain insights into cutting-edge approaches that drive engagement and loyalty.
Key Takeaways:
Current consumer landscape; Steps to mapping an effective consumer journey; Understanding the value of personalization; Integrating mapping and personalization for success; Brands that are getting It right!; Best Practices; Future Trends
For too many years marketing and sales have operated in silos...while in some forward thinking companies, the two organizations work together to drive new opportunity development and revenue. This session will explore the lessons learned in that beautiful dance that can occur when marketing and sales work together...to drive new opportunity development, account expansion and customer satisfaction.
No, this is not a conversation about MQLs and SQLs. Instead we will focus on a framework that allows the two organizations to drive company success together.
10 Video Ideas Any Business Can Make RIGHT NOW!
You'll never draw a blank again on what kind of video to make for your business. Go beyond the basic categories and truly reimagine a brand new advanced way to brainstorm video content creation. During this masterclass you'll be challenged to think creatively and outside of the box and view your videos through lenses you may have never thought of previously. It's guaranteed that you'll leave with more than 10 video ideas, but I like to under-promise and over-deliver. Don't miss this session.
Key Takeaways:
How to use the Video Matrix
How to use additional "Lenses"
Where to source original video ideas
In this presentation, Danny Leibrandt explains the impact of AI on SEO and what Google has been doing about it. Learn how to take your SEO game to the next level and win over Google with his new strategy anyone can use. Get actionable steps to rank your name, your business, and your clients on Google - the right way.
Key Takeaways:
1. Real content is king
2. Find ways to show EEAT
3. Repurpose across all platforms
In today's digital world, customers are just a click away. "Grow Your Business Online: Introduction to Digital Marketing" dives into the exciting world of digital marketing, equipping you with the tools and strategies to reach new audiences, expand your reach, and ultimately grow your business.
website = https://digitaldiscovery.institute/
address = C 210 A Industrial Area, Phase 8B, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 140308
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
[Google March 2024 Update] How To Thrive: Content, Link Building & SEOSearch Engine Journal
March 2024 disrupted the SEO industry. Websites were deindexed, and manual penalties were delivered—all to produce more helpful, more trustworthy search results.
How did your website fare?
Watch us as we delve into the seismic shifts brought about by Google's March 2024 updates and explore strategies to not just survive, but thrive in this dynamic digital landscape.
You’ll learn:
- How to create content that is valuable to users (not just search engines) using E-E-A-T.
- How to build links that can boost rankings and withstand algorithm updates.
- Best practices for content creation and link building so you can thrive during algorithm updates.
With Vince Ramos, we'll examine the implications of the latest algorithm changes on content creation, link building, and SEO practices, and offer actionable insights from businesses like yours that have remained steadfast amidst the volatility.
Using real-life case studies, we’ll also show you the effectiveness of manual link building techniques and person-first content strategies.
Whether you're a seasoned SEO professional, a budding content creator, or anyone in between, this webinar will help you weather the changes in Google's algorithms and capitalize on them for sustained success.
Check out this webinar and unlock the secrets to thriving in the new Google era.
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.\
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
1. What Agencies Need to
Know About Fighting
Digital Ad Fraud
Dr. Augustine Fou
212.203.7239 | acfou@mktsci.com
http://linkd.in/augustinefou
October 2014
#4AsWebinars @acfou
- 1 - Augustine Fou
2. Industry Leaders
September 30, 2014 - IAB, 4A’s, and ANA
announce cross-industry organization to fight
ad fraud, malware, and piracy.
“We’ve invested [heavily] in data
and data technology and [have]
been very much at the forefront of
fraud verification,” said
John Montgomery, GroupM
“We must create an all-inclusive program
that identifies qualified participants, and
commits them to good actions, guaranteed
by continual monitoring and sanctions for
non-compliance,” said
Randall Rothenberg, IAB.
Bob Liodice, President and CEO of the
ANA said, “It is imperative that the
ecosystem addresses online fraud and
improves media measurement and
transparency.”
“Together we can continue to rebuild
the trust that is necessary for the
interactive marketing industry to
thrive,” said Nancy Hill, President
and CEO, 4A’s
- 2 - Augustine Fou
3. Brief Agenda
• Background
• How Impression (CPM) Fraud Works
• How Click (CPC) Fraud Works
• Technology and Techniques
• Stepping Up The Fight Against Ad Fraud
- 3 - Augustine Fou
5. Why Now?
“As more ad inventory is bought and
sold programmatically on ad exchanges
(estimated $21 billion worldwide), bad
guys are finding it easier to commit
fraud and easier to hide in a larger
haystack.”
-- Dr. Augustine Fou
- 5 - Augustine Fou
6. Motive & Opportunity
As more digital
ads are placed
entirely
programmatically,
the opportunity for
fraud continues to
increase.
- 6 - Augustine Fou
7. The Biggest Target
$60 billion/yr
digital ad spend
subject to fraud
counterfeit
goods
$24 billion
bank
robberies
$38 million
tax refund
5,000 robberies in 2011
Somali
pirates
$18 billion
39% of
Global Digital Ad Spend $154B (2015E)
Source: eMarketer March 2014
WSJ: “A Third of Traffic
is Bogus” March 2014
fraud
$5 billion
- 7 - Augustine Fou
8. Most Lucrative Target
bank interest stock market digital ad fraud
94% margin
Source: Digital Citizens
Alliance Study, Feb 2014
90X 9X
11% returns
1% interest
- 8 - Augustine Fou
9. Main Types of Digital Ads
Impressions
(CPM/CPV)
Clicks
(CPC)
Leads
(CPL)
Sales
(CPA)
• Display ads
• Video ads
• Social display
• Mobile display
• Search ads
• Mobile search
• Affiliate
revenue share
• Completed
lead forms
sold on cost-per-
lead basis
- 9 - Augustine Fou
10. Digital Ad Spend (IAB FY 2013)
CPM Performance
Impressions
(CPM/CPV)
Clicks
(CPC)
Leads
(CPL)
Sales
(CPA)
Search 43%
$18.5B
Display 19%
$8.2B
Video 7%
$3.0B
$6.5B
NOTE: figures from IAB FY 2013
($43B annual ad spend)
Lead Gen 4%
$1.7B
11% Other
$4.8B
$2.8B $3.7B
Mobile 15%
• classifieds
• sponsorship
• rich media
• email
Source: IAB, FY 2013 Internet Advertising Report, April 2014 $36.2B
- 10 - Augustine Fou
11. Prime Target for Ad Fraud
Impressions
(CPM/CPV)
Clicks
(CPC)
Search
$18.5B
Display
$8.2B
Video
$3.0B
$2.8B $3.7B
Mobile
84% digital spend
Leads
(CPL)
Sales
(CPA)
Lead Gen 4%
$1.7B
11% Other
$4.8B
• classifieds
• sponsorship
• rich media
• email
16%
- 11 - Augustine Fou
12. Industry Targets for Fraud
Ad spend data from eMarketer March 2014
Fraud rate data from Integral Ad Science Q2 2014 Fraud Report
high CPC
industries
- 12 - Augustine Fou
13. The focus for today...
What we are NOT talking about
• viewability and new standards
• off-target or sub-optimal targeting of ads
What we are talking about
• fake ad impressions (display, video) generated by
non-human traffic (i.e. bots) to steal ad dollars
• fake clicks to steal cost-per-click ad dollars
- 13 - Augustine Fou
15. Bad Guys Put Up Sites
site = analyzecanceradvice .com
19 blocked ads on page
site = missomoms.com
- 15 - Augustine Fou
16. Load Tons of Ads on Pages
http://modernbab y.com/
http://interiorcom plex.com/
- 16 - Augustine Fou
17. Load Ads in Hidden iFrames
Source: Spider.io May 2, 2013
Ads are hidden in up to
72 layers
Entire web pages are
loaded into ad iframes to
boost impressions
Multiple redirects and
auto page refreshes
- 17 - Augustine Fou
18. Fake their “Viewability”
Source: Spider.io May 2, 2013
Ads are above the
fold of the page
But their pixel
opacity can be set
to zero (invisible)
Entire web pages
stuffed into ad
iframe; ads counted
as viewable
- 18 - Augustine Fou
19. Use Bots to Load the Pages
Source: Wired
Source: Google Digital Attack Map
- 19 - Augustine Fou
20. Sell Impressions on Exchanges
“Modernbaby.com and Interiorcomplex.com
Each of these sites peddles enormous traffic on the
exchanges. For example, on a recent day Modern
Baby was offering 19 million impressions via one
exchange (quite the baby boom) and Interior
Complex 30 million [ad impressions PER DAY] (the
roaring housing market must be back).”
Source:
Adweek – Suspicious Web Domains Cost Online Ad
Business $400m per Year
By Mike Shields
- 20 - Augustine Fou
21. Suspicious Data Discrepancy
InteriorComplex.com -
independent measurements
estimate 30-40k monthly
unique visitors but site sells
30 MILLION PER DAY
ModernBaby.com -
independent measurements
estimate 20k monthly
unique visitors but site sells
19 MILLION PER DAY
Quantcast: 29k /mo uniques
Compete: 42k /mo uniques
Quantcast: no data
Compete: 20k /mo uniques
- 21 - Augustine Fou
22. Traffic Firehose On/Off
Source: Alexa
Source: spider.io
Legit human traffic does not change rapidly; but bot traffic
(firehose) can be rapidly turned off and directed to other sites.
- 22 - Augustine Fou
23. Where Fake Impressions Come From
Ad exchanges are particularly prone to fraud because shady sites sell enormous
quantities “ad impression inventory” into the exchanges for re-sale.
Source: Integral Ad Science, via BusinessWeek Nov 26, 2013
- 23 - Augustine Fou
24. Fake Mouse Moves, Clicks
AdAge, May 2014
“So much for bots giving themselves
away by acting like, well, bots. Turns out
they can be made to act quite human,
which is foiling efforts to detect them.
Scammers sending fake traffic to
websites can make their bots move
around web pages exactly as humans
would -- with mouse movements,
clicks and all -- causing problems for
anti-fraud software working to ferret out
malicious traffic.”
- 24 - Augustine Fou
25. Video Ad Views Exploded
Dec 2013 35.2B
video ads per month
Source: comScore, Jan 2014 via MarketingCharts
- 25 - Augustine Fou
26. Digital Video Ad Spend
Source: eMarketer, May 2013
Digital video ad
spend continues to
rise rapidly as more
TV ad dollars shift to
digital.
Because video CPMs
are so much more
lucrative, it is more
lucrative for bad
guys too.
- 26 - Augustine Fou
27. Video Ads Are Lucrative
Video ad CPMs
are $8 - $12,
which means
they are more
than 10X more
lucrative than
display or
mobile ads.
Source: Turn, Inc.
October 2013
- 27 - Augustine Fou
28. Video Fraud (March 2014 data)
Total video ads March 2014 = 28.7B
Source: comScore
Fake video ad impressions per day = 88.4M /day
Source: TubeMogul Report
“from 3 botnets”
Fake video ads per month = 2.7B /month
3 botnets accounted for 9.2% of video ad views
(assuming $10 CPMs, 3 botnets caused $27 million of waste in March)
- 28 - Augustine Fou
30. Set Up Fake Sites
Alexa
[no data]
Compete
[no data]
Quantcast
[no data]
to carry
search ads
- 30 - Augustine Fou
31. Other Bad Guy Domains
http://analyzecanceradvice .com
http://analyzecancerhelp .com
http://bestcanceropinion .com
http://bestcancerproducts .com
http://bestcancerresults .com
http://besthealthopinion .com
http://bettercanceradvice .com
http://bettercancerhelp .com
http://betterhealthopinion .com
http://findcanceropinion .com
http://findcancerresource .com
http://findcancertopics .com
http://findhealthopinion .com
http://finestcanceradvice .com
http://finestcancerhelp .com
http://finestcancerresults .com
http://getcancerproducts .com
36,000+ more
sites like these,
designed to show
search ads and
self-click on them
to siphon CPC
revenue
- 31 - Augustine Fou
32. Created by Templates
http://picturesandbox.com/screengrab/grid.php
- 32 - Augustine Fou
33. Thousands of Fake Sites
Source: more screen captures
http://picturesandbox.com/screengrab/grouped.php
- 33 - Augustine Fou
34. Target Biggest PPC Spenders
Insurance est. Spending:
- Statefarm.com - $46M /yr
- Geico.com - $44M
- Progressive.com - $34M
- Esurance.com - $28M
- Allstate.com - $25M
- USAA.com - $21M
Retailers est. Spending:
- Walmart.com - $48M /yr
- Sears.com - $18M annually
- Macys.com - $11M per year
- JCPenney.com - $9.6M
Many CPCs from $60 - $78
CPCs range from $15 - $63
Source: iSpionage
- 34 - Augustine Fou
35. Choose Expensive Keywords
olay.com homemadesimple.com
> 100,000 monthly searches
avg position 1 – 10
sort by highest avg CPC
“cosmetic face lift”
$10.84 CPC
“residential home cleaning”
$9.95 CPC
Source: iSpionage Nov 2013
- 35 - Augustine Fou
36. Bots Type Search Term
buy eye cream online
healthsiteproduc tionalways.com
- 36 - Augustine Fou
37. Bots Click Search Ad
Olay.com ad
in #1 position
- 37 - Augustine Fou
38. Cover Their Tracks
Known blackhat
technique to hide real
referrer and replace
with faked referrer.
SIX (6) redirects
before ending on the
landing page
See how-to:
http://www.blackhatworld.com/
blackhat-seo/cloaking-content-generators/
36830-cloaking-redirect-
referer.html
- 38 - Augustine Fou
40. Case Example
BEFORE
Top 2 “good guys” = 76%
AFTER
Top 5 “good guys” = 94%
18% of spend shifted from fraudulent websites to “top 5” good guys
- 40 - Augustine Fou
41. Step Up The
Fraud Fighting
- 41 - Augustine Fou
42. Dispelling Myths
Q: Does reducing ad fraud mean reducing ad spend?
A: No, it improves the quality (and therefore ROI) of the ad spend; and as
clients see more ROI they may even increase ad spend.
Q: Do the amounts of ad fraud in the industry really matter?
A: No, only the fraud that impacts your clients matter; the key is finding out
what kind it is for your clients and taking steps to reduce it.
Q: Why haven’t the advanced technologies already solved ad fraud?
A: When “good guys” deploy new technologies/techniques, the “bad guys”
innovate to stay ahead and avoid detection; using technology alone is like
an arms-race that bad guys will always win.
- 42 - Augustine Fou
43. Dispelling Myths
Q: Does ad fraud require malware compromised PCs to occur?
A: No, the bad guys are using advanced technology to create millions of
virtual instances of browsers in data centers to visit web pages.
Q: Bots can’t complete purchases, so we know who is human, right?
A: Not exactly, bots can now fake purchases and app installs so that is no
longer a fool-proof way to check for “humanness.”
Q: Is there less fraud in mobile and video?
A: No. In fact it is likely there is more fraud in mobile because there is a less
mature ecosystem of antivirus and malware protection software for
mobile; and video is highly lucrative for the bad guys (e.g. with 10x-20x
the CPMs of display ads and rapid growth in ad spending).
- 43 - Augustine Fou
44. Threat Analysis
Advanced technical analysis of HOW fraud is
committed via different vactors like compromised PCs,
malware/spyware, browser toolbars, browser daemons,
rootkits, javascript agents, etc.
- 44 - Augustine Fou
45. Placement/Viewability
Technology platforms to analyze the placement of ads
on dimensions like viewability, brand safety, suspicious
activity (fraudulent views or clicks) and inform real-time
decisioning.
- 45 - Augustine Fou
46. Non-Human Traffic (NHT)
Technology and techniques to detect non-human (bot)
visits to a site and loading of ads; solutions to save
advertisers money (pay only when it is proven human,
don’t pay when human does not stay to see ad).
- 46 - Augustine Fou
47. - 47 - Augustine Fou
Where Each Solution Plays
S U P P L Y
FAKE SITE PUBLISHER PUBLISHER
AD NETWORKS
SSP DSP
exchanges
MEDIA AGENCIES
ADVERTISER ADVERTISER ADVERTISER
D E M A N D
user
bot
user
crawler
user
bot
bot
bot
bot
bot
bot
bot
user
bot
user
crawler
user
bot
ad inventory ad impressions
ad spending ad spending
48. Action Steps
• Build in fraud fighting technologies and techniques into
every scope of work (if it is not already)
• Constantly assess new tools and make rapid updates
(along with blacklists and whitelists) to keep up
• Use “combination therapy” (multiple technologies/
techniques together) to increase impact because no single
detection vector or mitigation technique is enough
• Update success metrics to focus on user actions and
business levers rather than quantity/reach
- 48 - Augustine Fou
49. Dr. Augustine Fou – Technical Forensics
“I advise clients and their agencies on the
technical aspects of fighting digital ad fraud.
Using forensic technologies and techniques I
help to assess the threat and the current
countermeasures in order to recommend
additional steps that can be taken to combat
fraud and improve ROI.”
FORMER CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, HCG (OMNICOM)
MCKINSEY CONSULTANT
CLIENT SIDE / AGENCY SIDE EXPERIENCE
PROFESSOR AND COLUMNIST
ENTREPRENEUR / SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
PHD MATERIALS SCIENCE (MIT '95) AT AGE 23
ClickZ Articles: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-clickz
Slideshares: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-slideshares
LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/augustinefou acfou@mktsci.com | 212.203.7239
- 49 - Augustine Fou
@acfou