“Ad Fraud’s Now One Of The Most Profitable Criminal Enterprises In The World”
A leading expert into global ad fraud has claimed the practice has become so commonplace that it’s become one of the most profitable criminal activities on the planet.
Dr Augustine Fou (pictured below) is a New York-based cybersecurity and ad fraud expert and says ad fraud has become so widespread because of its profitability and inability for authorities to control.
He recently uploaded a LinkedIn slideshare presentation outlining the state of ad fraud in 2018 which you can view here.
Ad fraud is basically a scam whereby the perpetrator fools advertisers into paying for something that is worthless to them, such as fake traffic, fake leads or misrepresented and ineffective ad placement.
Contrary to Dr Fou’s view, many industry bodies and agencies downplay the extent of ad fraud, believing it to be a relatively minor issue.
However, a 2017 report by data marketing firm Datalicious estimated ad fraud in Australia alone to be worth around the $100 million-mark annually. Globally, it’s been estimated at around $US7.2 billion.
However, Dr Fou argues that ad fraud is a huge problem and not simply for the affected advertiser. The problem, he says, is that money is getting siphoned out of the system and into the pockets of the bad guys. That means advertisers have lower ROI because of fake impressions, clicks and bots. While the website publisher loses out too, with Dr Fou estimating as much as a third of their revenue is being lost.
Speaking to tech marketing site In Marketing We Trust, Dr Fou said: “Literally everyone is a victim. The entire digital ad ecosystem is the biggest victim because the bad guys are siphoning a large portion of dollars out of the digital ecosystem.
“Advertisers are hurt when their digital ad dollars are not delivering a return (e.g. when their ads are shown to bots and not humans). Publishers are hurt when revenue is stolen before it reaches their pockets. Everyone else in the supply chain is hurt because the data they buy and sell is completely messed up due to fraudulent activity.
“Consumers are affected too because they have bad ad experiences (sites overloaded with ads), they suffer malware attacks – bad guys want to compromise their computers to use in botnets – and their mobile bandwidth is eaten up by ads and not by the content they want to see,” Dr Fou said.
Latest News
How Data Can Solve Your Churn Problems
Here's top tips on solving your churn problems. So, arguably of no use to anyone with indigestion or a blocked sewerage.
“It’s Exactly The Same!”: Commentator Hilariously Confuses A Replay With Live Action
Even if you hate cricket you can still have a good laugh at this classic blunder, all while continuing to hate the game.
1,600+ Brands Ran Ads Alongside US Election Misinformation
Nearly every major brand in the US inadvertently ran automated advertisements on websites that pushed election conspiracies and misinformation, a special report from NewsGuard, a US-based service that uses trained journalists to rate news and information sites, has revealed. From 1 October 2019 to 12 January 2020, 1,668 brands ran 8,776 unique ads on the […]
Reports: Is Private Equity Eyeing Publicis Groupe?
Warning: this article comes with its fair share of hearsay, speculation, cut & paste and a smattering of balderdash.
Nominees Announced For The Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards
On 31 March, the Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards will be celebrating the achievements of the breadth of Australian musicians from what has been a trying and unpredictable 2020. Today, Rolling Stone Australia has revealed the nominees for the event, paying homage to the year that was in music. The Brag Media, Australia’s number […]
Taboola Launches Beta For Short Form Video Offering, Taboola Stories
Content discovery and native advertising platform Taboola has announced the beta of ‘Taboola Stories’, a new way for publishers to engage readers through short-form video. Publishers will be able to embed Taboola Stories within their homepages and articles in mobile environments, presenting readers with constantly updated recommendations that, once selected, launch vertical, mobile-friendly stories that […]
Study: Aussie Metro Radio Numbers Up 2% To 11.1 Million In 2020
The Australian metropolitan commercial radio audience grew by two per cent to nearly 11.1 million listeners in 2020, in a year dominated by COVID-19 which saw the number of people listening at home jump by eight per cent to 6.4 million. Commercial Radio Australia’s annual listening summary, based on an average of the five official […]
Aussie Indie Agencies Forecast Staff & Revenue Boost for 2021
Independent media agencies are predicting a strong recovery from the effects of COVID-19, forecasting an increase in staff and revenue in 2021, according to data from the Independent Media Agencies of Australia’s (IMAA) second Pulse Survey of its members.
HeartKids Unveils New Identity, Via Brand And Design Agency Hulsbosch
Australian congenital heart disease profit-for-purpose charity HeartKids has launched a new brand strategy, identity and logo created by independent brand and design agency Hulsbosch. Leaders in the fight to conquer congenital heart disease, HeartKids aims is to raise awareness of the disease, as well as enhance the conditions’ profile as a health priority to a […]
Kid’s Site Launches New Service To Better Connect Brands With Kids
TotallyAwesome, the Asia Pacific’s most advanced forum for kids and brands to safely interact via the internet, is launching a new service for brands to connect with young audiences. The business has also engaged an eminent Melbourne-based paediatric psychologist to assist with appropriate brand and audience connectivity. The new service, called AwesomeLTV, is an acceleration of TotallyAwesome’s abilities to […]
Stan Original Series ‘Rupaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ In Production
Nine Entertainment SVOD service Stan has revealed its original series, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, will be arriving to the platform in 2021. The eight-part, first-ever local adaption of the global hit series will see “the most fabulous” and “fierce” local drag queens compete to be the first ever Down Under Drag Race Superstar, Stan […]
Social Media: Does Its Value Equal The Hype?
In his first post for 2021, B&T regular Robert Strohfeldt points his magnifying glass at digital media’s hype and argues it’s possibly not cracked up to all it purports to be… In the past few months, I have seen many CVs of young graduates seeking a career in marketing and/or advertising. I could fool myself […]
Melbourne’s Fed Square Unveils New Brand Identity ‘Anything But Square’ Via Interbrand
B&T's stopping short of calling Fed Square ugly, but we're betting it'd have a tough time getting Tinder dates.
Barbie Is Bisexual? Apparently, According To Twitter
News out today that Barbie is possibly bisexual. Meanwhile the rumours dogging Ken also refuse to go away.
TikTok Unveils Second Australian Brand Campaign
TikTok's not just for nine-year-olds and adults with a bizarre unicorn hobby says latest brand campaign.
Google Delivers Australian Businesses And Consumers $53B In Benefits: Report
Google Australia releases latest report in charm offensive apparently unaware we'd all use it regardless.
Integrated Marketing Agency, McCorkell, Wins Spot In Global Rainfocus Partner Program
B2B marketing agency McCorkell has announced that it has been appointed an official Asia-Pacific partner of RainFocus, the next-generation event marketing and management platform. The collaboration will see both companies come together to shake up the end-to-end event service model across APJ. “As the only true integrated event marketing and management platform servicing everything from […]
Domino’s Launches Five New Chicken Products “Worth Crossing The Road For”
Domino's unveils new chicken range. Not that you care given your new year/new you fitness campaign, however.
Plant-Based Brand Oatly Releases Witty Guides, Controversial TV Ad To ‘Help Dads Quit Dairy’
It's rare you hear the words "vegan" and "sense of humour" in the same sentence but apparently it's happening here.
Fitness Guru Joe Wicks Unleashes Mega Fart In Front Of 800,000 Online Fans
Do you drop bodily functions so awesome they simply have to be heard by the entire room? You'll empathise with Joe here.
Radio Station 927 Returns To GfK Survey In 2021
Making slightly more work for B&T's radio reporter, Victoria's 927 has decided it wants back in on the ratings numbers.
Lars Lehne Appointed As Group CEO Of Incubeta
Lars Lehne named as group CEO of Incubeta and who is not to be mistaken with Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor.
Google Data Reveals World’s Most Popular Takeaways; Chinese Tops For Aussies
New study reveals the world's favourite takeaways and it appears bad news for lovers of the haggis and the pangolin.
Entertainment Appoints FutureBrand Australia To Lead Brand Transformation
FutureBrand starts the new year with a new client win. Which arguably means a client loss for another agency somewhere.
Nine Announces Mega MAFS Reunion Special
Further evidence that truly awful people somehow make good reality television comes news of a pending MAFS reunion.
Established Brands Join Forces To Launch New Comparison And Advice Hub, Compare Club
New comparison site Compare Club unveiled amid concerns the name's possibly a little on the predictable side.
2020 Sees Over 80% Of Aussies Turn To SVOD
Clearly ignoring mum's veiled threats that too much telly gives you square eyes, Aussies' SVOD viewing soars.
Reports: Lebron James Leaves Coke, Set To Back New-Look Mountain Dew
Lebron to quit Coke for rival Mountain Dew. B&T strongly suspects there was a large cheque in there somewhere, too.
MKTG Australia Unveils New Leadership Team
MKTG Australia apparently on the lookout for slightly larger boardroom table after unveiling new leadership team.
Get A Wriggle On! Entries Are Open For B&T’s Women Leading Tech Awards
Surely B&T's Women Leading Tech entries should include some difficult to fathom algorithm to decipher, but it doesn't.
