Advertising Fraud: What We’re Doing

Seemingly every few months, a new report on digital advertising fraud hits the newswires. What often follows is sadly predictable: journalists publish scathing articles quantifying billions of wasted ad dollars. Fatigued marketers scramble to ensure they are not exposed, with frantic calls and emails to hold partners accountable. Advertising technology companies respond by putting out press releases and email blasts arguing that their proprietary technology or third-party integrations make them immune – “it’s not us; it’s the other guy.” Finally, everyone goes back to business and it’s not a priority – until the next botnet is uncovered.

Wouldn’t it be nice to put this to bed once and for all for advertisers? Adobe thought so. That’s why Adobe Advertising Cloud launched the Non Human Traffic Credit Program last year. Under the initiative, Adobe Advertising Cloud platform customers automatically receive monthly refunds for any traffic identified as fraudulent by White Ops across desktop video and display.

Here is a report card on the initiative on its one-year anniversary:

• Refunds issued to over 100 customers, totaling over $700,000 to date.
• 16,000 websites identified, and blocked.
• Additional integrations made beyond White Ops FraudSensor™, such as DoubleVerify to provide an additional layer to isolate sophisticated invalid traffic.
• Partnerships with eight inventory partners to refund Adobe Advertising Cloud clients for invalid traffic.

“We have always said that one fraudulent impression is one too many, which is why we are proud that our industry-leading adoption of brand safety tools effectively protects our clients from suspicious traffic,” noted Brett Wilson, vice president and general manager of advertising at Adobe.

Ultimately, recurring headlines with the words “advertising fraud” undermine trust in the industry, particularly the perception of programmatic buying. It’s up to marketers to demand greater transparency with all partners – not just on ad fraud, but also in fees and measurement.

Brett Wilson is Vice President and General Manager of Advertising at Adobe.