- Explore methods of fraud prevention and the integration of benchmarks, optimization techniques, and checkpoints to ensure consistently low advertising fraud levels
In our last three episodes we discussed ‘What Advertising Fraud Looks Like Today’, ‘How To Spot Ad Fraud’, and ‘How to Tackle Ad Fraud’, their impact on key campaign decisions, and advertisers’ ROI.
If you missed the previous episodes, you will be able to access them here.
Building on that foundation, this episode shifts our focus to the strategies essential for long-term sustainability against ad fraud. Ensuring consistently low levels of ad fraud across your campaigns requires a multi-faceted approach. Let’s delve into these key strategies:
PARTNER SELECTION
#1 Choice Of Ad Networks
Before committing to a specific media mix, it’s crucial to evaluate your potential partners to assess if they are well-established and trustworthy networks. For agencies, maintaining a record of past performance can be invaluable in helping to select the right set of publishers for your media planning.
At M&C Saatchi Performance, we use a ‘Partner Ranking System’. This system continually updates a hierarchy list, considering various criteria such as history of fraud, high performing verticals, media buying efficiencies, conversion rate benchmarks, achievement of goals, scale potential and reliability.
#2 Differentiating Ad Inventories
To effectively combat ad fraud, it’s essential to deeply understand the media categories or inventory characteristics of partners and from this, establish robust benchmarks for fraudulent activity.
Ensuring precision in these benchmarks not only reduces fraud levels but also prevents the unintentional exclusion of legitimate publishers from campaign targeting. While many fraud prevention tools provide customization options for these benchmarks, at M&C Saatchi Performance, we utilise a unique set of ad fraud regulations, specifically designed for each application’s platform and scale.
OPERATIONAL CHECKS
#1 Continuous Monitoring
Regularly monitor and analyse all key performance indicators to identify any suspicious patterns that might indicate fraud. We recommend a minimum of 2-4 checks in a week to effectively combat fraudulent traffic.
#2 Refresh Your Creatives
Keep tabs on Click Through Rate (CTR) in relation to design elements and ad copies on your creatives. If the campaign performance is lower than benchmarks, check for causative factors and change the creatives. Timely optimisation of your ad creatives can help prevent fraudsters from mimicking your ads.
#3 Review And Update Fraud Benchmarks
In the ever changing digital landscape, fraudsters are continuously evolving their tactics. While complete elimination of ad fraud is challenging, lowering and preventing it is achievable. Fraudsters adapt by tweaking their algorithms to understand and circumvent your detection methods. Regularly reviewing and updating fraud benchmarks enhances prevention. This approach involves cyclical evaluation of campaign metrics to eradicate suspicious traffic sources.
USE FRAUD DETECTION TOOLS
Leveraging fraud detection tools provides a comprehensive real-time solution, effectively preventing fraudulent traffic and aiding post-event attribution. Pre-attribution, or real-time fraud detection, stops potential fraudulent incidents from reaching the viewer by using custom ad fraud rules as barriers. Post-attribution fraud detection enhances these insights by identifying and reporting fraudulent events after they occur.
While some tools offer either post or pre-attribution features, only a few provide both capabilities. However, it is essential marketers account for the cost of these tools when determining their final ROI.
RUN A TEST PLAN
Initiate a test plan with a modest investment, spanning flight dates of at least 7-10 days. This timeframe allows for a thorough analysis aimed at detecting any anomalies within the ad inventories being procured.
EDUCATE TEAM MEMBERS
Educate your team and partners about the risks and impact of ad fraud, fostering a proactive approach to fraud prevention. Engage with industry experts to understand the various types of fraud encountered. Furthermore, share your experiences and strategies to bolster your campaign’s defenses against fraudulent activity.
Always remember that ad fraud is an ongoing battle, so continually evolving your strategies and staying vigilant is crucial for maintaining low ad fraud over the long term.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
In this article, we discussed:
- The importance of prioritising trustworthy ad networks to minimise ad fraud.
- The prominence of continually monitoring campaigns and A/B Testing creatives in maintaining low ad fraud levels over longer periods of time.
- The value added by fraud detection tools in lowering ad fraud.
- The role played by knowledge sharing in spreading awareness on the advances made by fraudsters in carrying out frauds to eventually eliminate them and maximise marketing ROI.
WORKING WITH M&C SAATCHI PERFORMANCE
M&C Saatchi Performance offers a proprietary Ad Fraud Detection Tool to run fraud checks, setting a standard in safeguarding your digital advertising campaigns. We offer this solution completely free of cost, ensuring your marketing budget remains focused on real engagement and results.
Over the years, we have helped advertisers save millions from ad fraud. Our tools use customised fraud benchmarks, learning from our media team’s experiences in keeping regular checks and optimising campaigns at Sub SiteID level.
We provide a complimentary audit if you’re looking to safeguard your campaigns. Reach out to us to know more about our performance marketing services.
