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Global Optimized Ad-Fraud Rates Decline, But AI Presents Challenges https://ift.tt/TpQ2E9X Worldwide fraud rates for optimized ad campaign meant to protect brands fell to all-time lows in the second half of 2023, but those unprotected rose 14 times higher, according to data released Tuesday. Rates for optimized campaigns fell to 0.6% from 0.9% the two prior years. The year-over-year rate in the Americas dropped to 0.1 point. Global media measurement and optimization platform Integral Ad Science on Tuesday released the nineteenth edition of its Media Quality Report (MQR). The annual report analyzes more than 280 billion digital interactions daily from across the globe to provide advertisers and publishers with benchmarks to measure the quality of their digital advertising campaigns and inventory, from ad fraud rates and bots, to viewability and challenges related to artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and misinformation. advertisement advertisement The data shows that much of the reduction in global ad-fraud rates in the second half of last year was driven by a 0.4 point year-over-year (YoY) drop on desktop, where display and video impressions averaged 1.0% and 0.9%, respectively. Despite the improvement, desktop ad fraud rates remained three times higher in the second half of 2023 compared with mobile. Non-optimized campaigns on desktop display increased two points to 13.0% between the first and second half of the year. Desktop video is the only format where fraud rates for non-optimized campaigns declined annually 00 a format consumers watch only for an average of 22 minutes per day compared with 79 minutes for mobile video, according to an eMarketer February 2024 report. The reduction in the Americas broke a three-year increase that pushed ad-fraud rates to an all-time high in the first half of 2023. With increasing amounts of fraud, marketers are most focused on navigating threats from AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation, as consumers continue to hold advertisers accountable for ad placements around risky content. Brand risk averages worldwide remained essentially unchanged annually, declining 0.1 point from 2022 to reach 1.7% in 2023, but brand risk continues to change rapidly. AI-generated deep fakes pose unique challenges around content authenticity and misinformation. Increased election coverage and political ad spending in the U.S. and Argentina in 2023 likely contributed to an annual hike of 0.2 points that pushed the Americas to a 2.1% brand risk average. The U.S. registered a 0.3 point average brand risk increase from the first half of the year to the second. Brand risk on desktop remained unchanged worldwide across both display and video, coming in at 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively -- lower than on mobile. For mobile web ads, brand risk fell, but it was highest around mobile web display for the second year in a row -- reaching 2.0% in 2023 but down from 2.3% the year prior. Mobile web video came in at 1.7%, following a 0.4 point decline year-over-year. IAS also looked into brand risk vulnerabilities around major sporting events, specifically the Super Bowl and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sporting events are considered generally safe content for brands, but unforeseen risks may arise during live broadcasts and streams with continued fallout well after the event. For example, the trophy ceremony of the Women’s World Cup featured unexpected high-risk negative content. Super Bowl brand risk in the U.S. averaged 3.5% in the week leading up to the game in February 2023, which was 59% higher than the 2.2% benchmark for the U.S. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 7, 2024 at 01:43PM
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Audio Ad-Spend Fraud: Hackers Spoof More Than 500,000 Devices In March https://ift.tt/KfjIzHx DoubleVerify identified audio fraud where fraudsters combined invalid traffic with legitimate traffic to remain undetected, spoofing content on more than 500,000 devices, including mobile phones, tablets, CTV, audio players, smartwatches and smart speakers to drain advertisers' budgets. FM Scam fraudsters falsify audio traffic using dedicated servers. DoubleVerify said the scam represents the second significant global ad scheme targeting audio spend after BeatSting, the first major invalid traffic (IVT) scheme aimed at audio traffic. Jack Smith, chief innovation officer at DoubleVerify, believes audio is rapidly becoming a lucrative target for fraudsters. He stated that fraudsters tend to focus on emerging media, like audio, that attracts advertising investments but lacks comprehensive measurement standards. advertisement advertisement DoubleVerify estimates the combined financial impact of FM Scam and BeatSting on unprotected advertisers exceeded $1 million in spend monthly. FM Scam fraudsters generated up to 100 million ad requests monthly. Siphoning money away from legitimate audio channels impacted the yield of quality audio sellers, the company said. Scammers falsified audio traffic using dedicated servers, and spoofed a range of devices typically used for playing audio content. Fraudsters auctioned invalid traffic through supply-side platforms (SSPs), exchanges and ad networks. The fraudulent traffic blends with legitimate traffic by mimicking the behavior of a typical continuous ad session. FM Scam creates longer and uninterrupted sessions. This technique randomizes the traffic pattern to appear more human-like, as opposed to delivering a consistent, fixed amount of impressions across devices. When FM Scam emerged and identified through AI-powered technology and human review, DoubleVerify managed to tie IP addresses used by the attack to a CTV scheme first detected in 2019. A portion of the IPs were also associated with a variety of malicious activities across many verticals including the spread of malware. Another thing to note, use patterns in the audio differ significantly from other media types, with a broader range of players and devices and are sometimes exclusive to audio. As audio continues to grow, it becomes an increasingly attractive target for fraudsters. They frequently target emerging media that attracts advertising spend but lacks comprehensive measurement standards. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 7, 2024 at 01:43PM
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Jack Dorsey Leaves Bluesky https://ift.tt/NLenPGD As Bluesky continues to build out its platform, its most prominent backer Jack Dorsey has left the board. The Twitter co-founder was largely responsible for co-funding and popularizing the decentralized microblogging app after Elon Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it to X. On Saturday, however, Dorsey said he was no longer a part of Bluesky after posting on X about philanthropic grants for open protocols. On X, Dorsey also warned people to defend their own rights by “using freedom technology,” which includes Musk's X platform. Bluesky responded to the news by the end of day, stating that it thanks Dorsey for “funding and initiating the Bluesky project” and is now “searching for a new board member…who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience.” advertisement advertisement In 2019, when he was still Twitter CEO, Dorsey tweeted that Twitter was funding a team to “develop an open and decentralized standard for social media.” Bluesky emerged from this experiment, with software engineer Jay Graber, now Bluesky's CEO, helping the app amass over 2 million users in closed beta. After a year of operating as invite-only, Bluesky launched publicly in February. The network has since begun allowing any user to run their own server on the platform's AT Protocol, a concept referred to as federation. Developers, too, can write their own code over the protocol, effectively creating new social platforms within Bluesky itself. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/x5nXyvD May 6, 2024 at 04:22PM
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Yelp Thinks it Can Cash In On AI https://ift.tt/fEdngJH It's the beginning of a broader interaction between companies, brands and consumers -- a change in the way consumers ask for information in chunks rather than in snippets. Delta Air Lines, Nike, Starbucks, Netflix and many other brands use artificial intelligence (AI) assistants to interact with consumers, but through the technology Yelp believes it can drive more demand for its businesses that list on its platform. The company has been working on finding a way to create a unique experience to keep pace with search engines attempting to offer the same type of information and services. And as Yelp reminds users it's more than a place to find the best and highest-rated restaurants, its newly launched OpenAI-powered Yelp Assistant can find service providers in a specific area and write requests for jobs like home upgrades and event planning. Yelp Assistant is powered by data and large language models (LLMs). From prompts, it understands the users’ project or problem and intelligently guides them through the process of finding the right professional for the job. advertisement advertisement The introduction of the tool marks a significant step in automation through a conversational and intuitive way for consumers to connect with and hire local service professionals. Consumers can chat with Yelp Assistant the same way they would with a human professional. And once it has the information a professional would need to evaluate the job, it provides a query for the job that the user can approve to get matched with qualified businesses to complete the project. If someone needs a shower installed, the chatbot will ask questions like what type of stall or faucet and showerhead. It might suggest a couple of nearby installers or brands. The assistant -- available in the iOS versions of its mobile app -- also works with other services on Yelp, such as searching for a massage therapist, pet care, real estate, or financial services. The company said it will release a version for Android this summer. The company said it can help the consumer find the specific type of business to help with any job. And I cannot help but wonder if an AI assistant can remove the ambiguity that customer service reps sometimes create because they are required by a company to follow specific scripted words and phrases to support clients. Responses are typically pulled from data on a company’s website, so I’m wondering whether an AI assistant could prevent misunderstandings or misconstrued procedures that might create many hours of frustration. Like the time I had to get a front infrared camera lens on my car replaced after it had been shattered by a rock from the road. Ambiguity in the way the insurance rep described the process of getting the camera replaced caused about a month of frustration and a lot of out-of-pocket expenses. The insurance company required the car to be fixed through an “authorized” Porsche dealer, but they listed none on their website. It turns out authorized Porsche dealers were only available through third-party contractors that could buy and install the camera, but not calibrate it, so they had to send it to the dealer to complete the job. In addition to Yelp Assistant, the company updated the Yelp Fusion AI API, which connects Yelp’s data to third-party platforms. Previously, it just connected user reviews and data, but now it allows partner companies to integrate natural language search of Yelp’s database. It supports only single question-and-answer conversations, but Yelp says a longer conversation string will become available later this year. Through the Yelp Fusion API, the AI search platform Perplexity has added Yelp’s content to its search results. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/x5nXyvD May 6, 2024 at 07:45AM
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Google Users Battle Company Over Analytics Data https://ift.tt/QD3oTLv A group of Google users who are suing the company over alleged privacy violations are now battling with it over a key issue in the case -- whether the company adequately disclosed how it collects analytics data. The legal fight, which dates to 2000, focuses on Google Analytics for Firebase -- a tool that can collect data about smartphone users' app usage. Anibal Rodriguez and other consumers alleged in a class-action complaint that Google “intentionally created an illusion of user control” through its “Web & App Activity” settings, which users must turn on if they want to save searches and activity in their Google account. The complaint alleged that even when users don't activate the setting, Google uses its Firebase code “to collect users’ communications made via the apps on users’ devices.” Shortly after the case was filed, Google asked U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg to prevent the plaintiffs from moving forward, arguing that they consented to the alleged data transfers by accepting Google's privacy policies. advertisement advertisement Seeborg refused to dismiss the matter on those grounds in May 2021, and allowed Rodriguez and the others to proceed with several privacy-related claims. He wrote at the time that navigating Google's privacy statements “is a singularly fragmented affair.” “The average internet user is not a full-stack engineer; he or she should not be treated as one when Google explains which digital data goes into which digital buckets, and where the corresponding spigots might be found,” he added. Since then, Google and the plaintiffs exchanged evidence and questioned each others' witnesses. In April, Google argued to Seeborg that the evidence developed since his May 2021 ruling shows that it accurately described its practices in the Web and App Activity setting, and that no reasonable smartphone user would have expected that the setting could “disable the entire data flow from the app to Google.” “Nobody who uses mobile apps reasonably believes that they can grind the mobile ads ecosystem to a halt by flipping a single button (or any other way),” Google writes in a motion for summary judgment. “Even when personalization of advertising is disabled, advertising can still be served in spaces where apps choose to sell advertising space. And the server of those apps will of course keep a log that the ad was served,” the company adds. Google characterizes the data at issue as “non-personal,” and says the privacy policies disclosed that the company could use “non-personal information for basic record-keeping.” On Thursday, lawyers for Rodriguez and the others countered that a jury should decide whether Google's privacy policies adequately disclosed its practices. “A reasonable juror could readily agree with plaintiffs that Google represented that it would not collect or save app activity when [Web & App Activity] was off,” class counsel argued. Counsel also argued that even if users consented to the collection of analytics data, the consent wouldn't have been “voluntary” because Firebase (and other related code) is embedded in most popular apps. Seeborg is expected to hold a hearing in the case on July 25. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/KVMTZi9 May 3, 2024 at 11:26PM
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QSR Meal Time Is Now Flex Time https://ift.tt/GFdos6D
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he following was previously published in an earlier edition of QSR Insider. Consumers have returned to McDonald’s, Chipotle and Panda Express post-pandemic, but many are dining outside of what are considered typical breakfast, lunch and dinner times, per a new study of the three chains by foot traffic analyst firm Placer.ai. McDonald’s previous drop in morning and lunch visits between 2019 and 2021 began a turnaround in 2023, growing from 15.9% to 16.9% YoY, which was perhaps due to some customers returning to the office and hitting the QSR giant on their way into the office or for lunch. “QSR chains generally remain in a good position relative to the dining industry. They are a more affordable option than other food channels, they've invested more in mobile ordering and drive-thru technologies, they're opening more stores in high growth markets, and many chains have embraced new celebrity partnerships to help drive sales and menu innovation -- like McDonald's Famous Orders,” R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, told QSR Insider. Panda Express visits between 11 p.m. to 2 p.m. have essentially returned to pre-pandemic levels. But perhaps more interestingly, midday visits have increased -- while dinner (7-10 P.M.) actually decreased, which may be due in part to the chain’s recent focus on its family-friendly to-go options, which allow customers to pick up dinner on their way home instead of dining in-store. “We saw consumers increasingly seek out value the past year, and for many families, Panda Express represents a more affordable option than others in the QSR or fast casual categories,” said Hottovy. Chipotle lunchtime traffic has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, with the share of visits between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. just 36.2% in 2023 compared to 40.0% in 2019. Yet Chipotle also saw pick up mid-afternoon (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and an increase in evening visits, “perhaps driven by the wider QSR trend towards more late-night visits and by some consumers choosing to visit Chipotle for their main meal of the day instead of splurging on an on-the-go lunch” according to the study. “Some of the changes we observed with QSR because of nontraditional schedules (late morning coffee visits, afternoon snacking) have held up and also helped to drive visits during other dayparts,” said Hottovy. “Inflation and other macroeconomic pressures have helped to keep QSR visits ahead of other restaurant categories, but we've also seen some QSR customers--particularly lower-income consumers--trade down to dollar stores and value grocers. Afternoon snack visits decreased as a percentage of overall visits compared to 2022, but still remain ahead of pre-pandemic levels, and are representative of changes in consumer behavior.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/KVMTZi9 May 3, 2024 at 12:58PM
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RSN Flexibility, Sports TV Desires: New Legacy Pay TV Life? https://ift.tt/WSFHuvi Charter Communications isn’t the only pay TV provider finding new life by pushing legacy media owners to let them add and sell streaming options to traditional live, linear pay TV package. DirecTV has renewed its deal with the financially troubled Diamond Sports Group, giving consumers the flexibility to access streaming sports content -- local sports programming on the Bally Sports app -- that has been originating on Diamond's live, linear TV regional sports networks (RSNs). This is similar to separate deals Charter Communications and Cox Communications recently made with Diamond Sports Group. All this gives new life to traditional video pay TV network bundlers when it comes to consumers' desire to shift to those shiny new objects -- premium video streaming services. Last November, Charter and Walt Disney made a groundbreaking deal allowing Charter to sell and package Disney's streaming services -- with Disney+ and ESPN among them -- while also dropping some lower-performing Disney cable TV channels. advertisement advertisement The interesting part of the equation is the future trend line for TV sports -- a key programming piece for linear TV and streaming platforms. It isn't just more flexibility for traditional pay TV consumers, but also for pay TV companies now looking to find some upside when some other businesses are slowing down. This includes broadband and mobile phone services. These deals help Diamond Sports Group -- the biggest RSN-owned company -- as it continues to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. a,pa.But not everything is smooth. Earlier this week negotiations between pay TV provider Comcast Corp., and Diamond Sports broke down with Bally Sports-brands RSNs now going dark. For consumers currently that means no access to local TV games of 11 Major League Baseball teams. Analysts believe Comcast wants to put the RSNs on a separate pay tier. The major difference for Diamond versus Disney is that Diamond comes into these carriage negotiations in a position of incredible financial weakness --- even as its content -- sports programming-- is viewed as a teflon of sorts. For a long time, proponents of RSNs believed their content -- sports -- could do no wrong, and that consumers would continue to buy in despite ever higher monthly subscription costs. Now situations for those RSNs are different. Financial carriage fees based on overall consumer reach coverage guarantees are much more flexible, according to executives. Ever higher premiums for advertisers, distributors and customers for sports on TV have their limits. Beyond RSNs, who will be the first to throw in the towel if and when sports leagues ramp up the score and get too greedy? Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/wdkl7fh May 3, 2024 at 11:59AM
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BarkleyOKRP Acquires Adlucent To Scale Integrated Media Capabilities https://ift.tt/tM82iRX BarkleyOKRP just acquired Adlucent from Advantage Solutions. Financial details were not disclosed. Based in Austin, Texas, Adlucent, a performance media and marketing technology company, creates custom paid media strategies for retail and service companies across search, display, social and retail media networks. Adlucent is also Google’s largest shopping ads agency in the U.S. Its brand work includes Petco, Zappos, The Vitamin Shoppe and Rawlings. Barkley and OKRP merged in March. This is the independent agency's first acquisition. “BarkleyOKRP fills the gap between holding companies and boutique shops, providing the best of both,” said Jeff King, CEO of BarkleyOKRP. “This acquisition of Adlucent supports our strategic vision to scale integrated media capabilities, expand our technology offering, and grow our media and data team to more than 250 experts, driving consumer engagement and ROI for our clients.” BarkleyOKRP will now have offices in Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, New York, Pittsburgh and Austin. Client work includes Burger King, Metro by T-Mobile, Planet Fitness and AMC Theaters. Ashwani Dhar, former CEO of Adlucent, becomes chief performance officer at BarkleyOKRP. Dhar reports to King. advertisement advertisement Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/wdkl7fh May 3, 2024 at 10:03AM
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Restaurants Offer Free Delivery, Taco Specials For Cinco De Mayo https://ift.tt/rnvBsbO
Happy Cinco De Mayo! The event has become a yearly celebration in the U.S. (actually much less popular in Mexico), with restaurants jumping in on the festivities with food and drink promos. Here’s a few for this May 5. Chipotle announced a deal good through May 5: Customers who order online or through the Chipotle website or app and use the code CINCO24 will receive free delivery the entire day. Chronic Tacos will offer customers $5 off a purchase of $25 or more on May 5 only. The offer from the Southern California-based chain is exclusive to the chain’s Loyalty Members through the Chronic Tacos App. Dave and Busters fans can celebrate Cinco De Mayo at the bar with $5 Tres Tequila Rita Margaritas on May 5. El Pollo Loco is offering customers several deals, including a series of buy one, get one specials for Loco Rewards loyalty members beginning May 3 through May 5. For example, members who buy a Carnitas Stuffed Quesadilla will receive a second one free. Finally, on May 5, members who place an order of $10 or more through the El Polo Loco app will receive two free Shredded Chicken Crunchy Tacos with free delivery. Members can also receive $20 off of a catering order totaling $100 or more this week only, and customers who pay a $50 gift card will receive a $10 bonus through May 5. advertisement advertisement El Torito has multi days of Cinco De Mayo promos for customers. On May 3 and 4, patrons can take part in an all-day Happy Hour, which includes $4, $6, $8, and $10 specials in the cantina. The chain will offer an all-you-can-eat brunch the morning of May 5, with margarita, beer and shot specials with $4 tacos in afternoon and evening. Taco Bell customers can receive five crunchy or soft tacos for only $5 on May 5. The offer, limited to one per customer, is also exclusive to Taco Bell Rewards members who order through the chain’s mobile app. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/wdkl7fh May 2, 2024 at 04:35PM
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Kochava And FTC Appear Open To Settling Privacy Battle https://ift.tt/bWwLYOu Mobile data broker Kochava may be open to settling privacy charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission, according to court papers filed this week. In a joint motion filed Tuesday, Kochava and the FTC asked U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill for a five-week extension of a deadline to file certain pre-trial paperwork, writing that the extra time “would facilitate settlement talks.” U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Idaho granted the request on Wednesday, extending the deadline from May 6 to June 14. A Kochava spokesperson called the move a “procedural development,” adding that the company “has always welcomed productive conversations with the FTC and ways that we can work collaboratively to protect user data.” The FTC declined to comment. The FTC claimed in a 2022 complaint against Kochava that the company engaged in an unfair business practice by allegedly selling the kind of precise geolocation data that could expose sensitive information, such as whether people visited doctors' offices or religious institutions. advertisement advertisement Among other allegations, the FTC said Kochava sells precise geolocation data as well as mobile advertising IDs -- unique, 32-character identifiers that persist, unless consumers proactively reset them. Kochava countered in a motion seeking dismissal that the data it sells isn't “personally identifiable,” and that the agency's allegations -- even if proven true -- wouldn't amount to “unfair” conduct. In February, Winmill rejected Kochava's argument and allowed the FTC to proceed with the complaint. Winmill essentially said at the time that the allegations against the company, if proven true, could support the claim that it engaged in an unfair business practice -- meaning it engaged in activity that could cause “substantial injury” to consumers, and isn't reasonably avoidable by consumers or outweighed by benefits. “Kochava allegedly provides its customers with vast amounts of essentially non-anonymized information about millions of mobile device users’ past physical locations, personal characteristics (including age, ethnicity, and gender), religious and political affiliations, marital and parental statuses, economic statuses, and more,” Winmill wrote in February. Kochava founder and CEO Charles Manning said at the time that the company was “confident” it would prevail on the merits. “Kochava has always operated consistently and proactively in compliance with all rules and laws, including those specific to privacy,” he stated. “Never in a million years did we imagine that as a small, law-abiding company we’d find ourselves in the ring on behalf of an entire industry,” Manning added. Shortly before the FTC sued, Kochava announced a “privacy block” feature that removes known health services locations from its marketplace. Manning said in February that the feature “has been blocking over 2.1 million locations from its data products on an ongoing basis.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/wdkl7fh May 2, 2024 at 04:35PM |
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