Integral Ad Science

IAS’s Commitment to Media Quality

IAS Team — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 22:48:18 +0000

An Update for Customers and Partners Following a Recent Adalytics Report

This update addresses a recent report by a third-party who inaccurately represented our technology.

At IAS, we are driven by a singular mission: to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality.

We are committed to media measurement and optimization excellence, and are constantly innovating to exceed the high standards that our customers and partners deserve as they maximize ROI and protect brand equity across digital channels.

Flawed Methodology Leads to Inaccurate Conclusions

IAS did not have the opportunity to review the full report ahead of publication. After reviewing the report in its entirety, it is clear Adalytics’ methodology omitted important details about IAS’s technology and nuances of our customers’ brand safety and suitability settings. In addition, they did not provide transparency on the timeframe of the study or their data sample set.

No Consideration for Measurement (Post-Bid) and Optimization (Pre-Bid) Settings

The report makes false claims and assumes that if an IAS script is seen on a page, then IAS should be blocking or preventing ads from delivering. Relying on an IAS script alone does not take into account the advertisers’ brand safety and suitability settings, which could include monitoring tags, blocking tags, or pre-bid offerings that prevent ad delivery.

In addition, Adalytics does not have visibility into settings for content allow/block lists, which advertisers use to align media spend to their brand safety objectives. Some customers use our post-bid blocking services, while others use monitoring. With blocking, if a page is flagged as unsuitable based on the client’s settings, the ad is blocked. With monitoring, the ad is delivered regardless of the page’s status, and any issues are reported.

Incomplete Code Analysis

The report is conflating IAS code used for publisher solutions and code used for advertiser solutions. We’ve verified that almost all of the tags in the screenshots are from our publisher solutions. Adalytics either missed this distinction or ignored it and didn’t seek clarification from IAS. Consequently, many examples of ads connected to IAS code in the report are inaccurate.

The code analysis conducted by Adalytics is not representative of the full suite of tools IAS provides to advertisers and publishers with multiple layers of brand safety and suitability measurement and protection. The examples shared only represent one part of our brand safety and suitability solution. Another flaw in the report shows IAS tags on a page that do not correspond to a final decision for the creative being displayed.

Our Commitment to Innovation

We’re committed to helping our customers safeguard and scale their brands, and we remain focused on delivering the industry’s most trusted and transparent measurement and optimization solutions. We will continue to provide the highest quality of service to our customers.

We recognize that all brands are unique and that the definition of safety and suitability is driven by a brand’s values and goals. IAS does not simply provide a binary (on-off) brand safety solution; we offer multiple and unique programmatic solutions that improve advertisers’ ability to detect and avoid unsafe and unsuitable content. This includes fraud, viewability, and brand safety measurement along with optimization tools including IAS Context Control and IAS Quality Sync.

The post IAS’s Commitment to Media Quality appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

What Is Click Fraud?

IAS Team — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Click fraud stands as a persistent threat that undermines the integrity and effectiveness of online marketing efforts. Simply put, click fraud involves the deceptive practice of clicking on online advertisements with malicious intent rather than genuine interest. This can be orchestrated by automated bots or individuals, aiming to generate fraudulent clicks that inflate advertising costs or mislead performance metrics.

This malicious activity not only drains marketing budgets but also skews data, leading to misguided strategies and diminished return on investment (ROI).

As digital advertising continues to grow, so does the sophistication of click fraud tactics, making it imperative for marketers to adopt advanced protection measures to safeguard their campaigns and ensure accurate performance evaluation.

What’s the true cost of click fraud?

The true cost of click fraud encompasses more than just financial losses. It disrupts the integrity of digital advertising by inflating click-through rates and misleading advertisers with false engagement metrics, ultimately diminishing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Click fraud undermines trust and credibility within the digital advertising ecosystem. It erodes the confidence of advertisers in online platforms and tarnishes the reputation of publishers and ad networks. Addressing click fraud is essential not only to safeguard advertising budgets but also to uphold transparency and maintain a sustainable environment where brands can effectively connect with their target audiences.

The true cost of click fraud goes well beyond the financial implications:

Financial impact: Advertisers pay for each click on their ads, whether legitimate or fraudulent. Click fraud can drain advertising budgets rapidly, leading to wasted resources and reduced ROI.
Sustainability efforts: Click fraud impedes efforts toward sustainable digital advertising practices by distorting performance metrics.
Data integrity: Fraudulent clicks distort performance metrics such as click-through rates and conversion rates, making it difficult for marketers to accurately assess the success of their campaigns and make informed decisions.
Trust and reputation: For publishers and ad networks, click fraud compromises trust with advertisers and can damage their reputation in the industry. It undermines the credibility of digital advertising platforms as effective channels for reaching target audiences.

Let’s dive deeper into click fraud’s serious implications and explore what marketers can do about it.

Financial impact of click fraud

Click fraud poses a substantial financial threat to brands and advertisers, significantly affecting their revenue streams and overall financial health. Increasing invalid traffic, primarily driven by click fraud, can have several detrimental effects:

Loss of ad spend: In 2024, it’s projected that advertisers and brands could lose as much as $71 billion due to invalid traffic generated by click fraud. This loss directly impacts advertising budgets, diminishing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and reducing the ROI from digital advertising efforts.
Revenue dilution: Click fraud not only wastes advertising dollars but also dilutes the revenue potential for brands. The projected loss of up to $205 billion in revenue underscores the magnitude of the problem, as fraudulent clicks do not translate into genuine consumer engagement or sales conversions. This financial impact can hinder growth strategies and profitability targets for brands relying on digital advertising channels.

Budget allocation challenges: Advertisers rely on accurate data to allocate their advertising budgets effectively. Click fraud distorts performance metrics, leading advertisers to make decisions based on misleading information. As a result, brands may misallocate resources, investing in channels that do not yield the expected returns due to fraudulent activities skewing engagement metrics.

The hidden environmental costs of click fraud

Ad campaigns can be detrimental to the environment.

Of the 3.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions generated annually by programmatic display advertising globally, 26.4% of impressions are estimated to be non-viewable, according to data from Lunio. This equates to approximately 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted yearly to serve non-viewable impressions.

This highlights a significant concern regarding carbon emissions from digital advertising. Given that campaigns often accumulate millions of impressions, each impression consumes enough energy to charge tens of thousands of smartphones.

Click fraud can impact sustainability efforts in a number of ways:

Energy consumption: Each fraudulent click triggers data processing and server activities, consuming energy resources. Data centers and servers require substantial energy to operate efficiently. The increased activity due to fraudulent clicks contributes to higher energy consumption, indirectly impacting carbon footprints and contributing to environmental degradation.
Electronic waste: The digital advertising ecosystem relies heavily on electronic devices and hardware. When click fraud artificially inflates advertising metrics, it can lead to increased demand for new electronic devices, contributing to electronic waste (e-waste) when older devices are discarded prematurely. E-waste management is a critical aspect of environmental sustainability, and minimizing unnecessary device turnover is essential.
Resource utilization: Fraudulent activities can lead to inefficient allocation of resources. Advertisers may misallocate budgets based on false data, directing investments away from genuinely effective channels. This inefficiency can lead to unnecessary consumption of resources like raw materials for advertising materials and human resources for managing ineffective campaigns.

By comprehending the carbon footprint of campaigns, marketers and brands can grasp the magnitude of their environmental impact. This awareness marks the initial stride towards eliminating inefficient practices within digital advertising.

Publishers and brands face significant reputational damage as a result of click fraud

Click fraud can cause significant reputational damage to both advertisers and publishers involved in online advertising. When click fraud occurs and advertisers unknowingly pay for fraudulent clicks, several reputational challenges can arise:

Wasted budget and ROI concerns: Advertisers rely on accurate data and performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. If a significant portion of their budget is wasted on fraudulent clicks that do not generate genuine interest or conversions, it can lead to questions about the efficacy of their marketing strategies and the return on investment from online advertising.
Impact on trust and credibility: Advertisers may lose trust in the advertising platforms where the click fraud occurred. They may question the platform’s ability to protect their advertising investments and provide accurate reporting. This loss of trust can result in advertisers reducing their advertising spend on the platform or seeking alternative advertising channels, potentially damaging the platform’s reputation in the industry.
Legal and regulatory issues: In some cases, click fraud can lead to legal consequences, such as violating terms of service agreements with advertising platforms or facing legal action from affected parties. Legal disputes and negative publicity resulting from click fraud can further damage the reputation of the parties involved.
Publisher reputations at stake: Publishers hosting fraudulent clicks can also suffer reputational damage. Advertisers may exclude websites suspected of engaging in click fraud, reducing their ability to attract legitimate advertisers in the future. This tarnishes the publisher’s reputation within the advertising community and affects their revenue stream.

How IAS helps

Marketers seek transparency regarding the measures taken to safeguard their advertising investments on every platform. They desire comprehensive visibility into the detection and filtration of invalid traffic. Despite this, some marketers have yet to adopt dedicated systems for preventing invalid traffic, which underscores a critical opportunity for enhancing the efficiency of ad spend.

That is why IAS is teaming up with Lunio in a first-to-market partnership to provide post-click measurement and protection across search, social, and display networks. This partnership builds on IAS’s existing ad fraud detection and mitigation capabilities, giving marketers the most comprehensive IVT protection in the industry.

In partnership with Lunio, marketers can receive reliable, transparent post-click IVT analytics and traffic protection capabilities, with key benefits including:

Transparency: Understand how IVT is affecting accounts and spot where junk visits are damaging campaign performance
Empowerment: Proactively analyze and optimize paid media investments using insights from click data and traffic quality signals that aren’t available elsewhere
Quality: Increase the quality of ad traffic by leveraging insights to prevent invalid and junk traffic from wasting resources and skewing data — for laser-focused targeting of real prospects

By safeguarding every stage of the ad journey against invalid traffic — from impressions through to click — advertisers can enhance transparency and ensure quality from beginning to end of each campaign.

The post What Is Click Fraud? appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

RESEARCH: The State of Social

IAS Team — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Safeguarding and scaling your brand on social media

The ubiquity of social media gives advertisers an opportunity to cast a wide net for their brands. However, the varied nature of social media feeds, especially during election season, presents a challenge in ensuring the content surrounding ads is safe. Amid the spread of misinformation and AI-generated content, consumers are increasingly discerning — and advertisers should take note.

Leverage this study to understand how consumers’ perceptions of and interactions with brands are influenced by content surrounding ads on social media. Plus, this research deep dives into the types of ads that consumers are more likely to remember and consider favorable within social feeds.

Download The State of Social to find out:

How misinformation and AI-generated content on social feeds impacts ad performance
What kinds of ads consumers are interacting with on social media
What types of ad adjacencies drive purchase intent and brand awareness

The post RESEARCH: The State of Social appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

3 Things Marketers Must Know About Emerging Media

IAS Team — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Retail media, digital audio, and virtual reality are growing in popularity. Where should you start?

Digital media never stands still. Staying ahead of the curve is crucial for marketers. As new forms of media emerge, they bring both challenges and opportunities. Emerging media channels in particular are skyrocketing in popularity across the globe, compelling advertisers and agencies to consider these channels in their media budgets.

Why is everyone talking about emerging media?

The buzz surrounding emerging media is impossible to ignore. From retail media platforms and gaming to virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) experiences and digital audio, emerging media channels are reshaping how brands connect with their audiences. But what exactly is driving all this excitement, and why should marketers pay attention?

Diverse engagement opportunities

Emerging media offers a diverse array of engagement opportunities that traditional channels simply can’t match. By leveraging emerging media, brands can build stronger and more meaningful relationships with their customers.

Engagement metrics such as click-through-rates, dwell time, and social shares provide valuable insight into consumer behavior and preferences, allowing marketers to refine their strategies for maximum impact. Ultimately, emerging media not only improves customer engagement but also drives brand loyalty and advocacy through innovative and personalized experiences that resonate with today’s digitally savvy consumers.

Evolving consumer behavior

Consumer behavior is constantly evolving, driven by technological advancements and changing societal norms. Media experts cite dwindling consumer trust as a top concern for advertising on social media and other traditional channels. Today’s consumers demand seamless, personalized experiences from brands. Emerging media channels not only meet these expectations but also anticipate future trends, providing marketers with the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and connect with their audience in meaningful ways.

As the conversation around emerging media continues to intensify, marketers are increasingly drawn to the unique opportunities these platforms present. From expanding reach through innovative channels to leveraging advanced targeting capabilities, emerging media is reshaping the advertising landscape in profound ways.

Emerging media channels offer distinct advantages that traditional advertising methods often cannot match.

Here are three essential aspects marketers need to know before investing in emerging media.

1. Future-focused marketers are including emerging media in their ad budgets

Marketers are increasingly focusing on advertising through emerging media channels to stay competitive and engage with their target audiences effectively. Over 85% of marketers have already ventured into advertising on emerging media channels, recognizing the opportunities these platforms offer to reach and connect with modern consumers. Looking forward, 69% of marketers are planning to ramp up their investments specifically in virtual reality (VR) and retail media networks within the coming year. This proactive stance reflects a strategic approach to leveraging cutting-edge technologies and expanding reach across innovative platforms.

In today’s dynamic and competitive landscape, staying ahead of the game is crucial. Marketers are constantly challenged to achieve more impactful results with constrained budgets and resources. As such, 42% of marketers prioritize the potential for technological innovation when evaluating whether a new media channel is ready for investment. This forward-thinking mindset ensures that investments align not only with current consumer behaviors but also with future trends in digital engagement and advertising effectiveness.

By embracing emerging media channels and harnessing the power of technological advancements, marketers can not only enhance their brand visibility but also foster deeper connections with their audiences. This strategic shift toward innovative platforms underscores the industry’s commitment to evolving alongside consumer preferences and technological advancements, ultimately driving growth and competitive advantage.

2. Marketers must consider media quality, inventory, and performance factors when investing in emerging media

As the digital landscape continues to expand, so does the array of channels available for marketers to reach their target audiences. Emerging media channels, including digital audio, gaming, and virtual reality, offer unique opportunities for brand exposure and engagement. However, investing in these new avenues requires a strategic approach to ensure resources are allocated effectively.

Media quality is more important than ever

64% of marketers look to media quality as a top consideration for advertising on emerging media channels. Ensuring high media quality is paramount when venturing into emerging media. This involves selecting ad placements that guarantee high viewability and relevance. Ads should appear in prominent positions where they are likely to be seen by the target audience, ensuring that the surrounding content aligns with the brand’s values to maintain a safe advertising environment.

Collaborating with reputable publishers known for delivering high-quality traffic and engagement is also essential. Quality media placements help in building brand credibility and ensuring that advertising efforts resonate with the intended audience.

Optimize inventory for maximum impact

Effective inventory management is crucial for maximizing the reach and impact of campaigns in emerging media. 68% of marketers look at inventory factors as a top consideration for advertising on emerging media channels. Inventory considerations include the potential for future technological innovation on the channel, as well as the availability of interactive ad formats and price of inventory. Diverse inventory that provides broad reach across different channels and platforms maximizes exposure and engagement opportunities.

Ad performance is a top factor for consideration

It’s no surprise that six-in-10 marketers look to performance factors as top considerations of advertising on emerging media. These factors involve evaluating the cost per acquisition and return on investment to ensure media spend is justified by the results. Monitoring engagement metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and overall engagement levels also helps marketers assess ad effectiveness.

By carefully considering these three factors (media quality, inventory, and performance), marketers can make informed decisions about their investments in emerging media, increasing the impact of their marketing efforts while mitigating potential risks like low-quality inventory and fraudulent activity.

3. Measurement and optimization solutions are critical when deciding to invest in emerging media

No digital advertising campaign is complete without the actionable data to match — especially on emerging media channels. A substantial 52% of marketers prioritize the measurement of invalid traffic, aiming to ensure that their advertising budgets are protected from fraudulent activities that could skew performance metrics and waste resources. Marketers also place importance on contextual avoidance and targeting within digital audio, ensuring that ads are placed in safe, appropriate contexts to enhance relevance and effectiveness.

Attention measurement is also climbing the ranks as a top consideration, with marketers commonly turning to this metric on both digital audio and gaming platforms. On the latter channel, 44% of marketers consider high-risk content identification a must, considering the fact that gaming content can often be risky.

These metrics, and the ability to optimize toward them, underscore the growing emphasis on accountability and effectiveness in the realm of emerging media investments, guiding marketers toward informed decision-making and superior business results.

Stay ahead of the curve with IAS

The buzz around emerging media is well-deserved. Its ability to reach vast audiences, offer innovative advertising formats, adapt to trends, and foster authentic consumer connections makes it a powerful tool in the modern marketer’s arsenal. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying informed and embracing emerging media will be key to achieving marketing success.

Download IAS’s Emerging Media Outlook to find out more on:

How expert marketers determine if a media channel is ready for investment
Where marketers plan to increase investments this year
What common barriers prevent marketers from investing in emerging media

Gain insights from industry leaders and make informed decisions for your next campaign — download the study today and learn more about our emerging media partnerships.

The post 3 Things Marketers Must Know About Emerging Media appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

End-to-End Ad Measurement is Super Valuable — Here’s Why

IAS Team — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

It’s no secret that measurement is a crucial component of successful advertising campaigns. Advertisers and publishers alike have been measuring digital impressions for decades. But ad measurement has evolved significantly since its inception, and impressions aren’t the only metric that matter anymore.

So how comprehensive and actionable is the measurement you’re relying on today?

The right measurement tactics enable you to ensure greater brand protection and impact on valuable media inventory — especially in environments like the open web, where your display and video campaigns are highly visible. In this blog post, we’ll explore why end-to-end ad measurement is invaluable and how it can transform your advertising strategy.

The key ingredients of end-to-end ad measurement

Despite its simplicity in nature, end-to-end ad measurement on the open web can get complicated fast. The advertising ecosystem is complex and busy, with consumers tuning in every day to different formats via multiple streaming platforms, and often in very different contexts. To navigate this complexity, end-to-end measurement must cover several key areas.

Viewability

For advertising to make an impact, it has to be viewed —not just served. Ensuring that your digital ads have the opportunity to be seen by consumers, wherever they are, is critical. All digital ads — desktop, mobile, in-app, browser, display, video — have unique requirements that need to be met when measuring for viewability.

As advertising becomes more sophisticated, brands want to not only prove ROI but also transact on viewability, and that’s why it’s more important than ever to have full-flight data on whether or not an ad was seen. IAS provides coverage for display and video placements across desktop, mobile web, and mobile app, and provides actionable data that reports viewability, fraud, and overall user experience.

Measuring viewability is paramount, so IAS ensures it doesn’t come at the cost of efficiency. We deliver the same set of data to both buyers and sellers so that no time is wasted on reconciliation. Additionally, our predictive data makes it possible for brands to target the most viewable ads available, all before ever placing a bid. Our pre-bid video and display viewability segments are easily accessible within the world’s largest demand-side platforms.

Ad Fraud

There are more than 5.35 billion internet users worldwide using the internet everyday. But unfortunately, sometimes digital ads are delivered to anything but a real person.

Advertising fraud is a persistent threat in the digital space, draining resources and diminishing campaign effectiveness. According to our 19th Edition Media Quality Report, campaigns that are not optimized for fraud tended to encounter levels of fraud up to 14 times higher than those optimized against ad fraud. In fact, 8.4% of non-optimized ad campaign impressions were served to anything but a real human in the second half of 2023.

End-to-end ad fraud measurement can significantly increase transparency to help identify fraudulent inventory. By leveraging ad fraud metrics, marketers can measure the amount of activity their ads are generating from fraudsters, and subsequently use this data to optimize ad spend toward real users via IAS pre-bid solutions. Access to actionable invalid traffic data throughout the entire campaign is key to effectively allocating ad spend and confidently ensuring your ads have an opportunity to reach real users and make an impact.

Brand Safety and Suitability

Brand safety must go beyond the binary. Black and white brand safety and suitability measurement can unnecessarily limit scale and doesn’t give the context marketers need to understand the effectiveness of their ads.

That’s why it’s critical for marketers to build on the power of brand safety with the innovation of suitability. IAS contextual targeting technology reviews all elements on a given page and takes additional steps beyond URL analysis to understand the meaning of the content. Before a bid is even placed, IAS’s predictive science pre-screens pages to filter out content that isn’t suitable for a given brand. Only IAS gets to the true meaning of the content, so marketers can ensure they’re aligning campaigns with consumers who will connect the most with their brand.

End-to-end brand safety and suitability measurement and protection gives marketers the most accurate picture of the content near their ads, and provides brands with the opportunity to safeguard without limiting scale.

4 steps to improve your brand’s performance on the open web

Leverage measurement partners who follow industry standards for viewability
Keep up with benchmarks for viewability, invalid traffic, and brand safety and suitability
Employ AI-powered prevention solutions for invalid traffic and brand safety and suitability to ensure your ads are seen by real people in the right context
Reallocate ad spend based on viewability, invalid traffic, and brand safety and suitability data

Drive superior results today with IAS

By incorporating end-to-end measurement into your digital advertising strategy, you can protect your brand, optimize your ad spend, and achieve superior results. Reach out to an IAS representative today to learn how we can help you harness the full potential of your advertising campaigns.

The post End-to-End Ad Measurement is Super Valuable — Here’s Why appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Clarity in Cannes: Highlights & Key Takeaways from Cannes Lions 2024

IAS Team — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 16:11:35 +0000

From groundbreaking keynotes to thought-provoking panels, this year’s Cannes Lions Festival served as a testament to the innovation and creativity that define our industry. The energy and excitement of this year’s event have set a new benchmark, leaving us inspired and ready to clear digital media’s complexities and forge the future of digital advertising.

Here’s a recap of our top Cannes highlights from this year.

She Runs It: Lift As You Climb

With IAS, She Runs It, The New York Times, Mars Petcare, and Mondelez

Gender inequality continues to be a prominent issue within the advertising and marketing industry. Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, facing barriers like pay disparities and limited career advancement opportunities. However, there’s growing optimism for change as awareness increases and initiatives advocating for gender diversity gain traction.

In a conversation hosted by IAS in partnership with She Runs It, a panel of courageous leaders discussed the actions necessary to pursue change and achieve equity for women in marketing, media, and tech. The panelists, including Lisa Utzschneider (CEO, IAS), Lynn Branigan (CEO, She Runs It), Joy Robins (Chief Advertising Officer, The New York Times), Najoh Tita-Reid (Chief Brand and Experience Officer, Mars Petcare), and Eugenia Zalis (Head of Marketing and Brand, Mondelez) shared their own personal experiences, and highlighted how promoting gender equality in marketing not only drives innovation but also ensures that diverse perspectives are represented in the industry.

Safeguard Your Brand in the Era of AI-Powered Misinformation

With IAS, CIMM, and Beet.TV

Misinformation poses a significant challenge for advertisers, agencies, and publishers alike. As the complexity of digital content grows, so too does the potential for misinformation to impact advertising strategies and metrics. While misinformation in media isn’t a new phenomenon, advancements in generative AI and user-generated content have exacerbated its impact, posing significant threats to brands’ efforts to engage consumers effectively across the digital landscape.

Lisa Utzschneider (CEO, IAS) and Jon Watts (Managing Director, CIMM) engaged in a fireside chat with Beet.TV to address strategies to navigate this surge in misinformation, safeguard brand integrity, and sustain growth throughout the ongoing election season and beyond. The panelists addressed the impact of misinformation near ads, and how data and measurement is crucial for maintaining trust, integrity, and effectiveness in digital advertising.

A Conversation on Brand Safety and Suitability

With IAS, Meta, Kenvue, and Kinesso

With the proliferation of user-generated content, programmatic advertising, and the rise of misinformation, ensuring ads appear in appropriate and secure contexts is increasingly difficult. Companies must now employ advanced technologies and strict monitoring to protect their brand image and avoid associations with harmful or inappropriate content.

To discuss this challenge, industry leaders including Lisa Utzschneider (CEO, IAS), Samantha Stetson (VP, Client Council & Industry Trade Relations, Meta), Mark Proulx (Director, Media Responsibility & Quality, Kenvue), and David Mataranglo (US CEO, Kinesso) held a panel addressing the escalating complexities advertisers face amid a backdrop of global events like elections and the Olympics. LisaU highlighted that these events amplify concerns over brand exposure to controversial content and misinformation. Citing Forrester research, she noted that 82% of B2C marketing executives in the U.S. express worries about advertising during election cycles, underscoring the gravity of the issue.

Central to the discussion was the role of advanced AI-driven tools in safeguarding brand integrity. IAS’s partnership with Meta enhances brand safety and suitability across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Our joint efforts include innovative tools like the AI-powered Total Media Quality suite, designed to provide granular insights and protect brands from misinformation.

The New Advertising Paradigm

With IAS, Teads, Lumen, and Publicis Media

Amid surges in risky content, the rapid advancements of AI, and the relentless competition for consumers’ attention across various digital platforms, advertisers find themselves navigating a complex landscape that’s more challenging than ever before.

In this session, IAS hosted a fireside chat on combating misinformation with Craig Ziegler (SVP, Product, IAS) and Clément Bascoulergue (Country Manager, IAS), followed by a panel discussion with Caroline Hugonenc (SVP, Research & Insights, Teads), Mike Follet (Managing Director, Lumen), and Seb Larre (Head of Digital, Publicis Media) to discuss what’s on the horizon for attention measurement and optimization in 2024 and beyond.

Brand Innovators: Women in Marketing Leadership Forum

With IAS and Molson Coors Beverage Company

The Women in Marketing Forum at the Armani Caffé featured an engaging fireside chat led by Sarah Martinez (CRO, IAS), alongside Courtney Benedict (SVP, Marketing, Molson Coors) and Leslie Malcolm (VP, Marketing, Molson Coors). This event offered an insightful discussion on the evolving landscape of marketing, leadership challenges, and strategies for success in the industry. Such forums are crucial as they provide a platform for women leaders to share their experiences and inspire the next generation of female marketers, fostering diversity and inclusion within the marketing field.

Balancing Open Web, Social Platforms, and Premium Publishers on the GroupM Rooftop

With IAS, GroupM, and Mars

GroupM hosted a discussion at The Martinez Hotel on navigating the advertising landscape across the open web and social. This livestreamed panel session, moderated by Paul Nasse (RVP, Agency Partnerships, IAS), featured insights from Luke Bozeat (COO, GroupM UK) and Anja Spielmann (Global Brand Experience Director, Mars) as they explored the intricate challenges faced by advertisers in optimizing their media strategies across diverse digital channels.

The panel also spotlighted advancements in media quality methodologies and technologies that aid in decision-making for ad placements. The speakers highlighted the evolving role of metrics like attention in media buying decisions and emphasized the need for transparency in social platforms to effectively mitigate brand risk.

Three clear takeaways from Cannes Lions

The Cannes Lions Festival provided an opportunity for industry leaders to come together to clear up the complexities of digital media. The insights shared underscored the critical need for technological innovation, industry collaboration, and strategic foresight to empower advertisers in safeguarding their brands while maximizing engagement and impact.

Here are our top three takeaways:

Maximize ROI with AI-driven measurement and optimization, including detecting and avoiding made-for-advertising sites and driving performance with attention.
Safeguard and scale brands with unparalleled brand safety and suitability that can protect against misinformation and deepfakes, especially as global elections approach.
Forge the future through collaboration. Advertisers, agencies, publishers, and platforms need to work together to navigate the challenges of the digital advertising landscape.

We hope to connect with you in Cannes next year!

Interested in discovering what else is new at IAS? Click here for our latest research, product announcements, and news.

The post Clarity in Cannes: Highlights & Key Takeaways from Cannes Lions 2024 appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Taking Action on Attention: Volume II

IAS Team — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Deep dive into the impact of attention on ad performance

Attention continues to be a crucial focus in the digital media landscape. As marketers aim to capture and maintain consumer interest, the methods and metrics for measuring this elusive concept have evolved. While traditional metrics like viewability have provided a foundation, it’s clear that a holistic approach to measuring attention is essential for driving meaningful results.

To better understand how attention is related to performance, Integral Ad Science (IAS) conducted extensive research, incorporating data from billions of impressions and millions of conversion events.

Download Taking Action on Attention: Volume II to find out:

How attention metrics differ from traditional engagement metrics
The impact of high attention scores on conversion rates
Insights into consumer behavior and interaction with ads
Strategies for optimizing ad campaigns using attention metrics

The post Taking Action on Attention: Volume II appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Watch On-Demand: Mastering Context Control Webinar

IAS Team — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:44:54 +0000

Harness the power of positive sentiment to drive superior results

Did you know that 93% of consumers feel more favorable toward brands with ads near positive sentiment content? Sentiment is powerful with consumers — and if your brand is stuck relying on traditional contextual technology that often misclassifies content and can’t detect sentiment, it’s time to make a change.

Watch our webinar, Mastering Context Control: How to harness the power of positive sentiment to drive superior results, where you’ll learn:

Why consumers respond better to contextually relevant, positive sentiment ads
How IAS’s Context Control works, including real results from IAS customers
Top tips on getting started with Context Control today

SPEAKERS:

Michael Parker, Director, Programmatic Development, IAS
Brandon Rick, Programmatic Development Manager, IAS
Emily Healy, Product Marketing Manager, IAS

Don’t miss the opportunity to drive positive connection between your brand and consumers. Watch the webinar on-demand now.

The post Watch On-Demand: Mastering Context Control Webinar appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Scaling Your Brand Amid Surging Political Content and Misinformation

IAS Team — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. presidential election year is well underway, with media coverage ramping up across the country. One top-of-mind concern for advertisers during this politically-salient time is misinformation — in fact, marketers cite ads delivering alongside risky content like misinformation as their top media challenge in 2024.

In the heated environment of election season, the proliferation of misinformation can pose significant challenges for brands. Ads placed next to misleading or false information not only risk damaging a brand’s reputation, but can also erode consumer trust. As the media landscape becomes increasingly polarized and the spread of misinformation accelerates, brands must navigate this terrain with caution.

The IAS Election Lab analyzed the rise in political content and misinformation, exploring how IAS Context Control Avoidance segments can be tailored to different brand needs as potentially risky content saturates the media. Plus, we tested the scalability of Context Control Avoidance segments for protecting brands from risky content without overblocking or blocking responsible media, which refers to content that is trustworthy, accurate, and prioritizes diverse and inclusive reporting.

Here’s what we found.

Risky political content and misinformation rose in Q1 2024

The rates of risky political content and misinformation in the U.S. increased in the first quarter of 2024, highlighting potential threats to brand equity for unprotected campaigns. Plus, The Election Lab recently found that risky political content increased during major political events in Q1 2024, including Super Tuesday.

Compared to Q4 2023, risky political content rose 29% to reach 1.03% of all impressions measured in the U.S. in Q1 2024. And there’s a hefty reason why advertisers should steer clear of risky content: more than seven-in-10 U.S. consumers think that the content surrounding a brand’s ads is a reflection of their values.

Misinformation is also surging. Compared to Q4 of last year, Q1 2024 saw a 25% higher rate of misinformation content in the U.S. Consumers have become increasingly sensitive to ad adjacency to misinformation, with 75% reporting that they’d feel less favorable toward brands that advertise on sites that spread misinformation.

As the data proves, risky political content and misinformation are both on the rise. So what can advertisers do to scale despite this risky and misleading content?

Tailor to your brand’s specific risk avoidance

All IAS Context Control Avoidance segments use natural language processing to precisely comprehend context, sentiment, and emotion to protect brands at scale. But Context Control Avoidance segments allow advertisers to further tailor their campaigns to granular levels that make the most sense for them. For example, while some brands may prefer to avoid advertising near any political content, others may choose to avoid only a subset of content, like negative political content or negative content directed toward political parties.

So why would an advertiser choose a less strict threshold? It’s all about scale.

Avoiding only negative political content resulted in a 28% decrease in blocked impressions compared to avoiding all political content, unlocking an estimated 169 billion impressions per year, as estimated by Xandr DSP inventory projections. Advertisers could also choose to avoid only negative sentiments towards political parties, resulting in a 62% decrease in blocked impressions compared to avoiding all political segments, opening up an estimated 374 billion impressions annually.

Similarly, advertisers may have different needs for thresholds surrounding misinformation risk. Avoiding medium risk misinformation reflects a relatively conservative threshold, but advertisers can also opt to avoid only misinformation surrounding politics or high-risk misinformation. Per Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) definitions, medium risk misinformation is a broader category that includes content about misinformation, whereas high risk misinformation only includes content that presents a false narrative.

Simply activating IAS’s high risk misinformation avoidance segment instead of medium risk yielded a 98% decrease in blocked impressions compared to the medium risk misinformation segment, unlocking an additional 492 billion impressions annually, according to Xandr DSP inventory projections. IAS’s Context Control Avoidance segment specific to political misinformation had a 97% decrease in blocked impressions compared to medium risk misinformation, leading to an additional 487 billion impressions annually.

IAS Context Control Avoidance segments don’t block trustworthy content

Just as media experts and consumers alike denounce misinformation, they also recognize the importance of supporting responsible and trustworthy journalism.

To ensure that IAS Context Control Avoidance misinformation segments aren’t blocking trusted journalism, The Election Lab looked at how these segments performed for a sample of high impression volume publishers throughout Q1 2024. The IAS Context Control Avoidance medium-risk misinformation segments block exceptionally small rates of impressions on these sites. In the context of news-related misinformation, no impressions were blocked on these trustworthy publishers for the duration of Q1 2024. Both medium risk misinformation and politics-related misinformation saw a few blocked impressions, but these represented less than 0.01% of all impressions served to these publishers in Q1.

The result? Context Control Avoidance segments protected campaigns at scale without blocking responsible media.

Avoiding politically risky content drives superior results

How did politically risky content impact business results across Q1 2024? We examined IAS data enriched with performance and cost metrics to determine the impact of politically risky content and misinformation on success rate (defined as conversions or clicks) and cost per conversion (CPCV) during Q1 2024.

Politics had the biggest impact on the bottom line. Ads avoiding political content had a 32% lower CPCV than ads adjacent to politically risky content, representing $1.04 lower cost per conversion. Ads avoiding political content also had a 179% higher success rate.

Ads avoiding misinformation, on the other hand, had a 29% lower cost per conversion than ads adjacent to misinformation, representing $1.21 less per conversion. This lower CPCV is in part due to the 46% lower success rate for ads adjacent to misinformation.

Overall, ads that avoid risky political content and misinformation lead to more conversions and clicks, as well as lower costs per conversion. Enabling IAS Context Control Avoidance can protect your brand from this risky content while continuing to drive results.

How IAS Can Help

IAS offers 280+ off-the-shelf Context Control Avoidance segments to help advertisers avoid placing their ads alongside negative or risky content beyond the GARM categories. Before a bid is placed, IAS’s predictive science pre-screens pages to filter out tailored content that isn’t suitable for your brand.

Context Control Avoidance segments help marketers control where their brand is seen, which can be especially crucial with the growing uncertainty of the upcoming election cycle. Avoidance segments protect brand safety without harming scale so you can continue to drive superior results throughout an election year and beyond.

In addition, we recently announced the expansion of our Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement capability to now include the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) category of misinformation for leading social platforms, like Meta. Advertisers can now review when their ads run alongside content on the subject of misinformation on the feed, in addition to open web.

A comprehensive solution that protects all ends of the digital ad cycle is critical during the election season and beyond. End-to-end, AI-driven measurement coupled with optimization solutions that are tailored to each brand’s respective needs are key to detecting and avoiding misinformation on the internet’s most prolific and unpredictable environments.

For a step-by-step guide to scaling your brand in an election year, download your copy of the IAS Political Guide, and explore our IAS Election Lab for more insights.

The post Scaling Your Brand Amid Surging Political Content and Misinformation appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Effectively Validate Media Quality Across the Microsoft Advertising Network

IAS Team — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Safeguard and scale with Viewabilty, Invalid Traffic, and Brand Safety & Suitability Measurement across Microsoft

Delivering your ads to the right places and driving impact to the right audience has never been easy — until now. Starting today, IAS and Microsoft are joining forces to provide new levels of transparency into ad performance across the Microsoft Advertising Network including Audience Ads and Microsoft Invest.*

Through this expanded collaboration, you can access Viewability, Invalid Traffic, and Brand Safety & Suitability measurement to ensure that your Microsoft ads are running adjacent to brand safe and suitable content and engaging users.

With IAS's Microsoft Advertising Network Measurement, you can:

Validate your campaigns with measurement using trusted third-party reporting and analysis for Audience Ads
Access actionable insights such as viewability, time in view, % completed, invalid traffic rate, and brand safety pass and fail rate
See a holistic view of performance across desktop, mobile web, and in-app for display, video, native, and CTV campaigns

Effectively validate your media quality and maximize engagement with real users across the Microsoft Advertising Network. To get started, download the one sheet and reach out to an IAS representative.

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The post Effectively Validate Media Quality Across the Microsoft Advertising Network appeared first on Integral Ad Science.