European Ad Fraud Study Shows 62% IVT Reduction in Channels with Tough Anti-Fraud Standards
Friday, June 21, 2024
Annual TAG European Fraud Benchmark Report Finds TAG Certified Channel Inventory Increased by 77x in Last Six Years
WASHINGTON and LONDON, June 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report on European ad fraud from TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) reinforces the importance of robust anti-fraud standards across the digital advertising supply chain, finding a 62% reduction in invalid traffic (IVT) in TAG Certified Channels (TCC) - where three or more participants have adopted TAG's rigorous anti-fraud standards - over Non-Certified Channels (NCC). The 2024 TAG European Fraud Benchmark Study also found that the industry's success in reducing IVT in TCC has driven a flywheel of continued success, as IVT rates have been held under 1% in those channels for six consecutive years.
"We're beginning to see a virtuous cycle in our fight against ad fraud, thanks to continuing adoption of high standards across the supply chain," said Mike Zaneis, CEO of TAG. "Because ad buyers now expect to find sustained low fraud rates in TAG Certified Channels, they increasingly shift their investments to those channels, thus encouraging companies to adopt and maintain those standards and helping extend low IVT rates for another year."
As adoption of the TAG anti-fraud certification programme standards has grown, so has the volume of TCC inventory available in the digital ad supply chain. The number of TCC impressions measured in the study has skyrocketed from just 4 billion TCC impressions in the first year of the study to 308.4 billion last year.
"A rising tide lifts all boats, and the broad adoption of TAG's Certified Against Fraud standard has dramatically increased the amount of TAG-certified inventory available to the market," said Jules Kendrick, Chief Growth Officer and MD, UK & Europe for TAG. "Over the six years, the amount of TCC inventory has jumped by more than 77x, clearly illustrating the demand from buyers for inventory for consistent, low, and predictable IVT rates and the confidence from those buyers in TCC to meet those needs."
The study was conducted by The 614 Group and evaluated IVT rates in TCC by measuring more than 308 billion ad impressions in TCCs from January-December 2023 from three of the largest advertising agency holding companies across the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The study also included findings from in-depth qualitative interviews with senior executives from participating agencies and other ad tech companies. Among the notable themes from those interviews were the following:
1. Industry executives believe that success of the anti-fraud model should
be extended to other industry challenges. After six years of low IVT
rates in TCCs in Europe, agencies increasingly see IVT as an area for
vigilance rather than urgent action, whilst focusing on challenges around
wasted ad spend. Executives cited TAG's collaborative anti-fraud
programme as a model for other industry challenges, particularly in
transparency.
2. Agencies see continued confusion around definitions of
Made-for-Advertising (MFA) inventory. European agency executives focused
on the problem of Made-for-Advertising inventory and highlighted an
industry misconception that MFA falls within the definition of ad fraud
(i.e., IVT). Executives felt the industry needed a clear and consistent
definition of MFA.
3. Executives called for a balance of automation with a continued "human
touch." While automated programmes have simplified and standardised IVT
reduction, agency execs stressed the importance of continued human
engagement in the process. As one exec noted, "automated processes should
benefit ad fraud prevention, but over-automation could cause blind
spots," as well as unintended consequences.
"MFA may be the hottest topic in advertising, and agency executives clearly told us that our industry needs to establish clearer definitions around the term, so we can reduce confusion between it and IVT," said Rob Rasko, CEO of The 614 Group. "Executives also felt that the collaborative, standards-based model that TAG has used so successfully to address fraud should be extended to other industry challenges."
The full study can be found here. Additional information about TAG's Certified Against Fraud Programme and how companies can achieve the TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal can be found at https://www.tagtoday.net/fraud.
Methodology
This is the sixth annual TAG European Fraud Benchmark Study conducted by The 614 Group, and it continues to follow the methodology of the prior studies. The 614 Group partnered with three leading agency holding companies - GroupM, Omnicom Media Group, and Publicis Groupe - along with their MRC-accredited measurement vendors to collect and aggregate all impressions for campaigns that were executed from January 2023 to December 2023 in five European countries (Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK).
These impressions included display media and video ads in desktop, mobile web, mobile in-app, and CTV environments. The analysis did not use sampling of any kind, as 100% of all TAG Certified Against Fraud impressions given to The 614 Group were included in the analysis. Upon receipt, all data was aggregated within a secure database in order to create the proper reporting.
About TAG
TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) is the global certification program to strengthen safety and transparency in digital advertising. For nearly a decade, TAG's seal programs have demonstrated their effectiveness in minimizing fraudulent traffic, sharing threat intelligence, protecting brand safety, and increasing transparency. TAG's international member community includes the world's largest and most influential brands, agencies, publishers, and ad tech providers. TAG is the first and only Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the digital advertising industry. For more information on TAG, please visit tagtoday.net.
Media Contact:
Andrew Weinstein
202-667-4967
379360@email4pr.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/european-ad-fraud-study-shows-62-ivt-reduction-in-channels-with-tough-anti-fraud-standards-302176235.html
SOURCE TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group)
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Energy Toolbase Launches Energy Storage Partnership with Sungrow to Support PowerStack 255CS and PowerTitan 2.0 | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
RS now offers Phoenix Contact's pioneering new NearFi technology | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Quantum Art Raises $100 Million in Series A Round to Drive Scalable, Multi-Core Quantum Computing | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
MetaOptics to Showcase Five Breakthrough Metalens-Powered Products at CES 2026 | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Fresco Raises EUR15m Series C to Power the Future of AI-Driven Cooking and the Connected Kitchen Ecosystem | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Einride and IonQ Partnership Uses Quantum Computing to Optimize the Logistics of Electric and Autonomous Freight | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
No Assembly Required: Barrett Distribution Centers Powers Maxwood Furniture's West Coast DTC Expansion | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
SCAILIUM Debuts "AI Production Layer" to Overcome GPU Starvation and Slash AI Energy Waste | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Hesai Recognized as the Only Lidar Company on Morgan Stanley's "Humanoid Tech 25" of Global Robotics Leaders | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
Ekinops New C700HC Chassis Efficiently Connects the Data Center and the Central Office | Jan 22, 2026
|
|
|
