Why is fraud hard to eliminate in mobile advertisement?
Today I saw an interesting article about how mobile advertisers now view ad fraud and solutions. The report is Why Mobile Advertisers Need To Take A ‘Belt And Braces’ Approach To Fraud, posted on Forbes by Oisin Lunny.lets check it out.
Status quo
First of all, the article mentioned that the entire mobile advertising market was worth 166 billion US dollars last year, an increase of 30% over the previous year, and this year’s total mobile advertising spending will exceed the total of all traditional media. This large amount of money naturally attracted the attention of criminals, and they could obtain a lot of benefits by simple means. In the first half of 2019, $ 2.3 billion was fraudulent. Even with so many dollars lost, most practitioners don’t consider this to be a critical priority. And this reason makes the fraud very complicated. After the researchers found out more intensely, fraud affects not only money but also the reputation of the industry. All solutions to fraud are critical to the long-term health of the entire industry.
Solution
The article mentions AI as a new technology that will play a huge role in combating mobile advertising fraud. The AI algorithm can establish a baseline for regular users and flag any deviations from daily activity. Already companies use AI to prevent fraud. But ai cannot detect more sophisticated types of fraud. For example, SDK (Software Development Kit) spoofing. SDK spoofing exploits real mobile device data to “deceive” installation or even purchase.
The final part states that anti-fraud efforts need to operate in real-time. Mobile ad fraud will only become more complicated, and if not resolved, it will cost the entire industry a heavy price. However, it is possible to make good use of existing technology for comprehensive prevention.
Opinion
In my opinion, fraud does not only hurt one side; it hurts both the buyer and the seller. When consumers are scammed, they will be afraid to be fooled again and stay away from this market. The departure of consumers will exacerbate the deterioration of the market. This vicious circle is a big blow to any industry. So I think we should attach great importance to fraud. Although the current technology still cannot completely solve the existing fraud problem, there are still many things we can do. Increasing vigilance and real-time defense can not only effectively reduce funds, but also help advertisers understand their exact costs and brands to understand the actual size of their customer base. This intelligence can then help these companies improve their advertising strategies. This situation is not only a crisis but also an opportunity. Seizing this opportunity is also necessary as a marketer.
