Report reveals a 23% rise in global ad fraud schemes

DoubleVerify (DV) has published its annual Global Insights Report, alongside a new DV Global Insights: 2024 APAC Report. The comprehensive analysis draws on over one trillion video and display impressions delivered across regions including APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and North America from January to December 2023. Advertising impressions were collected from multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile web, mobile app, and connected TV (CTV).

The APAC advertising market is poised to grow by 8.5% this year, reaching an estimated USD $289 billion. DoubleVerify’s report highlights some pressing concerns for advertisers and emphasises the increasing importance of media quality. Among the key findings is a significant rise in ad fraud schemes driven by Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI), with a reported global increase of 23% in new fraud schemes and variants compared to the previous year. Unprotected advertisers globally saw a fraud/SIVT violation rate as high as 17%, with CTV showing the highest fraud rate among all devices in APAC.

An increase in brand suitability violations was noted in Southeast Asia, where violations rose by 14%. This was attributed to a volatile year characterized by unprecedented news cycles in countries such as the Philippines. While brand suitability violations have broadly trended down in APAC at 6.4%, DoubleVerify noted a global decrease of 17% in such violations due to a 41% year-over-year increase in the use of custom brand safety and suitability pre-bid protections.

More than half (54%) of APAC media buyers view the rise in low-quality content and Made-For-Advertising (MFA) sites as disruptive to the digital ecosystem. MFA sites are designed to boost specific isolated KPIs such as clicks and viewability but deliver significantly less overall attention on display and video ads compared to other media. Advances in Generative AI are expected to make MFA sites more sophisticated, posing new challenges for advertisers. The report states that MFA impression volumes have increased by 19% year-over-year globally.

Another critical topic covered in the report is the role of AI in transforming media and advertising risks and opportunities. The report reveals that 60% of APAC marketers believe AI-driven campaign optimisation has a positive impact on media quality. Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are highlighted for their higher media quality, showing fraud rates nearly one-third (31%) lower than DoubleVerify’s overall fraud benchmark and 10% lower brand suitability violations. Despite lower viewability on retail sites and apps, broader attention metrics indicate a greater impact on engagement.

The report also indicates that 58% of APAC marketers plan to rely on attention-based metrics for the majority of their buys in 2024. This shift is evident in the tripling adoption of DoubleVerify’s own attention solution, DV Authentic Attention, over the past year.

Further examination includes the rapid increase in MFA content, the rise of RMNs with specialised inventory, and how responsible media buying contributes to reducing carbon emissions. DoubleVerify's findings are crucial for advertisers who aim to navigate the evolving digital landscape effectively while maintaining brand integrity and ensuring media quality.