Are all 'premium' publishers genuine? A guide to e-advertising deepfakes

E-advertising has revolutionized the marketing landscape, empowering brands to reach global audiences seamlessly. Within this realm, premium publishers play a pivotal role in delivering quality content to targeted audiences. The success of premium publishers lies in their perceived credibility, offering a desirable environment for advertisers to showcase their products or services.

In a report by Adweek, brands like Hershey’s planned on spending more on programmatic direct deals from publishers. For a company that spends almost $350m-$450m on advertising, such deals can be game-changing. Similarly, a lot of brands have started shifting to purchasing premium inventories as compared to the regular RTB ones.

However, not all that glitters is gold. The rise of fraudulent activities within the programmatic ecosystem has given birth to fake premium publishers, threatening the integrity of e-advertising. As the industry flourishes, the distinction between authentic and counterfeit premium publishers becomes crucial for both publishers seeking legitimacy and advertisers safeguarding their investments.

What are the characteristics of REAL premium publishers?

Imagine a corporate body that departmentalizes activities ranging from copywriting and editing to graphic designing and has revenues in billions, buying traffic.

Sounds absurd. Isn’t it? It is something that premium publishers don’t need to do because their entire operation is systematized to build a strong foundation for premium brands. Let’s look at some characteristics of the REAL premium ones

1. High-Quality Content: Genuine premium publishers consistently produce and maintain high-quality, original content that engages their audience. This content is often well-researched, informative, and aligns with their niche or audience interests.
2. Reputable Brand Associations: They have established partnerships with reputable brands, advertisers, or agencies. These associations speak volumes about their credibility and reliability in the industry.
3. Transparent Metrics and Analytics: Real premium publishers offer transparent and verifiable metrics and analytics. They willingly provide detailed insights into traffic sources, audience demographics, and engagement metrics, fostering trust and transparency.
4. Adherence to Industry Standards: They comply with industry standards and best practices, adhering to advertising guidelines and ethical practices. This includes following IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) standards and employing measures to combat ad fraud.

What are the characteristics of FAKE premium publishers?

These are parties who are seemingly premium because their assets are portrayed in such a manner. However, the only thing that needs to be done is to visit their website and check for a few details. This involves the following

1. Comparison between registration period and traffic numbers- Unless you are backed by a giant in the industry or you are another vertical of it, it is close to impossible to have traffic in millions if you have been registered only a month ago. A fake premium publishing site might use native content tiles on their site to cover the fake traffic. Moreover, a large amount of their traffic is purchased from push, pop-under and redirect traffic resellers.
2. Lack of transparency- These publishers might obscure or manipulate metrics to present inflated numbers without providing verifiable data. They might hesitate or evade inquiries regarding traffic sources or audience demographics. This proves to be one of the biggest red flags in healthy e-advertising
3. Fake brand associations- While claiming partnerships with prominent brands, counterfeit premium publishers lack tangible evidence or authentic endorsements from reputable advertisers or agencies.

How can advertisers stay vigilant?

1. Thorough Due Diligence: Before initiating any direct deals, advertisers must conduct extensive research and vetting before partnering with any publisher. Scrutinizing their content, audience engagement, and historical performance can be valid starting points
2. Utilize Verification Tools: It is always advisable to employ advanced verification tools and technologies that detect fraudulent activities, such as ad fraud detection software or third-party verification services. Moreover, taking a step further to protect your campaigns, always partner with publishers who are integrated with a white-box fraud detection solution. White-box solutions are those that are transparent in displaying the sources of fraudulent traffic and the reason behind flagging any traffic as ‘invalid’. In contrast with a black-box verification tool that provides no solid backing and might show less IVT, white-box solutions are highly effective for long-term programmatic success
3. Demand Transparency: Advertisers must insist on transparent reporting and verifiable metrics. The reports must be in sync with the objectives of the campaign and any discrepancy in this process must be taken seriously instead of being sidelines as a system issue/technical error.

In the dynamic realm of e-advertising, the presence of fake premium publishers poses a substantial threat to both publishers seeking credibility and advertisers safeguarding their investments. Understanding the hallmarks of authentic premium publishers versus red flags indicating fake parties is the need of the hour. Advertisers must employ stringent processes, leveraging advanced technologies, and prioritizing transparent partnerships to mitigate the risks posed by fraudulent practices.