Bring Better Ads to China
Google, Facebook, Unilever, and P&G have recently joined forces to form The Coalition for Better Ads in the face of ad blocking, ad fraud, and viewability that are eroding the impact of digital advertising.
This coalition should not forget, China, the world’s second largest digital advertising market after the US, where digital ad spend is expected to grow 30% in 2016 to $40.4 billion. Global brands P&G, Coca Cola, Unilever and L’Oreal are among China’s top advertising spenders.
Low viewability and traffic fraud is widespread in China. According to Shanghai-based, ad verification firm Adbug, viewability rates less than 2% are not uncommon in China. Nearly a quarter of China’s 688 million internet users are estimated to have an ad blocker installed, and even on mobile blocker use is widespread.
Vertical Sites where consumers congregate to share product information and reviews are popular advertising destinations. Although seen as ideal platforms for targeting engaged audiences, Adbug characterizes these sites as frequent ad fraud violators. Luxury fashion brands are particularly exposed as 39% of their display ads are placed on vertical sites.
Brand safety, ensuring that your advertising does not appear on inappropriate or politically sensitive content, is particularly important in emerging markets like China where consumers may be being introduced to your brand for the first time. Adbug estimates as much as 20% of ad impressions appear on unsafe sites.
To ensure “Better Ads” in China, brands should:
- Embrace programmatic advertising
- Institute campaign tracking and ad verification
- Extend global ad standards to the market
Read an interview with Adbug’s CEO and Founder Martin Zhang and Vice President Summer Han on L2’s blog for more insight on the the Chinese advertising landscape.
I lead APAC Research at L2, Inc. Reach out and connect with me here on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter @danielle_L2.