Programmatic advertising is synonymous with efficiency and precise targeting. However, where automated processes dominate, risks also increase. Adverts may appear in questionable environments, often alongside fake impressions or fraudulent placements. Such risks not only endanger the advertising budget, but also the brand’s reputation. Therefore, issues such as brand safety and ad fraud are no longer marginal phenomena, but key challenges in the programmatic advertising market.
Brand safety: more than just protection from scandals
For brands, it is vital that their adverts do not appear alongside hate speech, fake news or other problematic content. According to a study by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers), over 15% of advertising expenditure is lost due to inappropriate placement. Modern demand-side platforms such as the Active Agent DSP counteract this by relying on dynamic real-time filters. These analyse websites in a matter of seconds, helping to identify problematic content at an early stage. Used alongside other measures, they create a safe, brand-compliant advertising environment.
Effective protection against ad fraud starts with clear quality standards.
Ad fraud: the billion-dollar trap
However, in addition to protecting brand perception, one problem area is also taking centre stage: increasing digital ad fraud. According to Juniper Research estimates, around 84 billion US dollars — equivalent to around 22% of the global advertising budget — will be lost to ad fraud in 2023 alone. This figure could rise to 170 billion US dollars by 2028. Performance-based CPC or CPA campaigns, where every click or completion counts, are particularly vulnerable.
Effective protection against ad fraud relies on the targeted use of advanced technologies and maximum transparency. The Active Agent DSP, for example, utilises the filter mechanisms of IAS (Integral Ad Science). PreBid filtering analyses every single ad impression for potential risks before purchase, reliably excluding invalid traffic in real time.
This technical protection is supplemented by individually configurable allow and block lists. While block lists systematically exclude known threats, allow lists ensure the controlled, brand-appropriate placement of adverts. IAS offers Context Control, Avoidance and Targeting segments in the Active Agent DSP. Contextual targeting enables precise targeting, either by specifically placing delivery in the desired environments or by deliberately excluding certain environments. This gives advertisers full control over where their adverts are displayed — and where they are not.
‘Effective protection against ad fraud starts with clear quality standards. Advertisers who rely on advertising spaces that guarantee a certain duration of visibility protect themselves not only from ineffective impressions, but also increase campaign performance at the same time,” explains Hannah Althauser-Wetterer, Head of Product Buyside at Virtual Minds. She adds: ‘Precise geo and device targeting is also crucial because conspicuous traffic from certain regions or unusual devices is often a warning sign of fraudulent activity. If you filter effectively here, you can significantly reduce the attack surface.’
Transparency as an early warning system
However, technical protective measures only work effectively when combined with continuous monitoring and comprehensive transparency. Fortunately, modern reporting tools offer much more than basic performance indicators. They offer in-depth insights into reach, user interactions, inventory quality, and campaign performance. Conspicuous patterns, such as an unusually high click-through rate combined with a low conversion rate, can be identified and analysed at an early stage.
This level of transparency creates security and makes monitoring a strategic tool for achieving sustainable efficiency and campaign success.
Safe advertising, strong brand
However, security measures, transparency and monitoring are just the beginning. A holistic strategy is required to ensure brand safety and combat ad fraud effectively, as these two factors have long been crucial for success in the digital advertising environment. They characterise not only the brand image, but also the ROI.
Hannah Althauser-Wetterer concludes: ‘Those who intelligently combine technology, transparency and strategic action minimise risks and build trust and reach in the long term. Security is therefore not a side issue, but the basis for sustainable advertising and a strong brand.’
