RhythmOne: 55% of raw ad opportunities blocked by adtech companies due to suspicious traffic

RhythmOne, a global advertising technology company, has announced the release of the Q4 2017 installment of its “Programmatic Insights Report – Spotlight on Quality” series. Based on an analysis of the 2.8 trillion average monthly ad opportunities RhythmOne’s programmatic platform processed from October to December 2017, the report provides insight into quality trends and invalid traffic (IVT) blocking rates by device, type, and ad size. This is the series’ first global update; included within are breakouts for North America (US and Canada), the UK, and Europe.

Leveraging RhythmGuard, RhythmOne’s proprietary brand safety technology that filters underperforming or suspicious traffic before it reaches the marketplace, the report provides a unique perspective about where and why quality shifts are occurring across its significant supply footprint, and offers guidance to advertisers and brands when designing their advertising programs and measuring success.

Summary of Q4 2017 Findings and Insights:

• Across the globe by type, RhythmOne’s average blocking rate for video advertising slightly edged out banner advertising (49% vs. 45%)
• Inventory on desktop devices (56% of overall ad opportunities) was blocked at a higher rate than mobile devices (38%)
• IVT blocking on the mobile web (56%) and mobile app (27%) showed some month-to-month fluctuation
• The blocking rates by respective advertisement size, for both banners and video, was consistent from month to month (with minor fluctuations) among North America, the UK, and Europe
• Enabling contextual blocking tactics that go “beyond the URL” further ensures brand safety at the page level
• Running campaigns in Private Marketplaces promotes a high-quality and transparent environment with greater control over placement

Based on these results it can be concluded that:

• Advertisers need to be aware of the constantly changing programmatic landscape and be proactive in learning how IVT is evolving in its attempt to stay one step ahead of detection methods
• They should ask questions of their partners regarding the supply they’re accessing — and the measures their underlying platforms are taking to combat IVT at the source
• When it comes to blocking trends by type, device, and creative, advertisers should consider:
  • Setting expectations appropriately about what will be measured in mobile and desktop campaigns
  • Leveraging non-standard ad sizes, such as the extra large video unit
  • Enabling contextual blocking tactics that go “beyond the URL” to further ensure brand safety at the page level
  • Running campaigns in Private Marketplaces (PMPs) to ensure a high-quality and transparent environment with greater control over placement

“Quality traffic and brand safety are top-of-mind for advertisers,” said James Murphy, VP, Programmatic at RhythmOne. “Our latest quarterly Programmatic Insights report provides clarity into how and where we’re addressing inventory quality within our marketplace. The quarterly series reaffirms our commitment to transparency within the supply chain. I’m especially excited that we have expanded our report to include global data that will empower our partners worldwide with trends to better understand the dynamics of delivering quality supply.”

Source: RhythmOne

  Ad Blocking, ad opportunities, advertisers, Advertising, Analysis, banner, blocking, desktop, Digital, Global, IVT, Marketing, Mobile, Programmatic, Report, Research, RhythmOne, Video