MAM
IAS expands MFA AI solution with ad clutter detection innovation
Mumbai: Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced the expansion of its Made for Advertising (MFA) AI-driven solution. With this enhancement, IAS now provides advertisers with the first solution that can measure and optimize against both MFA and Ad Clutter sites to drive maximum efficacy across the programmatic buying process.
MFA sites are web pages built to conduct ad arbitrage and feature low-quality content (e.g. spam sites, or ad farms) created solely to serve ads, whereas Ad Clutter sites feature high ad density and high ad-to-content ratio, leading to lower performance. As opposed to a static exclusion list, IAS uses advanced machine learning technology and additional signals built into IAS’s core platform to intelligently identify MFA and Ad Clutter sites.
“With the proliferation of MFA, global advertisers need safeguards to avoid ad arbitrage and low-performing, high-ad-density sites while optimizing for media quality and performance,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS. “We’re proud to offer the industry’s first pressure-tested solution for detecting and avoiding MFA and Ad Clutter sites at scale while also preserving the flexibility to reach audiences across a diverse range of publishers.”
According to the ANA’s recent Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study, MFA websites counted towards 21% of study impressions and 15 per cent of ad spend, illustrating a significant opportunity for advertisers and agencies to better understand where their impressions are delivered and to optimize away from MFA sites to reduce media waste. IAS analysis from over 40 global agencies and brands found traffic served on sites classified as non-MFA has a 278 per cent better conversion rate than traffic served on sites classified as MFA. Further analysis by IAS found that quality media was more cost-efficient than sites classified as MFA, delivering lower cost-per-conversion by 63 per cent.
The IAS MFA Measurement and Optimization solution supports the ANA’s definition of MFA and has been trained against Sincera’s deep library of metadata along with Jounce Media’s widely adopted list of MFA domains. The solution leverages supply chain data and IAS-measured site characteristics including ad-to-content ratio, total number of ads, auto-refresh ads, refresh rate, traffic source, and autoplay video ads to report on MFA Ads, MFA Rate, Ad Clutter Ads, and Ad Clutter Rate.
“The industry should not conflate Made For Advertising supply with other forms of low-quality advertising experiences. MFA publishers operate an ad arbitrage business model that has no place in the programmatic supply chain,” said Chris Kane, President, Jounce Media. “Separately, media companies that produce original content and attract organic visitors sometimes engage in aggressive monetization techniques that dilute the value of advertising. By clearly distinguishing MFA supply from ad clutter, IAS is giving media buyers the tools they need to make informed decisions about inventory quality.”
By partnering with IAS, publishers can also garner greater insight into their inventory with solutions for how to improve quality and drive greater engagement with advertisers. Publishers identified as MFA or Ad Clutter will also have greater visibility into their inventory quality. IAS MFA measurement promotes a healthier media ecosystem by enabling publishers to improve the quality of their properties and drive greater engagement with their advertisers.
IAS’s MFA AI-driven site Measurement and Optimization solution expands on the beta announced in Q4 2023 and will be available globally beginning in Q2 2024. For more information on how IAS is identifying and combating MFA sites, visit: How Marketers Can Detect and Avoid Made-for Advertising Sites.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
