The digital advertising landscape is thriving but not without its challenges. A recent report from the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has brought to light the prevalence of problematic ads, with a staggering 79% found online. This revelation underscores the need for a closer look at the dynamics of digital advertising, addressing issues of misleading, inaccurate, or fraudulent content. We delve into the perspectives of industry experts to understand the challenges and explore potential solutions.

Upholding Quality Assurance

Brands and digital marketers face an uphill battle in combating problematic ads, a concern aptly highlighted by Rashid Ahmed, Chief Digital Officer at Infectious Advertising. According to him, these challenges require a multifaceted approach that focuses on diligence, adherence to ethical standards, and effective use of technology.  He emphasizes the importance of robust training for brand team members to ensure they are well-versed in guidelines, fostering accurate and truthful advertising. Further adds, “Marketers need to have a strict set of advertising guidelines for their brand, that align with industry standards and ethical practices, so that communication content developers, including influencers, stay within established guard rails.”

According to Abhishek Upadhya, Vice President, Digital Innovation & Strategy, HiveMinds, “Delivery and Quality Assurance teams need to do constant diligence and monitoring to detect these anomalies and create corrective measures on a real-time basis.” He further adds Corrective measures, including reimbursements and technical fixes address anomalies. Black-listing is another option when intentional fraud practices are detected. Upadhya believes that the Quality Assurance team is mandated to maintain a distinct and independent stance from the Account Management team. “This separation is crucial to ensure an unbiased evaluation of channel quality”, he continued.

“There are a host of advanced AI and machine learning tools for real-time monitoring that can not only save time but also ensure that marketers are getting the best ROI for their investment without the risk of problematic ads”, emphasized Jennifer Mulchandani, Partner, Acture Media. 

For Zeeshanali Ruby, Associate Vice President - Integrated Solutions, Schbang the Indian ad ecosystem has the potential to lead in the challenging task of training automated models to be more sensitive to vernacular content, given the multitude of languages in operation. He further adds, “However, in conjunction with technological advancements, platforms could benefit from increased human moderation of ad content in languages other than English.”

The Role of Brands and Publishers

Shradha Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Grapes sheds light on a different perspective, attributing responsibility to both brands and publishers. She contends that brands often knowingly approve these ads, breaking the rules to grab consumer attention.  According to her, publishers must be firm in enforcing guidelines and should be held accountable for the content they host. She adds, “There have to be authorities on the ASCI side as well that say that flag these ads and reprimand publishers saying we saw this sort of ad running on your page or website, which is not checked by you or the programmatic teams you have lent your ad space to. But then, publishers need to also ensure that somebody's checking the ads that they're uploading on their sites.”

The Crucial Role of Ad Verification

The importance of ad verification resonates across experts. Mulchandani emphasizes the pivotal role of ad verification in ensuring credibility and authenticity and adds “It acts as a sentinel, safeguarding against ad fraud, brand safety issues, and ensuring the delivery of ads in suitable environments.”

Ruby also maintains that ad verification is essential for maintaining the integrity, effectiveness, and safety of digital advertising campaigns beyond the key requirement of comprehending the ROI associated with delivered ads. He further adds, “While malicious ads aren’t abundant on the beloved and widely used giga-platforms, there is a large volume of inappropriate ads and poorly targeted ads featuring misleading vernacular content. Keeping tabs on ads with excessively broad targeting serves as one approach to spot potential issues, especially when the marketers behind them prioritise click and impression volume over ad relevance.”

Education and Collaboration for a Safer Digital Space

Arushi Gupta, Business Head at Influencer.in highlights the need for education, especially for creators and influencers, to understand advertising guidelines. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and ethical practices, calling for a collaborative effort to educate the public and guard against deceptive practices. She adds, “More education is needed because it's still a new medium. I think it's going in the right direction because a lot of people are already talking about it and ASCI has taken a step and we are also part of it. There are so many creators and the bigger creators may understand the guidelines but maybe the smaller creators do not. Maybe someone sitting in a tier-two city doesn't understand, so then these activations and maybe educating in vernacular language. 

Upadhya highlights, "As Advertisers and Agencies, one should adopt a multi-pronged approach towards understanding and calibrating ad fraud from any channel. Start with small pilots at threshold investments on any platform - Don't overinvest till efficacy and trustworthiness is proven. Do not test any platform at sub-threshold investments," 

Upadhya also underscores the significance of regular audits, staying informed, and maintaining transparency. He suggests, "Regularly timed audits of all channels - no matter how important it is to your media mix. No channel is indispensable if proven to be fraudulent/unethical. Ensure that you have market news, reports, and research alerts for the most frequent channels that you use – so that any ongoing news developments regarding malpractices/ inefficiencies regarding a channel – are quickly discussed and acted upon. Maintaining an active channel of communication with the client when any ad fraud activity is identified or detected – and take all actions with full transparency and confidence of the stakeholders."