• by Michael McLaren , Op-Ed Contributor, March 10, 2022

Brands and agencies don’t always agree, but this week they appear to be on the same page about “ad fraud," the No. 1 trending topic among both groups, as measured by Bombora Company Surge.

Last year broke records for ad spending, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Alongside that growth, the value of ad spending lost to ad fraud continues to climb year-on-year.

Companies often rely on detection software and data analytics to help combat ad fraud. With the rise of ecommerce spurred by the pandemic, it’s no surprise that ad fraud is top of mind for most advertisers.

When a significant portion of companies’ total ad spending fails to generate brand exposure, leads and sales -- without any ROI -- combatting ad fraud may be a worthwhile investment. 

Reporting on your investments (“marketing reporting”) and delivering on a long-standing promise to prove ROI is also high on the list of priorities for brands and marketers, as intent data show.

Taking a customer-centric approach also means creating the right customer measures based on what will make a difference, not just what can be measured. Track things like performance, experience, satisfaction, WOM (word-of-mouth), churn, etc. which can be measured and meaningfully connected to business outcomes.