Observed Signal · Jul 24, 2018 · Policy Update · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive

AppNexus refunds for non-legitimate traffic

Executive Signal Summary

AppNexus announced a refund policy for advertisers whose campaigns ran on inventory proven to be non-legitimate. The policy rests on three pillars: (1) proprietary in-house technology monitors ad placements for irregularities and bot activity, excluding suspicious sites; (2) ADS.txt adoption is promoted to prevent inventory fraud, with the DSP sourcing inventory only from publisher-authorized resellers since January 2018 and over 98% of Top 1,000 domains on AppNexus’ marketplace already using ADS.txt; (3) a refund mechanism provides reimbursement of media costs and fees for open-market transactions when non-legitimate traffic is delivered despite protections. Marius Rausch, VP & Managing Director Central Europe at AppNexus, emphasizes a commitment to clean inventory and a quality guarantee, supported by ongoing data science investments to nearly exclude fraudulent inventory.

Polaris7 AgentPolaris7 Strategic Assessment
High Confidence

Ad fraud prevention enhancements and publisher transparency policies; moderate industry impact.

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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding

  • AppNexus offers refunds of media costs and fees if an ad runs in a proven non-legitimate environment.
  • AppNexus uses in-house technology to detect irregularities and bot-net activity and excludes offending sites from the marketplace.
  • Ads.txt adoption is promoted; since Jan 2018, AppNexus DSP sources inventory only from publisher-authorized resellers; over 98% of Top 1,000 domains on its marketplace use Ads.txt.
  • The policy applies to all open marketplace transactions.
  • Marius Rausch, VP & Managing Director Central Europe at AppNexus, cites a quality guarantee and ongoing data science investments to combat Ad Fraud.

Ontology Mapping & Concepts

Primary Source Grounding & Direct Attribution
Direct Origin Attribution
Primary Reporting: OnlineMarketing.de•Published: Jul 24, 2018
Original Coverage Title: “Brand Safety: AppNexus bietet Rückerstattung für nicht legitimen Traffic - | OnlineMarketing.de”

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