Invalid Traffic Rate at 4.2% in Germany; Terminus Replaces Ad Fraud

The German associations released results from the Digital Marketing Quality (DMQ) focus group, presenting current invalid traffic and viewability metrics for digital advertising in Germany. The report distinguishes Invalid Traffic from Ad Fraud, arguing that not all invalid impressions are fraud and that unintentional errors must be separated from fraudulent activity. The DMQ measures an Invalid Traffic Rate of 4.2% overall in Germany, with 4.2% for Display and 2.4% for Video, while viewability stands at 55.3% for Display and 69% for Video. A whitepaper accompanies the findings, outlining a unified metric for Invalid Traffic to standardize reporting and terminology across future measurements. Björn Kaspring of Ströer, chair of the DMQ, emphasizes the need to differentiate between non-fraudulent invalid traffic and fraud. Nine authors contributed to the whitepaper, which aims to establish a minimum reporting standard and consistent wording for the industry.