These are the biggest dangers of online advertising

"The dark side of the brave new advertising world" - this is how "10 vor 10" presenter Arthur Honegger announces a feature about online advertising on Youtube on March 21 on SRF. In the contribution it is shown that also advertisements of Swiss companies like Post, Swisscom, Migros, Coop or Ikea appear in the environment of extremist Youtube videos.This hit high waves in the Swiss advertising market. Some companies, such as Swiss Life or Baer, decided to stop advertising on Youtube and Google. The uncertainty is great - also because the processes in online advertising are becoming increasingly automated.Where do marketers see the greatest dangers in online advertising? An MK online survey conducted at the beginning of May 2017 shows that respondents rank click and impression fraud as the greatest danger, at 52.2 percent. Too intrusive targeting (50 percent) and too much advertising space (44.7 percent) are also a headache for marketers.

The respondents named intelligent targeting (59.4 percent) as the most important measure for ensuring the quality of online advertising. Improved campaign management (46.9 percent), more precise performance measurement and increased expertise (40.6 percent each) are also seen as essential for improving quality.

Comments: Where do you see the biggest quality problems in online advertising?"For some time now, there have been certain issues that have repeatedly preoccupied the industry and that have not yet been satisfactorily resolved. These include guaranteed viewability, time-based billing, reporting transparency and brand safety. In addition to these general topics, we are currently sensitizing our customers to optimize creatives for specific campaign targets and distribution channels (end devices). The classic example of exactly how not to do it is to transfer a TV spot directly to mobile. Our approach starts with pre-testing the creative on specific devices, followed by creative optimization based on the pre-test results and data from real-time campaigns. This allows the client to realize the full potential from each distribution channel and users get a true quality experience."Alex Savic, Teads Switzerland GmbH"The quality of online advertising still too often suffers from the fact that campaigns are developed with a specific format in mind, rather than the current context in which the target group perceives the advertising message. Because only if an ad fits the current context can it provide relevant information and added value for the user. For example, if a supermarket displays ads within a 500-meter radius of the store, it will in principle reach everyone, regardless of whether they are specifically interested in food, shoes, or furniture. By contrast, if you identify and target those who visit a supermarket three times a week, the advertising message can be much more precisely targeted to the needs of the shoppers. As a result, the campaign will work better for the advertiser and the user will receive relevant information."Johannes Paysen, xAd"Declining visibility and awareness. Declining acceptance of online banners. New approaches, environments and advertising measures such as retail marketing are needed!"Alexander Beyer, Aimtail.com"Repetition and timing are the biggest challenges. An online ad can be brilliantly implemented, but if it is shown too often, it backfires. Targeting is also very important. Is the target group right on the creative performance? Compare this to the Deutsche Telekom spot ..."Oliver Weibel, evoq labs AG"Poorly detectable, hardly any good measurement systems."Christina Engel-Eisbach, DIRAK"In case of too much AI/day, if this cannot be crossdeviced out."Jennifer Kahn, BMW Switzerland"Automation has brought some critical quality issues to the fore, keywords ad fraud, lack of transparency, unmanageable food chain. The result is a lack of trust on all sides: consumers don't trust ads and block them, agencies don't trust service providers, and advertisers don't trust agencies. For many years, the quality of the ads themselves, i.e. the creation, diversity and functionality of the advertising formats, was also criminally neglected. However, turning away from programmatic advertising is not the answer. The players in the advertising industry, for all their willingness to use technology, urgently need to talk marketing again and pay attention to the old foundations of functioning advertising."Jörg Schneider, Undertone"Overly intrusive and oversized banner ads can be off-putting (e.g. banners that cover content and/or have to be clicked away). So it's little wonder that many users have an ad blocker installed."T. Suhner"Massive advertising after a purchase for the product category purchased. After a purchase, there is no need for advertising."Ernest T. Schmid, Delphi Sales Consulting*****Read more about the topic of quality in online advertising in the current issue MK 05/2017. Subscribe now!