Ad fraud will fall in 2017 thanks to improved data: Pepsi
Ad fraud is expected to decline this year, according to US advertisers including Pepsi and Airbnb. Bot traffic has decreased thanks to better data and partnerships with organisations such as the Media Rating Council and Facebook, said Atin Kulkarni, global head of media and content innovation at Pepsi. However, bot traffic is still affecting some ad impression costs, he added. Kulkarni's remarks followed a report by the Association of National Advertisers and White Ops, which showed that economic losses from ad fraud could drop by as much as 10% this year, to $6.5bn from the $7.2bn predicted last year.
Some advertisers, including Airbnb and Pepsi, say ad fraud is on the decline this year, though it’s still an ongoing battle they’re paying close attention to.

According to Atin Kulkarni, global head of media and content innovation at Pepsi Co., improved data and partnerships with the Media Rating Council and Facebook have helped drive bot traffic down. However, he said, it’s still causing inflections for some ad impression prices, adding that getting rid of it entirely will be “a long journey.”

“To be honest, that’s a really important area and something that we work very closely with our partners on,” Kulkarni said.