Volume 23 No. 2: The hidden risk of low-quality media

We’re diving into concerns surrounding media quality in 2024, the rise of AI in advertising, and finding the right balance between digital and traditional channels. 

—Elena  

 

5 companies attract over half of global ad spend.                   

Global ad spend will hit $1 trillion in 2024 for the first time ever. Most of that pie is going to just five massive players: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Alibaba, and Bytedance. And right now, their growth is a direct result of AI.   

 

Balancing quality and cost.            

Digital and programmatic are becoming bigger than ever while AI takes over. Ad fraud continues to grow. And now, there’s the emergence of MFA (made for advertising) sites—ad-packed legally gray sites that offer lower CPMs for much, much lower quality impressions. 

Clearly, there's more than one reason to be thinking hard about the quality of the media you purchase. 

One study from the ANA reviewed media spend for 21 advertisers including Nissan and Walgreens and found that for every dollar spent in a DSP, only $0.36 “effectively reaches the consumer.” 

We’re all about pursuing efficient (low cost) reach, but that reach must also be effective (high value) to make any sort of difference for your business. Tracking relevance, engagement, or conversions can help determine how effective media really is, beyond reach alone. 

The good news is traditional channels like TV still stand as strongholds of brand safety and quality, offering a compelling alternative to unpredictability in digital spaces. Plus, we’re hoping AI will actually help solve challenges around quality of online media in the future. 

Listen in on our discussion.


"Why Media Quality Will Take Center Stage in 2024”            

This article by Paul Stringer for WARC offers an insightful look into how AI's growth in advertising comes with new challenges around media quality and brand safety. Read the article. 

 


High quality = high value. 

“Quality is better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” 

—Steve Jobs, founder of Apple