FOU says $63 billion invalid traffic estimate undercounts fraud in CPM advertising
TLDR
FOU Analytics reports that industry estimates of invalid traffic in CPM advertising significantly undercount actual fraud, with their data showing up to 80% of impressions flagged as invalid compared to under 10% in standard site metrics.
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
FOU Analytics contends that the commonly cited $63 billion invalid traffic estimate understates the scale of fraud affecting cost-per-thousand (CPM) display ads. The firm's data revealed substantial discrepancies between its invalid traffic detection and standard site analytics, with some instances flagging up to 80% of impressions as invalid while traditional metrics remained below 10%, raising questions about whether click-based IVT rates accurately measure wasted display spending.