What happened and who is to blame? (March 18 - 24, 2024)

Over the past week, I've read over 30 news articles for you, and here's what caught my interest.

One of the most discussed topics in mid-March was MFA sites (Made for Advertising) and their impact on the advertising market. MFA sites are websites made specifically for displaying advertisements. The topic is not new, and everyone is somehow grappling with them. Or are they? The topic kicks off with a report from Adalytics (there was an article on AdExchanger about who they are). The extensive report shows how, despite previous claims, MFA sites continue to participate in ad rotation, and ecosystem participants continue to receive windfall profits. The report concludes with recommendations for advertisers on what they can do to avoid seeing strange URLs in their reports.

A brief overview of materials released in publications on this topic:

It seems like such a fight should raise CPMs for honest publishers with unique and honest content. It seems that the industry will continue to develop its own solutions, such as blacklists and anti-MFA, and we will see them. Perhaps this won't happen because all participants in the chain are getting something out of it.

Equally powerful is the investigation into how Facebook's recommendation algorithms promote AI-generated images aimed at an audience that doesn't suspect they are completely generated (for example, they could be people from the "older generation"). The investigation was conducted jointly by Stanford and Georgetown universities. Where do such materials lead? Of course, to MFA sites. Horror! "Jesus Shrimp" takes over Facebook. This is the AI we deserve.

On April 1st, Google will change its policies regarding video inventory in its products. Google wants to receive clearer signals about what is in-stream (expensive!) and what is out-stream (cheap!) and where sound is enabled. Testing is already in full swing, and anonymous publishers report a drop in revenue from these ad slots by 20-60%. Meanwhile, the Fill Rate remains the same, indicating a catastrophic drop in CPM. Or maybe this is an April Fool's joke? Although Google doesn't like jokes, and maybe Google will shut down another source of income for publishers.

As if all this wasn't enough. Did you forget that third-party cookies are being turned off? This will result in advertisers not seeing publisher audiences if nothing is done. Showing ads to an unknown user is significantly cheaper than showing them to a user about whom something is known. The press continues to release materials and guides, one more comprehensive than the other.

We need to end on a good note. Here's a bunch of educational materials for you.