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Fraudulent Traffic in Iran’s Digital Advertising Industry

In a panel discussion on digital advertising, experts highlighted the persistent challenge of fraudulent traffic and the need for transparency:

Aref Shabani explained that fraudulent traffic is low-quality traffic that lacks optimization. He emphasized that the battle between fraudsters and those detecting fraud is ongoing. According to last year’s report, fraud accounted for 25% of Iran’s digital advertising traffic. Shabani stressed that wherever there is a lack of transparency, fraud tends to exist, calling for a more transparent ecosystem.

Saghar Rafiee focused on fraud in app installs. She defined fraudulent installs as any abnormal behavior causing low-quality or artificial app installs. Based on Metric reports, fraud in mobile advertising is higher than in other channels. She noted that fraud in Iran is relatively lower than global averages, partly due to lower installation costs. Rafiee also stressed that no platform can claim to fully detect fraud.

Manouchehri highlighted the lack of a unified definition of fraud among key players in digital advertising, including trackers, app owners, and ad networks. He emphasized the need to create common standards to define and detect fraudulent activities. He also pointed out that while digital advertising revenue in Iran is modest compared to offline advertising, fraudulent traffic still affects both advertiser ROI and agency revenue. He concluded that the Iranian digital advertising industry is nascent, and growth requires more expertise, knowledge, and technology.

Key Takeaways:

Fraudulent traffic is a persistent issue in digital advertising, especially in mobile installs.

Transparency and common definitions are crucial to tackling fraud.

Despite being a small market, fraudulent traffic can affect both advertisers and agencies.

The industry in Iran is still developing and needs technical expertise and innovation to mature.