An Inside Look at Sophisticated Invalid Traffic with comScore’s Timur Yarnall
Summary
Timur: I run our Advertising Platforms and Corporate Development teams, which include Comscore’s campaign measurement and effectiveness solutions. Compared to 2013, when we had difficulty getting anyone to pay attention to the issue, the industry is aligned and fighting IVT via multiple, coordinated organizations including the MRC and IABs. Notably, the MRC’s recognition of the distinction between “General” and “Sophisticated” IVT (SIVT) underscores that the industry is working hard to understand the nuances of this issue. Timur: Comscore leverages both the cybersecurity expertise gained via its MdotLabs acquisition and its massive data footprint to detect and remove IVT. Given that Comscore has the unique ability to compare results of specific campaigns to data captured through our audience panel, publisher tagging partners, and brand safety crawling engine, we have an unparalleled dataset against which to match normative vs. suspicious activity.