Marketing Professionals’ Views on Online Advertising Fraud

It is estimated that within the online advertising industry, online advertising fraud (OAF) accounts for at least 10 percent of all spending. Such a phenomenon requires a systematic analysis to examine the marketing perspective; therefore, this article examines online marketing professionals’ attitudes toward OAF by conducting eighty-nine interviews. The findings suggest that OAF is a high risk to the advertising industry and an urgent daily problem for many players. Building on Agency Theory, the results show that online professionals often tolerate fraudulent traffic due to a low awareness of OAF and a lack of sufficient knowledge among clients. Ineffective measurement systems and unrealistic expectations of clients also inhibit effective fraud detection practices. The present study aims to raise awareness by providing a better understanding of this understudied topic from a marketing perspective and aims to motivate practitioners and academics to establish effective fraud prevention procedures.