Mobile & In-App Archives - Integral Ad Science

Inside “Arcade,” the Gaming Web That Plays Itself

IAS Team — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Executive Summary

The IAS Threat Lab is a dedicated team within Integral Ad Science (IAS) focused on uncovering, dissecting, and mitigating sophisticated ad-fraud schemes and malicious digital-advertising behavior. The team’s latest discovery, Arcade, reveals a growing monetization pattern within the open web’s gaming ecosystem. A large cluster of HTML5 gaming domains, all active and fully functional, are monetizing their ad supply through hidden in-app browser activity sourced from fraudulent Android applications. These gaming domains receive real ad requests and deliver playable content, but the traffic itself never comes from visible users. Instead, it originates from background-rendered browser tabs embedded inside Android utilities and lightweight gaming apps.

The IAS Threat Lab identified 50 Android apps with a combined 10 million installs, collectively driving traffic to a network of more than 200 HTML5 gaming domains. The HTML5 games are legitimate and responsive, yet typically unseen by human users. IAS’s fraud detection systems identified unusual background rendering and domain iteration behavior, enabling early intervention before the campaign reached full scale.

An Invisible Arcade of Real Games

The domains at the heart of this scheme are deceptively authentic. Each hosts playable, browser-based games, complete with interactive interfaces and advertising frameworks. The domain names frequently contain gaming-related keywords such as “game” or “play” and appear innocuous to verification systems because the pages load correctly and function as intended. When traffic is reviewed on the surface, everything points to legitimate gaming engagement.

However, behind this facade, fraudulent Android apps continuously load these pages in invisible in-app browser tabs, generating a constant stream of ad impressions. The pages are not user-facing, and the activity occurs silently while the app performs unrelated tasks. One analyzed app cycled through hundreds of domains in sequence, creating persistent, automated inventory that appeared indistinguishable from genuine gameplay sessions.

How the Scheme Activates

Arcade’s activation framework builds on the same cloaking principles first disclosed by IAS in Mirage. In that earlier operation, apps concealed their ad fraud logic until certain install conditions were met, allowing them to appear legitimate in standard testing environments. Arcade applies this same approach.

When installed directly from app stores, Arcade-linked apps behave normally and show no signs of suspicious behavior. The ad fraud components only activate when the app identifies that it has been installed through a paid ad campaign or referral flow.

This determination is made using attribution SDKs (Appsflyer SDK), which reports the method of installation to the app. If the install is confirmed to be campaign-driven, the app communicates with a remote command-and-control server, transmitting device and referral data in custom headers. When these headers meet strict validation checks, the server responds with an encrypted payload, which the app decrypts and loads dynamically. The decrypted code enables hidden in-app browser tabs to render HTML5 gaming domains in the background and, in many cases, activates out-of-context ad delivery as a secondary monetization path

Because this payload is delivered only to targeted devices, the apps remain clean under normal review conditions. Many samples also include anti-analysis safeguards designed to detect virtualized or sandboxed environments and suspend execution, further complicating detection efforts.

Monetization at Two Levels

Once activated, apps under the Arcade cluster monetize through two distinct yet complementary mechanisms. The first is hidden traffic generation, which uses the network of gaming domains as a monetization endpoint. These domains serve as the true beneficiaries, selling inventory created by invisible sessions within the apps. The second is out-of-context advertising, a recurring behavior seen in earlier IAS investigations such as Vapor and Mirage, where apps run unexpected full-screen or interstitial ads appearing outside normal engagement flows.

This dual structure allows threat actors to extract revenue from both visible and invisible ad surfaces. While the visible ads frustrate users, the invisible gaming sessions serve as the far greater financial engine.

Distribution and Geographic Shifts

Arcade’s early activity was concentrated in Western markets, primarily the United States, Brazil, and Canada. Over time, the campaigns have migrated toward Asia-Pacific regions. By September 2025, installs and traffic were dominated by Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These countries now comprise nearly half of all detected Arcade traffic, indicating a deliberate redirection of campaign targeting.

Among the identified apps, Street King Vacano (com.txt.streetking.vacano) a lightweight gaming app exemplifies Arcade’s scaling model. The app achieved top chart positions, including #1 Top New Free, in several markets and reached over 1 million installs in less than one month.

Detection and Outlook

Arcade is anything but subtle. The volume of traffic attributed to this operation points to a well-resourced and coordinated effort, capable of producing and maintaining a myriad of Android apps and gaming domains at industrial scale. The threat actors behind Arcade have invested heavily in development infrastructure, domain acquisition, and continuous app deployment, allowing them to sustain large amounts of fraudulent traffic that blend into the broader gaming ecosystem.

IAS fraud detection systems identified the operation through a combination of behavioral anomaly analysis and domain traversal pattern recognition. Repeated, rapid page loads and non-interactive rendering events exposed the activity as non-human.

The ongoing investigation continues to map the infrastructure of developer accounts and associated domain operators behind the scheme. While the current set includes 200 gaming domains and 50 apps, the modular nature of Arcade’s framework suggests that new domains can easily be added as others are blocked.

Conclusion

Arcade demonstrates how legitimate web content can be reappropriated into a hidden monetization layer. The gaming domains themselves are central to this operation, earning revenue from traffic that no human ever generates. Android apps function as the traffic engine, quietly delivering ad requests that fund the ecosystem behind them.

By detecting and removing these apps and domains from the advertising supply chain, IAS effectively cuts off the operation’s financial lifeline, preventing further monetization and neutralizing the resources that fuel its continued growth.

IAS Threat Lab remains committed to uncovering and disrupting evolving monetization schemes before they reach advertisers’ budgets. Learn more about our AI-powered approach to combatting fraud pre- and post-bid.

The post Inside “Arcade,” the Gaming Web That Plays Itself appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

IAS Threat Lab Uncovers Sophisticated Fraud Scheme Targeting Android Devices

IAS Team — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000

What happens when utility apps turn into full-screen ad machines? The IAS Threat Lab has uncovered a global ad fraud scheme — codenamed “Mirage” — designed to mislead users, inflate installs, and exploit the mobile advertising ecosystem.

The Scheme

The IAS Threat Lab has uncovered a large-scale, fast-evolving ad fraud operation known as Mirage — a sprawling network of fraudulent Android apps designed to hijack user devices and exploit ad ecosystems at massive scale.

Mirage apps masquerade as helpful utilities like phone cleaners and battery boosters. On the surface, they appear harmless. But behind the scenes, they use cloaking techniques and bot-driven installs to quietly switch on aggressive ad fraud behavior once installed through specific referral links. The result: full-screen interstitial ads that interrupt users out of context, with no real utility provided by the apps themselves.

Threat Lab researchers have identified over 300 Mirage-linked app IDs, collectively amassing more than 70 million downloads and generating over 350 million daily bid requests. These apps were built with one goal in mind: monetize unsuspecting users through persistent, non-consensual advertising.

Mirage marks a troubling evolution of tactics first seen in the Threat Lab-discovered Vapor scheme. Unlike Vapor apps, which gradually stripped away features over time, Mirage apps are designed to mislead from the outset — launching with fake installs to climb app store rankings and turning on monetization only when real users start downloading.

The Takedown

IAS collaborated directly with Google to take swift action against the Mirage operation. Based on Threat Lab intelligence, all identified Mirage apps have been removed from the Google Play Store. Google Play Protect is actively alerting users and will disable these apps automatically — even when installed outside of the Play Store ecosystem.

IAS continues to monitor Mirage’s activity, as its operators rapidly adapt through reskinned apps, recycled developer accounts, and global distribution across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Want to understand Mirage’s full scale and how IAS unraveled the scheme? The full report includes:

A breakdown of Mirage’s app behavior and install patterns
Tactics used to cloak fraud from store reviewers
Case study of a Mirage app that reached #1 in the U.S.
Timeline of IAS and Google’s coordinated takedown

The post IAS Threat Lab Uncovers Sophisticated Fraud Scheme Targeting Android Devices appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

IAS Partners with Lyft Media to Deliver First-to-Market Viewability, Invalid Traffic, and Brand Safety Measurement

IAS Team — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Optimize your media investments on Lyft with greater confidence than ever before

IAS is pleased to announce a new partnership with Lyft Media, bringing first-to-market third-party Viewability, Invalid Traffic (IVT), and app-level Brand Safety measurement to Lyft’s in-app ad inventory, available now.

As one of the first to measure media quality within the Lyft app, IAS is setting a new standard for transparency in in-app advertising. Through IAS’s trusted, independent verification, Lyft advertisers can unlock meaningful media quality insights to make data-driven decisions that drive results.

What this means for advertisers:

Trusted third-party measurement: Get independent, third-party validation that ads are seen by real people in a brand safe environment.
Greater transparency: Gain access to near real-time insights and optimize campaign performance in one of the most engaging in-app platforms.
Actionable reporting in IAS Signal: Activate data-driven decisions to protect your brand and improve return on ad spend.

Protect and grow your brand on Lyft with confidence. Access the one sheet below and reach out to an IAS representative to get started.

The post IAS Partners with Lyft Media to Deliver First-to-Market Viewability, Invalid Traffic, and Brand Safety Measurement appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Total Media Quality Now Available on Kwai

IAS Team — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Partnership brings exclusive content-level Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement to Kwai

We are pleased to share that we have partnered with Kwai for Business with our AI-driven Total Media Quality for Kwai for Business product suite. Total Media Quality for Kwai for Business includes industry-leading Viewability and Invalid Traffic measurement as well as exclusive, first-to-market content-level Brand Safety and Suitability measurement.

Through this partnership, advertisers now have access to IAS’s best-in-class solution to improve media quality and reduce brand risk. With this additional layer of trusted, third-party transparency, advertisers can confidently engage with Kwai’s over 100 million monthly active users in Brazil and Indonesia alone.

With Total Media Quality for Kwai for Business, advertisers can:

Place Ads Next to Higher-Quality Media: Powered by IAS’s Multimedia Technology, IAS Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement for Kwai utilizes responsible AI for frame-by-frame analysis, combining image, audio, and text signals to accurately classify content at scale, including misinformation, aligned to industry standards.
Protect Their Ads Against Misinformation: Gain content-level insights aligned to industry standards—including Misinformation.
Access Enhanced Reporting: Through trusted, third-party daily reporting in IAS Signal, IAS’s unified reporting platform, advertisers can ensure their ads are driving engagement and reaching real users with key metrics including Viewability, Time-in-View, Percent Completed, IVT Rate, and more.

Reach real users in brand-safe and suitable environments on Kwai. Contact an IAS representative and access the one sheet to get started.

The post Total Media Quality Now Available on Kwai appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Expanded End-to-End Coverage Across TikTok

IAS Team — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Safeguard your brand’s reputation on TikTok

TikTok has grown rapidly — and so has our partnership. As announced in April 2024, our AI-driven Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement, as part of Total Media Quality (TMQ) for TikTok, includes Vertical Sensitivity and Category Exclusion controls measurement.

This expanded brand safety and suitability reporting helps you protect your brand on one of the largest and fastest-growing short-form video platforms in the world. Today, we are expanding our end-to-end coverage across TikTok even further.

With end-to-end coverage across TikTok, you get:

Expanded TMQ Measurement: We’re expanding Viewability, Invalid Traffic, and Brand Safety & Suitability Measurement across TikTok’s Profile Feed, Following Feed, Search Feed, and TikTok Lite, in addition to the current coverage across the For You Feed. IAS is also expanding TMQ for TikTok, Vertical Sensitivity and Category Exclusion controls coverage to a total of 75+ markets.
New Optimization with Video Exclusion Lists: Paired with TikTok’s best-in-class Inventory Filter with chosen industry-aligned, vertical sensitivity, and category exclusion settings, this product excludes videos based on brand-specific needs. Currently in alpha testing for Q4 2024 with general availability expected in H1 2025.
Frame-by-Frame Analysis: IAS TikTok products are powered by IAS’s AI-driven Multimedia Technology, which enables advertisers to accurately classify content at scale through frame-by-frame analysis, combining image, audio, and text signals to better protect and grow their brands on TikTok.
From Insights to Action: Advertisers have access to optimization and measurement across their TikTok campaigns to safeguard and scale. IAS provides advertisers with content-level measurement for granular brand safety and suitability insights at scale.

TikTok’s New Video Exclusion List solution is currently in alpha testing for Q4 2024 with general availability to come in H1 2025, offering advertisers on TikTok the ability to avoid specific video content based on a brand’s suitability needs, beyond the industry standard framework. This product will share actionable data to enable advertisers to optimize their campaigns surrounding breaking news and trending content with expanded optimization capabilities for TikTok.

Safeguard and scale your brand with end-to-end coverage across TikTok. Download the one sheet or reach out to an IAS representative to get started.

The post Expanded End-to-End Coverage Across TikTok appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

How Marketers Can Tackle Misinformation Across the Open Web & Social Media Channels with Industry-Leading Measurement

IAS Team — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 13:38:28 +0000

Why is everyone talking about misinformation?

Misinformation isn’t a new problem in media. Exaggerated and completely fabricated stories have existed for centuries. But this year, digital media experts named “ads delivering near misinformation” as their top concern.

So why is it such a hot topic right now?

We’re in the midst of a global election year, with voters in more than 60 countries heading to the polls in the coming months. Elections, and the flurry of news coverage they bring, lead to an influx of consumers spending more time with digital media. More consumers online means more opportunities for brands to be seen, but it’s crucial for brands to appear in the right places — after all, three-quarters of consumers say they feel less favorably toward brands that advertise on sites that spread misinformation.

Plus, the rise of generative AI in digital media has marketers worrying that it may play a hand in expediting the creation and dissemination of misinformation across the open web and social channels. In fact, some experts claim that as much as 90% of online content could be AI-generated by 2026.

Three major misinformation challenges

Misinformation has evolved over years. Today, marketers face three main challenges when it comes to misinformation on the open web and social media. These challenges exist in both generative AI and election-related content — and far beyond.

Fact checking: Fact checking has been a critical best practice in media for some time, and it’s more important than ever in the presence of increasing misinformation. But it requires effort and expertise from real humans, which can be time consuming and resource depleting when not accompanied by trained AI models.
Dynamic changes: Marketers are navigating new narratives that emerge every day across platforms. This revolving door of content can lead to reputation risk for brands if not monitored correctly and in real-time.
Nuanced classification: User-generated content (UGC) is incredibly nuanced. Given the range of content on the open web and social media — whether it be educational, comedic, sarcastic, or even violent — varied tone in UGC is a major challenge for marketers to accurately identify.

So how can advertisers overcome these challenges to detect and dodge misinformation with precision — and without limiting scale?

The importance of independent partnerships when tackling misinformation

One of the most critical components of misinformation measurement are the independent, third-party partnerships that set the parameters for what content is considered misinformation. Our misinformation capability on both the open web and social media is informed by the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and an international fact checking network that enables misinformation categorization at scale, aligned with industry standards.

Since 2021, we’ve partnered with GDI to help brands avoid misinformation, ensuring journalistic integrity and reaffirming support for quality news sites. Once IAS assesses which sites have strong correlations to sources of misinformation, GDI then evaluates the page to determine if it qualifies as misinformation or not, according to their proprietary methodology. In addition, GDI shares their list of organically detected domains for inclusion in our misinformation measurement capability. This unique combination of AI and manual review allows IAS to protect advertisers from risky content at scale. Our partnership with GDI builds on IAS’s expertise in brand safety and suitability, allowing us to align with a trusted, transparent, and independent industry body to identify any domains associated with misinformation.

Our misinformation analysis methodology, which we apply across both open web and social media channels, was trained and re-trained with always-on third-party data, and continues to evolve to include viral misinformation narratives and claims — meaning our misinformation methodology is always up to date with the latest misinformation narratives in market. With all of these signals, it’s important to note that IAS remains a neutral party.

Detecting misinformation across the open web

The internet is a big place. We’re talking billions of pages big. Hundreds of thousands of URLs are created every day, meaning new sources of misinformation can pop up at any time. The sheer amount of URLs created daily coupled with the automated nature of programmatic advertising can make it challenging for brands to completely avoid appearing on sites that publish misinformation.

Misinformation measurement across the open web is vital for advertisers to understand if their brand is protected during an election season. Most misinformation measurement solutions, however, rely solely on human review of URL lists. The issue with that is clear — it’s simply impossible for humans to be the only source of misinformation detection and do so accurately.

The single most scalable and efficient way to identify misinformation on the open web is through a combination of AI, human, and independent, third-party review, and IAS’s misinformation measurement is the industry’s most scientific and scalable solution. Our enhanced misinformation detection leverages trusted and safe AI and goes far beyond human-only review to detect emerging threats by determining which sites have a strong correlation to other well known sources of misinformation. Plus, our partnerships with organizations like GDI allow for trusted, transparent misinformation categorization that continues to evolve to bring the most sophisticated brand safety and suitability capability to market.

And we don’t stop there.

Identifying misinformation across social platforms

Social media is also at the forefront of advertisers’ minds as we approach global elections — and understandably so. With tens of thousands of thoughts, photos, and videos making their way to social media every second, it’s incredibly difficult for brands to gauge what their ads will show up next to.

Advertisers should look to independent solutions that help cut through the abundance of content and variability of social media. Without knowing where they’re appearing on the feed, brands risk appearing near content that spreads false narratives and masquerades fabricated content as real news.

IAS’s Brand Safety and Suitability measurement is the most effective way for advertisers to safeguard and scale their brand on social media during a major election year. Powered by AI-driven Multimedia Technology,* our solutions use frame-by-frame video analysis and speech-to-text conversion to analyze thousands of signals per video and identify misinformation with accuracy. IAS’s misinformation methodology has the advantage our 3+ years of experience analyzing open web misinformation data. This extensive training allows IAS to analyze the tone of content with precision — whether it be satire, sarcasm, educational, or fear-mongering — for the most accurate categorization of misinformation on the feed.

Our Brand Safety and Suitability measurement product includes the industry-standard 12th category for misinformation on select platforms and is consistent with the industry framework. With third-party transparency into ad adjacency, advertisers can now measure and take steps to avoid running alongside misinformation. Combining our Multimedia Technology with trusted third-party misinformation assessment providers creates a market-leading misinformation methodology that more accurately identifies misinformation at scale.

In addition, IAS’s AI-driven Brand Safety and Suitability measurement is available on the world’s largest and most widely used social media platforms. Through these global partnerships, IAS not only enables advertisers to verify the safety and suitability of their digital media investments, but ensures advertisers’ campaigns aren’t running adjacent to industry-aligned misinformation content across social platforms.

IAS’s Brand Safety and Suitability measurement across major social media platforms offers greater assurance and control over the topics of posts and content that a brand’s ads run alongside, providing coverage where it matters most — especially during an election year.

How can misinformation be avoided?

Advertisers have traditionally turned to keyword blocking in an attempt to avoid appearing near words and phrases that don’t align with their brand — but this outdated approach doesn’t cut it anymore.

Keyword blocking doesn’t take into account the context, sentiment, or emotion of a given webpage. Without an understanding of the true intention behind a piece of content, brands miss out on reach and block diverse content, diverse content creators, or other information that consumers seek out.

While measurement gives transparency needed to detect misinformation, advertisers can go even further to avoid misinformation with more accuracy and scalability than keyword blocking. Products like IAS’s Context Control Avoidance helps advertisers actively avoid sources of and topics about misinformation on the open web while still providing the opportunity for expanded reach. Context Control Avoidance technology leverages IAS’s semantic intelligence engine, which advertisers can then use to exclude not only the sources identified as misinformation, but all content relating to misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories.

Only IAS offers the ability to choose from industry-defined risk levels and media types, like entertainment, politics, news, and more, to give advertisers a tailored approach to avoiding harmful misinformation that still allows for scale and support for quality journalism.

Additionally, Brand Safety and Suitability measurement through our flagship Total Media Quality product suite on social platforms can inform advertisers’ suitability strategies. While the approach varies by platform due to tools available, brands can identify trends and optimize away from misinformation with granular reporting insights.

Here’s how brands can avoid misinformation as a result of misinformation measurement on social:

Shift media budgets: Test shifting budgets from placements where misinformation may be more present and measure the impacts.
First-party tools: Where available, consider activating platform first-party tools to avoid certain industry-standard risk levels, inclusive of misinformation, and monitor performance to ensure brand safety and suitability performs as expected.
Third-party optimization products: On select platforms, consider Brand Safety Exclusion or Block Lists, which offer protection to avoid running ads next to unsuitable content or publishers.

And we offer brands Context Control to avoid misinformation on open web:

IAS Context Control: IAS Context Control misinformation segments are ideal for advertisers who wish to extend protection beyond just sources of misinformation and include protection for topics related to misinformation. With Context Control, you have more granularity, as we have nine different segments available depending on your risk threshold and content types (such as news, entertainment, and video gaming), all aligned to industry standards.

Taking action on misinformation today

Advertisers will always want to avoid misinformation — but not all methods of doing so are created equal. An overly risk-averse approach, like stopping ad spend in news, prevents your brand from appearing in highly scalable contexts and hurts quality journalism. A strategic and thoughtful approach to avoiding misinformation allows brands to scale confidently on channels where it matters most this election season.

Here are the three key ways IAS gives you the most comprehensive and accurate approach to detecting and avoiding misinformation:

We’re everywhere: Our misinformation capability is built to scale across channels. Starting with open web and social, our model is engineered to rapidly expand soon to CTV and other emerging channels.
We’re more accurate: Our trusted AI-driven frame-by-frame analysis delivers up to 74% more accurate brand suitability reporting across social media platforms vs. limited sample frame analysis across industry-standard categories.
We partner with independent networks: We leverage a network of third-party service providers and fact checking agencies from around the world, including human fact checkers.

A comprehensive solution that protects all ends of the digital ad cycle is critical. End-to-end, AI-driven measurement coupled with optimization solutions that are tailored to each brand’s respective needs are key to detecting and avoiding misinformation on the internet’s most prolific and unpredictable environments. Ensure you’re choosing a partner who can safeguard and scale your brand — and stay away from point solutions who can’t cover open web or provide limited misinformation capabilities:

You can avoid misinformation, protect your brand, and continue to scale this election season. Keep reading about how IAS helps you avoid misinformation, and reach out to an IAS representative today to get started.

*Methodology may vary by platform.

The post How Marketers Can Tackle Misinformation Across the Open Web & Social Media Channels with Industry-Leading Measurement appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

Viewability Glossary

IAS TEAM — Wed, 01 May 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Viewability is the ability for a digital ad to be seen by an actual consumer. To be considered viewable, an ad must meet the minimum guidelines set by the industry, and illegal bot traffic and other forms of ad fraud should never be included in the number of viewable impressions. Viewability does not describe how effective an ad was, whether it was seen by target audiences, or even if it was seen at all. For more on viewability, check out our guide.

Ad stacking

Placing multiple ads on top of each other in a single placement, with only the top ad being viewable.

Above the fold (ATF)

Ads that are placed on a web page where they are immediately viewable (no need to scroll down further).

Ad exposure time

The time an ad was in view.

Below the fold (BTF)

Ads that are placed further down a page that require a consumer to scroll down in order to see it.

Click-based metrics

Measurement based on the number of consumers who click on digital content. Includes metrics like clickthroughs, click-through rates.

Home page takeover

An advertising campaign that uses all available ad space, and potentially other specialized inventory, to “take over” a website’s index page. “Takeover” is a bit misleading because it’s rarely every ad slot on a page; it’s often a masthead or rich media creative plus a companion or two. This is also known as roadblocking.

Iframe

An in-line frame containing an ad within a web page. An iframe can be friendly or unfriendly (cross-domain).

Friendly iframe

An iframe that shares the same domain as the main page it’s hosted on.

Cross-domain iframe

An iframe where the iframe and the parent page have a different domain. This is also known as an unfriendly iframe.

In-app

In mobile advertising, in-app refers to ads that are delivered to a consumer through an app on their mobile device (phone or tablet).

In-browser

In mobile advertising, in-browser refers to ads delivered to a consumer through the mobile browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.) rather than an in-app environment.

In-stream video ads

Video ads that play before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or after (post-roll) the publisher’s video content.

Interstitial ad

Full-screen or pop-up ads that cover the interface of their host application or a web page. They’re typically displayed at natural transition points in the flow of an application or web page, such as between activities or during the pause between levels in a game. When an app or web page shows an interstitial, the consumer has the choice to either tap on the ad and continue to its destination, or close it and return to the app or web page.

Measurability rate

The rate at which a given vendor can measure ads for viewability.

Measurable impressions

Impressions that can be measured for viewability. Not all ads served can actually be measured for viewability. This is because some ad environments can prevent measurement technology from accessing the information needed.

Measurement tag

A piece of code added to the creative in order to send data to the measurement provider so viewability can be determined.

Mobile Rich Media Ad Interface Definitions (MRAID)

A common API developed to enable rich media advertising in mobile in-app environments. MRAID is a standardized set of commands, designed to work with HTML5 and JavaScript, that developers creating rich media ads use to communicate what those ads do with the apps they are being served into – expand, resize, get access to device functionalities such as calendar events, etc. MRAID is only relevant for mobile rich media creatives that run in an in-app environment, not mobile web.

Out-stream video ads

A video ad that autoplays whenever a consumer navigates to it within text content. It’s known as outstream because the ad exists outside of online video content. Instead of running within a standard video player, these high-quality impressions can run within standard ad placements, on the corner of the page, or even within the content of a written article. Also known as in-read or native video.

Placement

The location where an ad will be placed. Different ad placements will have different viewability rates based on consumer activity, such as above the fold vs. below the fold.

Pre-bid

Occurring before the advertising media purchase takes place. In some programmatic environments, ad buying resembles an auction in which potential buyers place “bids” on desirable advertising inventory. A brand or agency may want to know the likelihood that inventory will meet certain criteria (such as viewability) before bidding on it – that is, pre-bid. Pre-bid viewability is a best estimate that an ad will be viewable but does not guarantee it.

Rich media

An ad that includes advanced features like video, audio, or other elements that encourage viewers to interact and engage with the content. The ad can expand, float, peel down, etc.

Video Ad Serving Template (VAST)

A script that gives video players information for serving ads.

Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition (VPAID)

A definition that establishes a common interface between video players and ad units, enabling a rich interactive ad experience.

Viewability

The ability for an ad to be seen by a consumer. In order to be considered “viewable,” an ad must meet the minimum requirements in the MRC guidelines.

Viewport

The consumer’s visible area of a web page. It varies by device.

The post Viewability Glossary appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

IAS Expands Meta Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement

IAS Team — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:05:00 +0000

Identify misinformation and accurately classify content at scale on Facebook and Instagram with expanded capabilities

IAS has expanded the Total Media Quality for Meta Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement to include the 12th GARM category, Misinformation. You can now run with confidence across Meta by ensuring your ads are appearing next to content aligned with your brand’s suitability goals.

This ability to measure for misinformation in ad environments on Meta allows marketers to safeguard and scale their brand for some of 2024’s most critical advertising opportunities — global elections and the Olympics.

IAS and Meta are expanding the Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement coverage to support five additional languages, providing advertisers even more global coverage. Plus, for more actionability IAS is expanding its dashboard reporting capabilities. Key highlights include:

Granular insights with expanded content-level reporting to all eligible posts, with insights aligned to the GARM framework for expanded transparency into your content adjacency
Efficient filtering of all metrics within the Signal UI to selected dimensions and date range, including campaign, ad sets, and inventory type for more actionable insights
Easy-to-use visuals to understand how your campaign is performing across the GARM framework, enabling easy validation and adjustment to your Meta 1P inventory filter

Avoid misinformation to safeguard and scale on Meta platforms. Download the one sheet or reach out to an IAS representative to get started.

The post IAS Expands Meta Brand Safety and Suitability Measurement appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

How to Protect Your In-App Ads In 2024

IAS Team — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Protect your mobile strategy and optimize your impact

Consumers — and their devices — are constantly on-the-go. With users depending on mobile more than ever, daily activities are condensed into one device — from shopping and purchasing, to listening and downloading, and even for gaming and chatting. It’s estimated that the average consumer spends a third of their day on their mobile device, and 90% of that time is spent within mobile apps.

With millions of eyes locked on the screen every day, marketers have the opportunity to drive quality impressions where consumers are looking. But, with bad actors who also recognize the power and popularity of mobile, it’s crucial for marketers to ensure their ads are engaging real users and are protected from fraudsters.

So how can marketers properly protect their in-app campaigns?

Are my ads being seen?

That’s the first thing marketers should be asking. As many as a third of digital ads go unseen — and that includes mobile ads. It’s simple: If your ads aren’t seen, they can’t make an impact.

Viewability measurement is a highly effective and actionable way to understand if your mobile campaigns are being viewed by real people — and to make sure your ad spend isn’t going to waste. By monitoring the viewability of your mobile campaigns, marketers can adjust ad placements to top-performing formats and streamline their campaigns to reach their goals.

Are my ads serving in safe spaces?

Would an adult beverage brand want to advertise near in-app content that’s aimed toward kids? Probably not.

Brand safety is a crucial measurement for marketers to implement as they promote their brand via mobile campaigns. It helps verify that campaigns are showing up in environments that align with their brand’s message and values — something that can make or break consumers’ perception of a brand.

IAS’s in-app brand safety measurement evaluates mobile apps to ensure complete verification of suitability. Having complete control over your media investments protects your brand — and your budget will thank you.

Are my ads free from fraud?

Mobile advertising can amplify brand messaging and strengthen impact — but the dangers of in-app spaces still lurk. Fraudsters and bots can infiltrate mobile strategies to skew media campaigns and drain ad spend, and can even result in negative impressions of your brand.

In-app fraud can be persistent. Some of the most common patterns detected today are malicious apps, app name spoofing, location fraud, and cloud hosting fraud. Protecting your media quality can be a tricky feat, but understanding the possible dangers and how they can affect your ad spaces can equip you with the right tools to fight back.

Utilizing efficient verification tools is vital in ensuring that your ads are protected in their suitable environments. For example, IAS’s Three Pillar Approach verifies ads based on behavioral and network analysis, targeted reconnaissance and malware analysis, and overall device analysis to detect in-app fraud. While most solutions rely solely on an automated check to detect any invalid traffic, IAS’s unique in-app pre-bid segments are powered by unmatched scale and machine learning, providing the most accurate detection and prevention for complete in-app protection.

How IAS can help

Maximize your ad spend and protect media buys with the right technology — and the right partner. IAS provides unbeatable protection and growth opportunities in mobile spaces with capabilities including:

Comprehensive coverage across programmatic buys in-app with pre- and post-bid Viewability, Brand Safety, and Invalid Traffic measurement
A single-tag solution that supports monitoring and blocking for display and video across mobile in-app and mobile web
MRC-accredited viewable impression metrics, sophisticated invalid traffic detection and filtration, and customizable reporting

Protect your in-app mobile ads with IAS’s industry-leading measurement and optimization solutions that drive superior results, no matter where your consumers are. Contact an IAS representative today to begin building safeguarding and scaling on mobile.

The post How to Protect Your In-App Ads In 2024 appeared first on Integral Ad Science.

What Is In-Game Advertising?

IAS Team — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

We’ve seen advertisers hit every area, from CTV and mobile to the open web — but what about mobile game advertising?

Mobile gaming is a lucrative industry, even in 2024. Recent IAS research found that 82% of gamers turn to their mobile devices to play games — which is more than desktop or even console. Today, there are more than 1.92 billion mobile gamers worldwide, with mobile gaming revenue accounting for as much as 77.7% of total revenue within the gaming industry. This massive reach is likely because mobile games are highly accessible to consumers on smartphones, meaning more opportunities for advertisers to break into the niche.

But before you start planning your next in-game ad campaign, here’s what you should consider.

How do in-game ads work?

In simple terms, mobile game ads are used to present a brand or product to a gamer when they download and begin using a gaming app.

But there’s more to it. Mobile game advertising begins when an advertiser buys ad space from a game developer. Most games incorporate ads as videos between levels, lobby of a video game, but some game developers may include banner ads on their games that are visible as the player engages with the app.

Why do developers use in-game ads?

If you ever browse through your phone’s app store, you’ll notice an influx of free-to-play games that don’t require upfront costs.

Free-to-play games allow developers to draw in a larger audience, and through charging advertisers for inventory, they can continue to keep their apps running. In exchange, advertisers get exposure to a new market. Like ads on websites and streaming platforms, they’re designed to be a win-win for the entity hosting the ads and the brand paying for ad space.

But, as an advertiser, it’s important to remember that there are a variety of game genres out there. Choosing genres that closely relate to your brand is critical, especially when considering the demographics playing the game.

Types of in-game ads

Like any other platform, advertisers need to choose the right ad format for campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of what the different game ad formats look like:

INTRINSIC IN-GAME: Sometimes referred to as native in-game or in-play, these ad placements, product placements, and experiential branding environments are in the game, and a seamless part of gameplay.
ADJACENT:The ad placement is next to the game, such as a banner image ad below a mobile puzzle game.
INTERSTITIAL: The ad placement is around the game, as gameplay stops and the ad itself becomes the focus.
AUDIO: The ad placement is purely audio in nature, overlaid during gameplay without pausing the game.
REWARDED: The ad placement provides an opportunity for users to watch a video or engage with a playable ad in exchange for a reward within a gaming environment.
ADVERGAMES: A custom game designed around a specific product or brand.
SPONSORED: A brand can sponsor gameplay through special levels and brand themed in-game events.
SKINS: A brand can create a “skin” item that players can acquire in-game which changes the appearance of their avatar (the character that represents the player in-game).
BRANDED WORLD: A brand can develop a fully immersive, branded experience such as an island, an independent gameplay experience, or a branded level.
HARD CODED: The ad placement is built into the game and unchangeable, meaning it can only be changed by modifying the source code and recompiling.

Depending on what you’re looking to get out of the gaming market, deciding which in-game ad format is the most beneficial to your brand will lay the groundwork for the rest of your strategy.

After you’ve decided on a format, you can begin to dive deeper into your campaign.

How to craft an effective mobile gaming advertising strategy

The global in-game advertising industry is set to see growth upwards of $14 billion in revenue by 2028 — meaning there’s no better time to get started on a strategy than right now.

But where do you begin?

Your strategy should be more than just throwing ads at popular genres like candy-matching games (though you shouldn’t completely write them off). When setting up an in-game ad strategy, consider the following.

Who is your audience?

Another survey found that the mobile gaming market is more diverse than you might think, with 55% of women in the United States accounting for a majority of the player base in terms of gender, and 60% of Gen Xers dominating this platform.

It’s easy to correlate video games with young males, but statistics and data are the best way to get a clear idea of your audience before you spend your ad budget. Understand who your target audience is within the mobile game market and strategize when your ad will be seen.

Carefully consider ad placement

Let’s face it, ads can be frustrating to the player if they’re not placed properly — and even advertisers will admit that. While banner ads are an option, advertisers may want to consider other placements that don’t interfere with the user experience.

Advertisers should know that 69% of gamers say they’re open to non-disruptive in-game ads. With that in mind, more seamless placements may include running your ad before gameplay, during a natural break, such as a level change, or after gameplay.

After all, a player who isn’t frustrated with the app’s usability is more likely to engage with your ads.

Monitor your campaigns

Finally, you need to verify your in-game ads to see if they’re viable for your business.

The video game industry is competitive and rigorous, and the mobile sector isn’t an exception. You first want to make sure your ads are being seen by real people and are free from invalid traffic, and from there attribute and collect data to get a complete view of your campaign performance.

Ad fraud on mobile apps is commonplace. Tracking your ad performance and having a prevention plan in place will boost your progress.

Get in the game with IAS

Mobile in-app advertising — especially in mobile games — isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. IAS is here to help you step up your game so you can take advantage of one of the fastest-growing advertising platforms without wasting your valuable ad budget.

Measure mobile traffic and viewability using our tools to enhance your advertising effectiveness. With in-game viewability and invalid traffic measurement from IAS, marketers can access key benefits including:

Innovative, global intrinsic 3D in-game Viewability and Invalid Traffic measurement
Global viewability and invalid traffic (IVT) measurement for a holistic view of your media buys
Comprehensive coverage across formats and environments
Trusted, third-party reporting with daily reporting in the IAS Signal UI

Reach out to an IAS representative to get started on an in-game ad campaign to reach real people and drive engagement using actionable data today.

The post What Is In-Game Advertising? appeared first on Integral Ad Science.