The time has come for the Cog Blog to address the biggest problem \/ opportunity \/ elephant in the room our industry is facing; at least until the next cab on the rank comes along. The issue of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
I would be the first to admit that when it comes to the technology this is a topic I know little about. I suppose that there\u2019s the potential for AI to rule the world, to take our jobs and to cast us all into outer darkness, but there\u2019s also the potential for me to run a marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither seem very likely to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m no expert in how the technology works. In that, I like to think I\u2019m aligned with 90% of the ad industry, 80% of the media industry, and 99% of online commentators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also know very little (and even that\u2019s an exaggeration) about how broadcast signals are transmitted and received, how streaming actually works and how self-drive hybrid cars operate. I use all of these things quite satisfactorily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can see the great potential in AI; but then I witness most days how the reality fails to live up to the promise. I still get letters addressed to \u2018The Occupier\u2019; I still spend hours filling out forms in duplicate; I still get frustrated explaining the same thing over and over again to different departments of the same supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surely in a world ruled by big data and our AI-driven ability to harness it the end-execution should be a little better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even in our own little world, and only this week the ANA reported on the waste generated by programmatic buys, focussing in on the creeping insidiousness of made-for-advertising sites, or MFAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ANA found<\/a> that 15% of participants\u2019 budget and 21% of impressions are accounted for by MFAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that the average advertiser campaign ran on 44,000 sites. I don\u2019t believe there are 44,000 sites that add unique reach, or any valuable frequency against any target market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And remember \u2013 these are ANA advertisers, so the more sophisticated end of the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe the ANA will revise its rather confusing and variable position on ad fraud<\/a> whilst they\u2019re at it. To remind you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Juniper Research (estimates that) $68bn will be lost to ad fraud this year. ($68bn may be at the low end \u2013 the ANA in the US have quoted $120bn although they promptly \u2018disappeared\u2019 that figure when it started to attract attention)\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n