Sick of MFA sites? Protect Your Brand and Ad Dollars

Ever since the ANA put real numbers around the scope of the problem with “made-for-advertising” or MFA sites, advertisers have been up in arms—and understandably so. The idea that these essentially worthless ad placements represent 21 percent of impressions and 15 percent of overall ad spend is unacceptable. And yet our industry has accepted it—and for a long time.

One of the big reasons for this acceptance has been the fact that many marketing organizations are still set up in a way that rewards precisely the measures of “success” that MFA sites were designed to exploit—metrics like viewability and clicks. Thankfully, this is changing.

Brands and agencies are increasingly taking power away from MFA sites as they reorient around more meaningful measures of success—that is, the kind that demonstrate real, tangible benefits to the business. As they do, the inevitable question arises: How do I protect my brand and ad dollars from MFA sites? That’s what we’re here to discuss.

Identifying MFA Red Flags

One of the challenges of MFA sites is that they can be hard to spot within the context of larger campaign initiatives. However, there are common red flags to screen for within campaign reporting that can indicate an MFA has snuck into the mix. These include:

• Low dwell times: This suggests users who visit a site are encountering obstacles, like excessive ad placements.
• High bounce rates: Similarly, a high bounce rate indicates that users aren’t finding what they are expecting when they arrive at a given site.
• Limited ad interaction: Low levels of interaction suggest users aren’t engaged. While some MFA sites are designed to “trick” users into accidental clicks, advertisers can typically spot which sites are driving high rates of clicks but no deeper levels of meaningful engagement.
• Ad refresh rate: High ad refresh rates, indicating more ads being displayed per minute, typically indicate a poor user experience, which is a hallmark of MFA sites.
• Ad density: A high volume of placement IDs per minute can be a strong indicator of low-quality inventory.
• Traffic source: High levels of traffic from social and paid sources can also be an indicator of MFA sites.

Strategies to Avoid MFAs

 Spotting MFA sites is one thing. But what advertisers would prefer to do is avoid them altogether. These four strategies are key to doing that:

Partner with reputable supply. Look for partners with direct supply connections that are committed to fighting MFA content in their inventory. Ask for third-party validation from independent SPO research firms and other verification vendors that look deeper than industry standard brand safety metrics, which often hide MFA in plain sight.

Focus on performance. Metrics such as conversion rates, time spent on site, and user interactions are strong indicators of real performance. Efficient CTR that comes with a 100 percent bounce rate isn’t really all that efficient. The emphasis should be placed on qualitative metrics closer to the brand’s desired business outcomes.

Leverage attention metrics: Prioritize ad buys based on engagement, not just viewability. Countless studies have found that attention—something sorely lacking on MFA sites—translates to real brand results. By prioritizing attention, advertisers prioritize quality inventory.

Choose your channels wisely: Mobile in-app and CTV have much lower rates of MFAs than web placement. Elevating these channels within your buys can improve inventory quality while avoiding wasted ad spend.

Try ID-less solutions in curated channels: Some of the most efficient media opportunities can be found outside of standard industry best practices. The fact is most MFA sites are designed to exploit the most common open web channels. Other channels have large volumes on non-IDed traffic that few brands bid on because they don’t realize it’s there. Focusing on this inventory is a great tactic to extend reach inside trusted channels when ID-matched inventory is sold at a premium.

 An Action Plan Checklist

 As advertisers look to remove MFA traffic from their campaigns, it helps to have a detailed action plan. In addition to the above high-level strategies, the following checklist can help marketers as they look to demonstrate their commitment to shutting down MFAs for good:

• Conduct audits of ad placements and partner networks.
• Use advanced ad verification tools for real-time monitoring and immediate MFA detection that go deeper than “brand safety” and “viewability,” which MFA sites actively exploit.
• Establish clear escalation protocols with your team for swift response to MFA incidents.
• Notify and collaborate with partners promptly when you’re suspicious.
• Develop exclusion and inclusion lists to prioritize non-MFA sites moving forward.

In pursuit of cheap reach, advertisers ultimately paved the way for the rise of MFA sites. But the writing is on the wall: To avoid wasted ad dollars, brands must change how they measure success and commit to removing MFAs from their inventory pools. The above steps can help individual brands—and our industry as a whole—get where we need to go.