Marketing Professionals’ Views on Online Advertising Fraud

Abstract 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.