Google and Twitter have made headlines recently and not in a good way…
It was merely only a few weeks ago when big brands pulled advertising from Google. While news broke out that 48 million Twitter accounts were bots, not real humans.
Now faced with these adversities, the question remains: what are they doing about it?
Here’s a little background…
Big brands including AT&T, Verizon, and Enterprise deserted Google after news broke out that Youtube was showing regular ads next to offensive content that promoted extremism and hatred.
Phillip Schindler, a top Google executive, states in an interview regarding the snafu “very very very small numbers”… “And over the last few weeks, someone has decided to put a bit more of a spotlight on the problem.” He expressed that although there was a problem it was being blown out of proportion.
Apparently, Google has been able to improve their software substantially being able to track down five times more videos that aren’t appropriate for advertisers.
Other improvements include bettering response times when inappropriate content has been flagged and making the interface more suitable to prevent this from happening.
Schindler also stated in the interview that it will increase efforts to keep ads away from the controversial material. This will be achieved by letting third party companies step in such as DoubleVerify and comScore audit.
Keith Weed stated that Google should “stop grading its own homework” and give advertisers the visibility and transparency they deserve.
This is an opportunity for Google to restore trust with advertisers.
Background check: the University of Southern California and Indiana University conducted a study that revealed that up to 15% accounts, which is a whopping 48 million on Twitter are actually bots, not real human beings.
Similar to Google, Twitter also sought out third party assistance.
New partnerships with Moat and Integral Ad Science (IAS) will allow marketers to see if their ads are indeed being viewed by humans. According to Moat’s analysis, 99% of video content is viewed by humans instead of bots.
Twitter will also be expanding current partnerships to ensure Twitter’s ads are reaching their intended audiences.
Ivan Santana, group product manager, revenue at Twitter, said: “We have relationships with the top measurement companies in the world, which allows our partners to measure the reach, influence, and action that results from their advertising. This includes ongoing conversations with organizations like the Media Ratings Council on the accreditation process.”
Final Thoughts
Although significant action has been taken, only time will tell if the problems have truly been resolved.
In an age where even internet giants can experience these faux pas it’s important to properly protect your advertising campaigns.
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