This Week in Media & Tech: Programmatic Responsibility, AI Advancements, and Pride Month Insights (2024)

Hold onto your hats, folks, because the media and tech world is spinning faster than a hamster on a wheel this week. From programmatic platforms getting serious about responsibility (who knew?) to AI flexing its creative muscles (and maybe getting a little too good at it), we’ve got a lot to unpack. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s dive into the latest headlines!

Industry News & Analysis

The media landscape is kinda like that friend who’s always trying to become “the responsible one.” This week, programmatic advertising is taking center stage with a renewed focus on ethics, safety, and…wait for it…avoiding those shady Made-for-Advertising (MFA) sites. Who knew those even existed?

Programmatic Advertising and Media Responsibility

Remember when programmatic advertising was all about chasing those clicks, no matter the cost? Yeah, those days are fading faster than your tan lines.

IPG Mediabrands just dropped their Media Responsibility Index (MRI) .0, and guess what? They’ve gone and invited programmatic platforms to the party alongside their social media brethren. The good news? The performance gap between the average Joe DSPs and the top dogs is surprisingly small, which means the industry is, like, actually trying to get its act together on safety and data ethics.

But hold your horses, because the MRI also throws some serious shade at MFA inventory (those websites that exist solely to host ads – sketchy, right?). Their recommendations are pretty clear: ditch the MFA, create a standardized definition for it (because apparently no one knows what it is), or, and this is the kicker, just remove all advertising from those sites altogether. Oh, and they also suggest that programmatic platforms should probably, you know, communicate with advertisers about their safety measures. Revolutionary, I know.

Tackling MFA Inventory

Speaking of MFA, the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and the Trustworthy Accountability Group’s TrustNet aren’t letting up on the pressure. They’ve launched these quarterly benchmarks to see how campaigns are stacking up against industry standards. And let me tell you, the initial data is…interesting.

Apparently, all the talk about ditching MFA is actually working, because media spending on those sites has plummeted from % to a measly %. Plus, the average number of websites per campaign has been slashed in half, dropping from , to a still-whopping ,. Progress, people!

AI Innovations and Their Implications

Okay, enough about programmatic for now. Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite topic: AI! This week, AI is making waves in election information, augmented reality, and even avatar creation. But as with all things AI, there’s a healthy dose of “proceed with caution” mixed in with the excitement.

Meta AI and Election Information

Remember how Meta clamped down on election-related questions through its chatbot during that whole India election thing? Well, the results are in, and Meta has officially lifted the restriction. That’s right, you can now bombard your friendly neighborhood chatbot with all your burning questions about election results, political bigwigs, and who’s who in the political zoo.

Google AI and Election Information

Meanwhile, Google is like that one friend who always plays it safe. They’re sticking to their guns and keeping those global restrictions on election-related queries firmly in place, even in India. Instead of letting their chatbot loose on the world of politics, they’re redirecting users to good ol’ Google Search for their election info fix.

Analysis of Meta vs. Google Approach

So, who’s got the right approach? It’s a tough one. Meta’s all about that instant gratification, prioritizing user experience with direct chatbot answers. But, and this is a big but, there’s always that looming risk of misinformation spreading faster than a bad rumor. Google, on the other hand, is playing it safe, prioritizing accuracy and safety by keeping users within the walled garden of search results.

Honestly, it’s a classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” Both approaches highlight the tightrope walk tech companies are doing when it comes to balancing accessibility with preventing misinformation, especially in the minefield of politics.

Snap’s Augmented Reality (AR) Advancements

Snap, the folks behind our favorite disappearing photo app, are taking AR to a whole new level (and no, I’m not talking about those dog ear filters, though those are still kinda fun). They’ve just unveiled a super fancy, real-time, on-device image diffusion model that promises to bring us even more vivid and immersive AR experiences. And the best part? It all happens right on your smartphone, no clunky headset required.

But wait, there’s more! Snap’s also dropping Lens Studio .0, which is like Photoshop on steroids for AR developers. This bad boy comes loaded with generative AI tools that’ll let creators whip up some seriously impressive stuff:

• Think hyperrealistic ML face effects that’ll make you question reality (in a good way, hopefully).
• Custom stylization options to give your AR creations that extra oomph.
• The ability to conjure up D assets in minutes, because who has time to wait around?
• And, drumroll please… an AI assistant to guide AR creators through the process, because even geniuses need a helping hand sometimes.

TikTok Introduces AI Avatars

Not to be outdone, TikTok’s jumping on the AI bandwagon with its very own brand of digital doppelgangers. Get ready for generative AI avatars that’ll be popping up in branded content and ads all over your “For You” page.

These aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill avatars, though. We’re talking custom avatars of creators and brand spokespersons, because who needs real humans anymore? And if you’re feeling unoriginal, you can always opt for a pre-built stock avatar featuring a licensed actor. Because why hire George Clooney when you can have his AI twin for a fraction of the cost?

TikTok’s clearly aiming to boost reach and personalize global campaigns with this move, but they’re also dipping their toes into the world of language barriers with their new “AI dubbing” tool. This nifty feature promises to translate your content into different languages, making it easier than ever to spread your message (or your dance moves) far and wide.

Addressing Copyright Concerns with AI Avatars

Now, before you go off and recreate yourself (or your ex) as an AI avatar, let’s address the elephant in the room: copyright. With AI getting so good at mimicking real people, it’s opening up a whole can of worms when it comes to exploitation and fair use.

The key here, folks, is creator control. Platforms like TikTok need to prioritize giving creators the power to decide how their likenesses are used (and potentially monetized) in the digital realm. And let’s not forget about the importance of setting fair rates and licensing terms, because even AI avatars deserve to get paid.

Ad Fraud, Generative AI, and Media Quality in APAC

Let’s shift gears for a sec and hop over to the Asia-Pacific region, where the ad world is facing its own set of challenges. Spoiler alert: ad fraud is still a thing, and generative AI is making it even trickier to fight.

Generative AI Fuels Ad Fraud

Remember DoubleVerify, the company that keeps tabs on all things ad fraud? Well, they’ve got some news, and it’s not pretty. Apparently, new ad fraud schemes skyrocketed by a whopping % globally in . And guess who’s leading the pack? Our friends in APAC, where CTV and mobile apps are experiencing the highest fraud rates (a staggering % on mobile, yikes!). Even brand suitability violations are on the rise, jumping by % in Southeast Asia. Someone needs to tell these fraudsters to get a real job.

Low-Quality Content and MFA Concerns

As if ad fraud wasn’t enough to worry about, APAC media buyers are also grappling with the ever-present issue of low-quality content and those pesky MFA sites. A recent survey revealed that a whopping % of them are concerned about these issues, and for good reason. MFA sites are notorious for lower ad attention – we’re talking a % decrease for display ads and a jaw-dropping % drop for video.

AI for Campaign Optimization and Retail Media Networks

But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom in the APAC ad world. There’s a glimmer of hope in the form of, you guessed it, AI. It seems like marketers are finally catching on to the fact that AI-driven campaign optimization can actually help improve media quality (shocking, I know!). In fact, % of APAC marketers believe in AI’s power to make things better.

And then there are retail media networks (RMNs), those digital ad platforms run by retailers themselves. Turns out, RMNs are kind of a big deal in the fight against fraud and brand safety issues. They boast significantly lower fraud rates and brand suitability violations compared to the Wild West of the open internet. Who knew grocery stores could be such a safe space for advertisers?

The Rise of AI-Powered Malicious Ad Campaigns

Now, for the scary part. As much as we love to hate on those clunky, spammy ads from the early days of the internet, at least they were relatively harmless. But with AI entering the scene, we’re facing a whole new breed of malicious ad campaigns.

Remember those early examples of AI-generated ads targeting LinkedIn users? Yeah, those were just the tip of the iceberg. Fast forward to today, and we’re dealing with sophisticated attacks using fake domains, bot traffic, and even AI-generated content that’s practically indistinguishable from the real deal. It’s enough to make you want to swear off the internet altogether (but let’s be real, we’re all too addicted for that).