Programmatic advertising in Asia-Pacific (APAC) is growing rapidly. A recent WARC APAC report showed that 77% of digital advertisers in the region are using programmatic strategies, and 92% consider them critical to future success. However, new challenges are emerging including the rise of Made-for-Advertisers (MFA) sites. These MFA sites are designed to maximise ad revenue through excessive ads and clickbait, optimised to capture ad dollars without delivering meaningful user engagement.
While MFA sites often perform well against basic ad verification metrics like viewability, they fall short of delivering genuine value, resulting in significant financial implications. According to ExchangeWire’s MFA Report 2024, up to 23% of programmatic ad spend—over USD 100 billion annually—is wasted on low-quality placements that fail to drive meaningful results. As advertisers navigate this evolving landscape, traditional metrics alone are insufficient; brands need AI-driven tools to optimise ad placements, enhance brand safety, and boost overall campaign effectiveness.
Understanding MFA Sites: Hidden Costs and Sustainability Impact
MFA sites are designed primarily to generate ad revenue, often at the expense of content quality. These sites, characterised by catchy headlines, clickbait, and controversial content, attract real traffic but offer little value, creating a poor user experience dominated by intrusive ads.
The real challenge with MFA sites lies in their ability to evade detection. By altering their presentation based on user access—showing ad-heavy pages to those arriving via content recommendations while displaying a cleaner interface to direct visitors—MFA sites can pass quality checks unnoticed. This adaptability impacts various sectors differently. IAS data indicates that ad impressions on MFA sites are notably higher in sectors such as government/non-profit/education (7.21%) and travel (6.84%), compared to the global average.
Additionally, there’s an environmental dimension to consider. MFA sites often feature higher ad loads and frequent auctions, contributing to increased carbon emissions compared to quality content platforms. Shifting ad spends from MFA to higher-quality sites can reduce carbon footprints by up to 73%, aligning advertising practices with broader sustainability goals and adding another layer of value to strategic ad placement decisions.
AI’s Precision: Redefining Media Quality and Brand Safety
Addressing the challenges posed by MFA sites requires more than conventional tactics—AI-driven tools offer the precision and protection needed to navigate this complex terrain. Unlike traditional methods that broadly blacklist entire domains, AI models—supported by insights from partners like Jounce Media and Sincera—target MFA activity at the subdomain level. This approach allows advertisers to block problematic areas without penalising reputable publishers, ensuring that media quality is maintained while minimising waste.
IAS’s AI-driven Site Detection and Avoidance solution dynamically identifies MFA patterns, combining supply chain data and site characteristics for real-time detection and optimisation. This precision delivers tangible results: ads on non-MFA sites achieve conversion rates 174% higher than those on MFA sites and reduce cost per conversion by 51%. These insights underscore the value of AI-driven site selection in driving more effective and efficient campaigns.
Brand safety also plays a crucial role in this landscape, extending beyond avoiding harmful content. IAS’s solutions leverage AI, to detect and avoid low-quality MFA sites by analysing key indicators such as ad-to-content ratio, refresh rates, and traffic sources. This ensures advertisers direct their media spend toward high-quality placements that enhance brand perception. This is especially vital during sensitive periods, such as elections or major social events, where the context of ad placements can significantly influence public perception. By leveraging AI-driven solutions like the MFA solution, brands maintain trust and align their advertising with their core values.
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Embracing AI for Smarter Programmatic Success and Avoiding MFA Drain
Safeguarding your ad spend from low-quality MFA sites is critical to achieving meaningful results. Evaluating whether MFA sites align with your brand’s content and user experience standards should be a top priority when selecting campaign inventories. Striking the balance between cost-effective programmatic inventory and ad quality—covering viewability, fraud prevention, and brand safety—has never been more important. The cheapest media options often yield the weakest results, underscoring the need for a strategic focus on high-quality, context-driven advertising.
The advertising landscape is shifting toward smarter, tech-driven solutions. Industry leaders are increasingly partnering with technology providers like IAS to leverage advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning for more precise MFA site detection. At the same time, the sector is pushing for new regulatory measures and industry standards to address MFA challenges head-on, complemented by education efforts to better inform decision-makers about the risks.
Recent analysis from IAS, drawing insights from over 40 global agencies and brands, revealed that traffic served on non-MFA sites delivered a +278% higher conversion rate compared to MFA sites. Further analysis showed that quality media is 63% more cost-effective and significantly lower cost-per-conversion than ads served on MFA sites.
In today’s digital ad ecosystem, prioritising quality over cost is a winning strategy that delivers both brand safety and superior performance.
This piece was provided by Laura Quigley, Senior Vice President (APAC) at IAS. With over a decade of experience in digital transformation across APAC, EMEA, and Australia, Laura is a recognized leader in the digital advertising industry. She has been instrumental in driving IAS’s regional expansion and developing solutions that address the growing challenges of programmatic advertising. Passionate about building strong industry partnerships, Laura continues to share her insights on key advertising trends, speaking at various conferences and helping brands navigate the complexities of the modern digital landscape.
