A recent report from Adalytics supposedly throws light on a Google violation of its own video ad standards. The report argues that Google has been misleading advertisers about TrueView skippable in-stream ads for several years. If those findings, supported by the Wall Street Journal to some extent, turn out to be correct, then advertisers could be eligible for refunds. That could force Google to pay billions of dollars in compensation.
Adalytics has reportedly analyzed various TrueView ad campaigns displayed on third-party websites as part of the Google Video Partner (GVP) network over the past three years. The report suggests that as many as 80.7% of the reviewed TrueView ads, whose budget went to the GVP network, were in breach of Google’s own regulations. A large number of the analyzed ads were muted and auto-playing in out-streamed video players, with little to no content in between ads.
When a marketer wants to buy ad spaces on YouTube, they can also choose to have those same ads run on different third-party websites that are part of the GVP network. On those websites, the ads must be displayed as pre-rolled commercials that appear once someone clicks on a video. They must also have audio, and the user should be able to skip them after five seconds. For advertisers to pay a commission to Google, they use TrueView data on the actual views of interested users, a.k.a. those who don’t skip the commercial after five seconds.
Image credit-Adalytics
Many of the TrueView in-stream skippable commercials that Adalytics surveyed were displayed in a way that contradicts Google’s definitions of in-stream. Primarily, ads were shown in small, out-stream video players on the corner or the side of the consumer’s viewpoint. Various of the analyzed commercials were played in a fully muted video player, and some were played on a loop.
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The report also suggested that, in some cases, there were multiple TrueView skippable in-stream ads shown on a consumer’s device at the same time. In other cases, the “Skip” button was effectively hidden from the consumer’s viewpoint. That makes watching the advertisement non-optional, which is, again, in breach of Google’s video ad policy.
These methods of displaying TrueView skippable commercials on websites part of the GVP network could have artificially inflated the in-stream commercial video compensation rates. Advertisers who have relied on this ad video method could have had to pay higher costs. Currently, marketers pay close to $100 for every 1,000 completed (non-skipped) views of the ads Google sells. Those that autoplay are sold much cheaper, for about $5 per every thousand views.
In a statement to the WSJ, Google has denied the allegations posed by the Adalytics repоrt, saying that:
"It makes many claims that are inaccurate and doesn’t reflect how we keep advertisers safe. As part of our brand safety efforts, we regularly remove ads from partner sites that violate our policies and we’ll take any appropriate actions once the full report is shared with us." - Google
Meanwhile, the company has recently come under fire from the European Commission, which questioned the legality of its business model when it comes to advertising.
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Polina Kovalakova, a News and Affiliate Content Writer, has nurtured a passion for mobile technology since the era before smartphones. With a history of exploring a variety of devices, her insights into the mobile world are both broad and nuanced. Polina's non-partisan view extends to appreciating nearly every smartphone brand, a reflection of her open-minded approach to technology. Polina is equally passionate about uncovering the best online deals, tirelessly working to ensure her readers snag top-tier tech at unbeatable prices.
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