What was the buzz around the office last week? Google issues refunds from fake ad traffic, the FTC tells Amazon and Whole Foods to move forward, and mobile programmatic's expected rise.
1. Google refunds advertisers for fraudulent ad traffic
As Google works towards offering marketers more transparency, they are issuing refunds for ads that ran on websites with fake traffic. These ads were brought using Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager. Google has also offered to reimburse its “platform fee,” which typically accounts for up to 10% of a total ad buying purchase. While this may seem like a honorable move by Google, The Wall Street Journal details how some advertising advertising are unsatisfied with the gesture.
2. Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods is happening
With a deal valued at $13.7 billion, Amazon.com now owns Whole Foods. In a changing landscape of what now defines a tech company, the FTC actually approved the deal. Struggling for years to enter into the grocery store business, this acquisition will set precedent as Amazon’s largest acquisition. On the other hand, grocery store chains are closing left and right. The Washington Post explains how Whole Food’s employees and stockholders have the most at stake with this move.
By 2019, mobile will account for over 60% of online ad spending. In the U.K. alone mobile digital ad spend is outpacing desktop spend with roughly $4.5 million expecting to be spent within the next two years. Mobile header bidding is also growing at an enormous pace. With 5 charts and stats, Digiday presents an in-depth view on the state of mobile programmatic.
