In past blogs, I’ve talked about how complicated the digital marketing universe can be. And I’m used to explaining it to a jury. Because as adept as a lawyer is in court, it can be difficult to explain how digital ads impact a case. 
And they know there’s a lot of money on the line. Targeted ads can generate 2.7 times as much revenue as non-targeted ads. In addition, the global behavioral targeting market was valued at around $10.5 billion in 2023. And it’s predicted the number will increase to around $29.8 billion by 2032. That gives this industry nowhere to go but up.
Along with this rise, we are sure attorneys will have more legal cases related to digital marketing fraud. There are an unbelievable number of opportunities for nefarious groups to try and get a piece of that revenue through unsavory tactics. As a professional expert witness, I remain aware of new advances in both the white hat and black hat worlds.
There are various ways to target consumers in digital ads. This can happen via demographics, personal interests, or prior engagement. The algorithms are always making connections between the ads and the population. Businesses chase after high engagement rates and conversions, and the more personal an ad is, the more likely there’s a conversion.
Digital ad fraudsters come out by the bucket-load to steal PPC advertising
These are the two main target areas: Behavioral and contextual. When we look at behavioral targeting, it’s focused on the individual consumer. What kind of products do they frequently search for? What specific content gets their eyeballs? And what associated topics get their attention, too? For instance, someone who loves golf might follow several golf courses worldwide. And they probably also follow several golf brands. Fraudsters might use digital ads to confuse and mislead golf enthusiasts. One thing they might do is generate fake clicks to deplete the ad spending of a competitive brand.
Contextual targeting relies on specific keywords some might put in a search. Someone may be on a business trip and would like to find a local golf course. In this case, instead of the ad trying to reach out to the consumer, the consumer is reaching out to the internet and relevant ads. A bucket-load of social media platforms will respond such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram. The results could lead consumers to images, texts, carousels, or videos. And because the pay-per-click (PPC) model is standard, fraudsters have a bucketful of fraud bots ready to steal and mislead.
There are botnets, scraper bots, DDoS bots, click fraud bots, spam bots, malware bots, and account takeover bots, to name a few. Yes, it’s very complicated! But if an attorney needs an expert witness who can explain digital ad fraud, I’m ready to help! Many fraud cases can involve more than one platform, ad format, or targeting method. My knowledge of online advertising is deeper than the number of fraudsters involved in the case!
