As we prepare to say goodbye to this year, and begin to look ahead to the next, were revisiting the stories and trends that have defined mobile marketing in 2015.
Over the summer, we looked at four of the biggest topics that we saw dominating conversation in mobile advertising: ad blocking, ad fraud, viewability and brand safety. With the IAB having announced earlier this month that fraud and blockers in particular were costing the industry $8.2bn (£5.5bn) a year, these trends still feel relevant. So weve rounded up the pieces for you to revisit over the Christmas break.
Viewability
“You’re not really at a point yet where the technology is going to give you a safe 100 per cent figure. Advertisers need to not expect too much too soon. It’s not as if TV is criticised for the fact that a lot of people will go off and make a cup of tea during the ad breaks – that’s kind of accepted.”
We look at the existing viewability standards, whos employing them and whether theyre enough, and ask whether 100 per cent viewability guarantees are really possible. Read the whole thing here.
Plus, you can find the accompanying Talking About the Big Issues piece, with industry experts from the IAB to M&C Saatchi sharing their opinions here.
Ad blocking
“It seems like Apple is making a strategic decision to align itself with user privacy rather than advertisers in order to differentiate against Google. Tim Cook has made multiple statements to the effect of Apple is in the business of selling devices to users, not users to advertisers. Thats a pretty clear message from the CEO that Apple is not about advertising, its about user experience and privacy.”
Click here to read our full feature, looking at ad blockings origins on desktop, the various ways it could – and has – spread to mobile, and what the solutions are for publishers and advertisers alike.
For more industry commentary, from the IAB to M&C Saatchi, click here. 
Ad fraud
“If there’s a malicious and deliberate attempt to take money for something that you’re not entitled to, I don’t see the difference between that and credit card fraud, or any other criminal activity.”
From non-human traffic to workers in click farms, youll find our rundown of the sources of fraud, and the difference between the two – plus, how fraud can be detected and combated – here.
And the experts weigh in once again in our comment piece here.
Brand safety
“It’s the seller’s responsibility, not the buyer’s, to make sure it’s safe. You hear Google saying ‘we are not responsible for the content that flows through our pipes’, and I think that’s nonsense. I see Google and Facebook as media owners, not technology companies, and they have to be responsible for the content. The fact that there’s a lot of content generated is irrelevant.”
We examine why an ad appearing against a piece of inappropriate content – whether its an adult video or a tragic news story – really matters. Read the full feature here.
And to see what the industry has to say on the topic, you can read the final Talking About… piece here.
