No Vacation for Fraudsters as Travel Advertisers Return

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With pandemic restrictions easing, companies in the travel business are advertising again, but they’re encountering fraud when buying digital advertising, DoubleVerify reports.

DoubleVerify found that for travel and hospitality advertisers, the post-bid fraud rate was 20% higher compared to other major industries.

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Video is a particularly important medium for travel and hospitality advertisers, DoubleVerify said, citing a study that showed 65% of consumers rely on video when booking a trip. To improve performance, travel and hospitality advertisers need to be sure they’re targeting quality inventory that is brand suitable, viewable and free of fraud, DoubleVerify said.

Many travel marketers also have stringent brand safety and suitability rules for their advertising, particularly if they target families. DoubleVerify found that the rate at which travel advertisers' suitability requirements were violated was 82% higher than brands in other categories. 

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Travel advertisers’ ads also had 7% lower video viewability rates than other businesses.

“As we look ahead to a brighter future where travel and hospitality are once again commonplace, it’s important to take proper measures to maximize media effectiveness,” said Julie Eddleman, executive VP and chief commercial officer at DoubleVerify. “Just as all travelers will expect higher standards to ensure their well-being, digital advertisers will demand clarity and confidence in their digital investments. Setting a clear, informed strategy to address the issues of fraud, viewability, brand safety and suitability, and consumer privacy, will help ensure advertisers — and their audiences — have a smooth journey ahead.”

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.