Pixalate Week in Review: May 25 - 29, 2020

This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space.

1: New IAB Study: Digital ad spend rises 16%, but CPMs fall 16%

"First-quarter 2020 showed (year-on-year) YoY advertising growth [of 16%] despite the impact of COVID-19 beginning in March -- but the pandemic did create significant pricing pressure on CPMs, with digital falling 16%," reported MediaPost, citing a new study from the IAB.

2. What's ahead for US digital ad spend in 2020

In this podcast, eMarketer discusses an updated forecast of US digital ad spend for the second half of 2020. They also talk about "some of the big questions [being] asking about connected TV, performance advertisers and digital ad product innovations."

3. Op-ed: The programmatic ad industry has an opportunity to address 'transparency'

New research has "reaffirmed that we still have a transparency problem in the marketplace," wrote Andrew Casale, president and CEO of Index Exchange, in an Advertising Age op-ed. Casale notes that the industry has an opportunity to earnestly address "transparency," calling for "every transaction [to have] an itemized, virtual receipt provided to all participants."

4. How advertisers now feel about placing ads next to COVID-19 content

In this podcast, eMarketer "discuss[es] how advertisers are navigating placing ads next to coronavirus coverage and how they feel the advertising industry is shaping up this year." 

5. How COVID-19 could permanently change ad agencies