Matt: Hello and welcome to Pixels and Points! I’m Matt Nelson, Digital Media Director here at Redroc, and with me is our media planner and buyer extraordinaire, Susie Brown.

Susie: Thanks, Matt!

Matt: Today, we’re diving into two main topics: first, the battle with made-for-advertising (MFA) websites, and second, the TikTok ban and alternative platforms for advertisers. Let’s get started with TikTok since it’s such a hot topic right now.

Matt: The TikTok ban is set to take effect soon. As of the 19th, all ads on TikTok will be paused. While data will still be accessible, advertisers are scrambling to figure out their next move.

Susie: Exactly. The obvious shift will be toward platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Both have robust self-service ad platforms and large user bases.

Matt: Right. TikTok really revolutionized short-form video, and its algorithm was unmatched at delivering tailored content. The key takeaway for advertisers is to focus on creativity—especially nailing that strong hook in the first three seconds to grab attention.

Susie: Yes, short-form video thrives on engagement. And platforms like YouTube Shorts, which already have a massive audience, are ramping up efforts to compete in this space.

Matt: Absolutely. YouTube has been pushing Shorts hard, especially for mobile users. It’s addictive and scroll-friendly, making it a solid alternative for TikTok advertisers.

Susie: Some other platforms gaining traction include Triller, Red Note, Substack, and Clapper.

Matt: Triller started as a music-focused app but has expanded to include general creator content. Red Note, another app, has seen a 216% increase in users recently, though advertising options are limited.

Susie: Many of these smaller platforms need to improve their algorithms and advertising systems to be more user-friendly for marketers.

Matt: Right. Self-service platforms like TikTok and Instagram are ideal for advertisers. These emerging apps will need to evolve quickly to keep up with demand.

Susie: So, whether it’s moving budgets to Instagram, YouTube, or exploring new platforms, the key is staying creative and adapting to these shifts.

Matt: Let’s move on to MFAs. I’ll try not to go too deep, but MFAs—Made-for-Advertising websites—have been a major problem across the industry this past year. Nobody really has a definitive solution yet.

Susie: MFAs are essentially AI-generated websites designed to look legitimate. They either use gibberish URLs or closely mimic real ones, like adding an extra ‘s’ to ‘BBC Sports.’ People mistakenly believe they’re on reputable sites, but instead, they’re on clickbait platforms using bots to inflate clicks.

Matt: Exactly. These bots mimic user actions, like scrolling or clicking, to manipulate ad performance. It’s especially problematic for advertisers optimizing campaigns for click-through rates, as these sites exploit that metric. Blocking them isn’t easy since they’re constantly being regenerated.

Susie: Right. Even if you block gaming sites or use topic filters, these MFAs infiltrate every category. Blacklists just can’t keep up. The most effective countermeasure is using a whitelist or leveraging programmatic tools like DoubleVerify to filter out bad traffic.

Matt: Even then, you’re still looking at 11% of ad spend going to these sites despite safeguards. DIY advertisers face an even harder time managing this.

Susie: Performance Max campaigns from Google exacerbate this. They optimize for clicks across multiple channels—search, display, video—but lack transparency about where ads actually run. Studies show up to 40% of Performance Max budgets can end up on MFAs.

Matt: And the complexity of analyzing domain lists makes it hard to identify problem sites. Unless you switch to a strict whitelist, you can’t fully avoid MFAs.

Susie: Unfortunately, Google profits from these ads. Until they clean up their system, or legislation steps in to address this as fraud, it’ll remain an ongoing issue for the entire industry.

Matt: Agreed. It’s a system-wide problem impacting every ad platform. Hopefully, the big players step up to resolve it.

Susie: Thanks for tuning in to Pixels and Points!

Matt and Susie: See you next time!