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Tag: digital advertising

  • AI Content Sites: A New Threat to the Advertising Market and Business

    AI Content Sites: A New Threat to the Advertising Market and Business

    In the world of digital advertising, a new “headache” is emerging for businesses – the rapid growth of websites filled with low-quality AI-generated content (AI Slop Sites). These resources, disguised as ordinary platforms, pose a serious threat to legitimate market players and can jeopardize brand reputation. How to choose a contractor and avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters when placing ads on such resources? Read more about this below.

    Introduction: The Rise of AI Sites and Challenges for Ad Tech

    In the world of digital advertising, a new “headache” is emerging for businesses – the rapid growth of websites filled with low-quality content, generated by artificial intelligence (AI Slop Sites). These resources, disguised as ordinary platforms, pose a serious threat to legitimate market players and can jeopardize brand reputation. How to choose a contractor and avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters when placing ads on such resources? Read more about this below.

    DecryptAds Research: The Scale of the Problem and “Risky Geos”

    According to DecryptAds research, the number of websites using AI-generated content is growing exponentially. Initially, the analysis was conducted on examples of websites with culinary recipes, but similar schemes are used for news aggregators, automotive, anime, and gaming forums.

    It’s breathtaking to realize that thousands of such resources are already integrated into ad networks.

    “The idea that US citizens, including potentially government officials, could be accessing these sites, their data could be collected by ad tech, and potentially they could be targeted by malicious ad schemes, raises serious cybersecurity concerns,” said Zach Edwards, co-founder and head of product and research at DecryptAds.

    DecryptAds found that monetization of such resources is often carried out through SSPs (Sell-Side Platforms), which work with advertising partners from so-called “risky geos”. These include countries associated with high levels of cybercrime or having strained relations with the US, such as Russia, China, Cyprus, Turkey, and the UAE. This creates additional risks for businesses.

    How do AI sites deceive advertising systems?

    These resources use various tactics to bypass moderation systems and maximize ad impressions:

    • Human Content Mimicry: Sites create the appearance of real human authorship using AI-generated avatars, stock images, or even altered photos of celebrities like Emily Blunt.
    • Violation of Google’s Rules: New Google Search rules, effective this month, explicitly state: “Fabricating creator profiles (e.g., using AI-generated photos, fictitious names, or false credentials to make content appear as if it was written by human experts) is a form of deception. Any form of deception makes a page untrustworthy to both users and our automated quality systems, and is a signal of a low-quality page.” However, some SSPs believe that these rules apply only to Google’s search business and do not extend to Google Ads.
    • Manipulation of Viewability Metrics: Sites are literally “stuffed” with ad units positioned to artificially inflate viewability metrics, but offering questionable value to the advertiser. This is similar to the situation with MFA (Made for Advertising) sites.
    • Content Copying and “Uniquification”: They duplicate viral trends or copy popular pages from other sites, creating “almost identical” versions that clearly haven’t been human-vetted.

    Problems of Detection and Accountability

    One of the main problems is the difficulty in identifying such resources. Networks of AI sites are designed to look as natural as possible. DecryptAds’ research identified over 2,100 such sites that have infiltrated the programmatic advertising chain through convoluted reseller relationships.

    SSP Responsibility: Zach Edwards emphasizes that SSPs are not always directly to blame. The complexity of the programmatic chain allows unscrupulous operators to hide. Nevertheless, this raises the question of the need for more thorough vetting of publishers when connecting to platforms.

    Сайты с AI-контентом: новая угроза для рекламного рынка и бизнеса — illustration 2

    Market Player Reactions

    • HBAgency: This SSP, according to DecryptAds, monetizes 1,631 of the 2,116 detected AI sites. A representative from HBAgency stated that the company thoroughly vets publishers and also uses independent third-party providers to combat fraud. HBAgency does not operate in sanctioned countries such as Russia, Belarus, Iran, and North Korea.
  • MonetizeMore: This SSP was observed monetizing 11 AI sites. The company’s CEO, Kean Graham, stated that they do not place ads on these resources and are conducting an internal review to identify and deactivate sites that do not meet their standards.
  • Ezoic: This SSP, which, according to DecryptAds, monetizes 407 AI sites, disputes the idea that AI authorship automatically makes content low-quality. The company claims to evaluate content based on quality and usefulness, not on how it was created, rejecting over 98% of site applications.
  • Mintegral: This ad tech provider, based in China, denied direct ad placement on the mentioned site dailytastekitchen.com and noted that the company’s geographical location should not be a basis for generalized assumptions about data security.

How to Protect Your Business: Contractor Selection Criteria

For businesses aiming for effective comprehensive promotion through short videos and outsourcing content for social media, it is crucial to carefully select a contractor. Here is a checklist to help you avoid “headaches” and financial losses:

  1. Transparency: Demand full transparency regarding the platforms where your ads will be placed.
  2. Check ads.txt and sellers.json: These files, though imperfect, are the only public tool for verifying relationships between publishers and ad tech vendors.
  3. Contractor Reputation: Choose companies with a proven reputation and positive reviews. Ask about their methods for combating fraud and low-quality traffic.
  4. Compliance with Google Standards: Ensure your partner adheres to Google’s new guidelines for content quality and authorship.
  5. Traffic Audit: Request reports on traffic sources and their quality. Use third-party tools for auditing.
  6. Geographical Restrictions: Discuss with the contractor the possibility of excluding “risky geos” from your ad targeting.
  7. Content Uniqueness: Prioritize partners who value uniqueness and the creation of original content, rather than just repurposing or AI-generated materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are “AI Slop Sites”?

“AI Slop Sites” are websites whose content is primarily generated by artificial intelligence, often of low quality, and which are used to deceive advertising systems for profit.

Why do “risky geos” pose a threat?

“Risky geos” are countries associated with high levels of cybercrime, a lack of data transparency, or strained relations with other states, which increases cybersecurity and data privacy risks.

How Google Fights AI Sites?

Google has updated its guidelines, stating that fabricating creator profiles (e.g., using AI-generated avatars) is a form of deception and indicates low page quality, leading to a drop in search rankings.

Should you order everything from one place?

Yes, ordering everything from one place from a reliable partner who offers full-cycle video production turnkey and SMM team replacement can significantly save your budget and nerves. The main thing is to carefully choose such a partner, using the above criteria.

Conclusion: The Importance of Vigilance and a Strategic Approach

The growth of AI sites is not just a technical problem; it’s a challenge for the entire advertising industry. For businesses that aim to order a banner, editing, and posting, the key is not only effectiveness but also the security of advertising campaigns. In conditions where AI or real clipping become a matter of choice, and comparing repurposing and shooting from scratch comes to the forefront, a strategic approach to partner selection is necessary. Only vigilance, demanding transparency, and focusing on proven methods will allow you to avoid pitfalls and effectively develop your brand. Do not let mass posting quality criteria become an empty sound. Protect your budget and reputation!

  • ChatGPT Ads: 6 Months Later — What is a Good CPM?

    ChatGPT Ads: 6 Months Later — What is a Good CPM?

    Six months after the launch of OpenAI’s advertising platform, ChatGPT Ads still raises questions among advertisers. The figures vary widely: cost per click (CPC) ranges from less than $3 to $13, and a profitable CPM is not always clear. Some campaigns bring quality leads at a competitive price, while others yield minimal results. The problem is that there are no clear criteria for evaluating effectiveness, and the platform’s reporting is limited.

    Reporting is available at the campaign, ad group, and ad levels. Conversion tracking is implemented through OpenAI Pixel and Conversions API, supporting actions such as purchases, leads, and registrations. OpenAI can also use modeled conversions. This is where the reporting functionality ends, which complicates price comparison and the assessment of real ROI.

    Reporting Limitations and Competition

    The lack of comprehensive competitive reporting is a critical issue. If CPC increases, current data does not allow understanding whether this is due to increased competition, changes in relevance, inventory volume, bids, or the types of dialogues in which ads appear.

    This hinders accurate cheap hypothesis testing and campaign optimization.

    Hostinger’s Experience: $70,000 on Tests

    One of the largest public tests was conducted by Hostinger, spending almost $70,000. Hussein Ograk, Head of PPC, initially noted that CPC was no higher than in Google Search, and campaigns generated purchases. However, as the budget increased, his assessment became more nuanced.

    “CPM exceeded $65, but the main problem was CTR. More specific cases worked better, while broad messages consistently failed. Traffic quality was unstable, and evaluating ROAS based solely on direct conversions proved difficult,” Ograk noted.

    This example demonstrates that what CPM to consider profitable is a matter of context and traffic quality.

    Other Tests: Attribution and Lead Quality

    CTC reported attributed revenue ranging from $19,000 to $38,000, depending on the attribution model, with ROAS from 3.3x to 6.8x. They used Triple Whale to assess downstream performance, as ChatGPT Ads reports were insufficient.

    Floyd Blakey, analyzing a B2B campaign with a budget of $7,000 CAD, recorded an average CPC of $9.29, CPM of $64.34, and CTR of 0.7%. Using visitor de-anonymization, her team identified 146 organizations from 336 paid clicks. Of these, only five matched the ideal customer profile.

    This highlights the problem of traffic quality and shows that cheaper than influencers does not always mean more effective.

    Geographical Differences and Recommended CPC

    The Synter test showed significant geographical differences. With an overall CPC of $9.89 (at $4,428.84), it ranged from $5.10 in the UK to $10.62 in the US. In Australia, CPC reached $17.59, in New Zealand — $22.89, although volumes there were significantly lower. Cost per click heavily depends on the region.

    OpenAI recommends a starting maximum CPC from to . However, this recommendation is often perceived as a benchmark, although it is not. This creates false expectations regarding a budget alternative to seeding and how much 1 million impressions cost via banner compared to AI advertising.

    ChatGPT Ads: 6 months later — what is a profitable CPM? — illustration 2

    ChatGPT Ads Audience

    Advertising in ChatGPT is only available to Free and Go plan users, who constitute the majority of the audience. More expensive subscriptions (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu) remain ad-free, as do accounts of minors. This means that the advertising audience does not coincide with the overall ChatGPT user base.

    There is insufficient public information about the demographics and purchasing power of this audience. General ChatGPT user statistics are also irrelevant, as they include those who do not see ads. Geography further narrows the comparison.

    • Pilot launch: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand (February).
    • Expansion: UK, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico (May-August).
    • Access to Ads Manager: 52 countries (August 31).

    How to Approach ChatGPT Ads Now

    When starting to test hypotheses cheaply on this platform, it is important to understand its current limitations. Set expectations before spending, based on what will make the channel profitable for your business. Someone else’s CPC or CTR will provide little value until we know so little about the competition, audience, and types of dialogues behind these results.

    Early results require more thorough analysis than on mature platforms. Due to a lack of diagnostic signals, it is difficult to distinguish a real performance problem from display peculiarities, relevance, or available dialogues during the test period. There is no universal number yet that determines the success of a campaign in ChatGPT Ads. “Good” is what the channel brings to your specific business, not abstract figures.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is a profitable CPM in ChatGPT Ads?

    A profitable CPM in ChatGPT Ads does not have a fixed value. It depends on the niche, traffic quality, campaign goals, and the ROI you receive. Hostinger’s experience showed a CPM above $65, but with CTR issues. It is important to evaluate not only CPM but also the quality of leads and the final ROAS.

    Is it worth investing in ChatGPT Ads for a cheap hypothesis test?

    ChatGPT Ads can be a tool for a cheap hypothesis test, but with caveats. Limited reporting requires additional analytics tools (e.g., Triple Whale, visitor de-anonymization) for a full evaluation. Be prepared for the price vs. result to vary greatly.

    What’s cheaper: banner ads or ChatGPT Ads?

    Comparing what’s cheaper: banner or blogger with ChatGPT Ads is not directly correct. CPC in ChatGPT Ads can be significantly higher than in traditional banner advertising, reaching $10-$20 in some regions. However, if the quality of traffic and ROAS justify these costs, then ChatGPT Ads can be more effective. It is important to calculate unit economics.

    What CPC should be considered normal for ChatGPT Ads?

    OpenAI recommends a starting maximum CPC of $3 to $5, but this is not a benchmark. The actual CPC can be significantly higher, up to $13-$22. A “normal” CPC is one that provides a positive ROAS and aligns with your unit economics. Do not rely solely on recommendations; always conduct a cheap hypothesis test and analyze your data.

    Conclusion

    ChatGPT Ads is a new platform with potential, but also with serious limitations, especially in terms of reporting and transparency. Advertisers accustomed to detailed statistics face the need for deep off-platform analytics to assess real effectiveness. To understand how much money each ruble spent will bring, do not rely on general figures, but focus on your metrics and goals.

    Conduct a cheap hypothesis test, analyze each stage of the funnel, and optimize campaigns based on your own data and expert opinions. This is the only way to find your profitable CPM and achieve success.

  • Video Clipping Market: Short Videos Become a New Channel for Advertising Reach

    Video Clipping Market: Short Videos Become a New Channel for Advertising Reach

    The video clipping market is rapidly developing, transforming from a simple video cutting tool into a powerful channel for advertising reach. A joint study by VibeVO, a video clipping platform, and Go Influence, an influencer agency, sheds light on the current state of the short video, video clipping, and social media banner advertising market, demonstrating how these formats are becoming key for brand promotion.

    Short vertical videos have long ceased to be just entertainment. For companies, it is already an independent promotion environment. A single episode, interview, live broadcast, review, or conversational recording turns into a series of short videos, each of which can become a separate point of contact with the audience.

    This study was prepared by VibeVO and Go Influence based on VibeVO data for the last 30 days as of June 8, 2026. The indicators describe the studied array of short videos and do not claim to evaluate the entire internet. However, the database is large enough to see the main patterns: concentration of views, differences in platforms, thematic cores, and audience within topics.

    A brief version of the study is published on Sostav.

    Key figures of the study

    Indicator Value
    Views in the saved 30-day volume 252.81 million
    Videos 4,224
    Authors in the database 141
    Pages in the database 228
    Ad launches 16
    Share of the three main topics 86.1%
    Audience coverage 99.2%
    Graphs from the updated table 29

    Main conclusion: the video clipping market can no longer be described only as mechanical video cutting. It is developing as a tool for managed advertising reach, where the topic, platform, author, release speed, design, placement environment safety, and result measurement are important. Banner advertising in social networks also changes its role: it works not separately from the video, but during viewing or next to it.

    Why short video has become a mass format

    Video clipping is the transformation of long material into short vertical videos for recommendation feeds and author publications. The original video is broken down into strong moments, each fragment receives subtitles, a title, design elements, and a clear next step: go, save, watch to the end, take advantage of an offer, or learn more.

    The economics of this approach are simple: one large piece of content provides dozens of reasons to re-engage with the audience. Instead of a one-off release, a company gets a series of repeated touchpoints, and platforms get content that is easier to distribute in fast feeds. Therefore, video clips are becoming not an auxiliary technique, but a separate way to buy attention.

    External benchmarks in the presentation show why this shift has become widespread:

    Illustration 1

    Even if markets and platforms differ by country, the logic of consumption itself is already obvious: attention has shifted to short videos.

    How video clipping works: the path from a long episode to a series of short videos
    Chart 1. How video clipping works: the path from a long episode to a series of short videos.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.

    Overall picture: topics and platforms

    In the updated cut, the market looks concentrated. The three largest topics — movie clips, educational videos, and humor — account for 86.1% of the saved volume. Movie clips garnered 75.76 million views in 30 days, or 30.0%. Educational videos yielded 72.11 million views, which is 28.5%. Humor is almost at the same level: 69.83 million views, or 27.6%.

    After the top three, a long tail begins: football — 12.18 million views, news — 8.42 million, other topics — 6.49 million, martial arts — 5.20 million. Children’s and adult cartoons, other sports, auto and moto, games are significantly less represented in the studied cut. This is an important caveat for placements: small topics cannot be generalized by the same rules as the largest ones.

    Illustration 2

    By platforms, Instagram* became the leader: 131.23 million views, or 51.0% of the detailed volume. TikTok yielded 87.42 million views, or 34.0%. Together, they form 84.9% of the detailed cut, but other platforms do not disappear: they can be important for individual topics, creators, and strong publications.

    Просмотры по темам за 30 дней: три крупнейшие темы резко крупнее остальных
    Chart 2. Views by topic over 30 days: the three largest topics are significantly larger than the rest.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.
    Просмотры по площадкам: Instagram* и TikTok формируют основную массу просмотров
    Chart 3. Views by platform: Instagram* and TikTok form the bulk of views.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.

    Database size and strength of individual platforms

    The database includes 4,224 videos with an active topic, 141 authors, 228 pages, and 16 advertising campaigns. This allows us to look not only at the overall volume but also at how platforms behave differently. Some provide scale, while others provide a stronger upper part of publications.

    Instagram* leads in overall volume, but YouTube’s algorithms react more sharply to viral videos and give them a larger share of reach. On average, one video on YouTube received 132,743 views. For Instagram*, the average was 66,380, and for VK, it was 36,277.

    Such a distribution changes the placement plan. Mass reach is logically sought in large Instagram* and TikTok bundles, but if there is viral content, YouTube can be a platform where it is easier to gain reach.

    Illustration 3
    Распределение охватов среди топ 10% самых популярных, медианы и среднее значение по площадкам: YouTube меньше по общему объему, но сильнее по верхним 10%
    Chart 4. Distribution of reach among the top 10% most popular, median and average values by platform: YouTube is smaller in overall volume but stronger in the top 10%.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.

    It is better to analyze topics in bundles: topic plus platform

    The total volume across the platform does not fully explain the market. The largest reach points occur where the topic and the distribution medium coincide. In the updated data, the largest combination is educational videos on Instagram*: 62.20 million views, or 24.2% of the detailed recalculation. This is followed by humor on TikTok – 38.37 million views, or 14.9%, and movie clips on TikTok – 35.51 million views, or 13.8%.

    The three largest combinations account for 52.9% of the detailed recalculation of views.

    That is why video clipping cannot be launched using a single general grid for all tasks. For educational videos, auto/moto, Instagram* works better; humor, games, and movie clips rely heavily on TikTok; adult cartoons rely on YouTube. Different topics require different platforms, creators, and designs.

    Illustration 4
    Largest topic and platform combinations: main volume arises from several combinations
    Chart 5. Largest topic and platform combinations: main volume arises from several combinations.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.
    Platform shares within topics: different topics have different main platforms
    Chart 6. Platform shares within topics: different topics have different main platforms.
    Source: VibeVO data, updated 08.06.2026. Click on the chart to open it in full size.

    Views are sharply distributed: the top portion of videos yields results

    In short feeds, the average result hides a very strong unevenness. The average number of views is 16,011 views over 30 days. The 75th percentile is 42,535 views, the 90th percentile is 133,041. The maximum video garnered 3,935,920 views, which is approximately 246 times more than the median. As expected, the distribution is very uneven.

    Even more illustrative is the share of the best publications. The top 10 videos generated 23.88 million views, or 9.3% of the volume. The top 50 videos – 62.48 million, or 24.3%. The top 10% of videos collected 165.54 million views, or 64.3% of all views. In other words, most views are generated by the top 5% of videos.

    A practical conclusion for advertising in video clipping: you cannot rely on a single video. You need a set of video clips with different first seconds, titles, subtitles, overlays, and advertising message options. It’s not just the most beautiful video that wins, but a series of attempts where the best publications quickly gain more weight.