Amazon Tops Q1 2019 Industry Report Ranking Digital Media Partner Performance

The Report Showed a Significant Decrease in Fraudulent Install Volume and Click-To-Install Ratio, as Media Partners Actively Work to Improve Their Anti-Fraud Strategies

Kochava Inc., the trusted platform for secure data solutions, measurement and attribution across connected devices, has released the Q1 results for their industry ranking report, the Kochava Traffic Index.

The list highlights the top-performing media partners, including Amazon in the number-one position and earning the highest grades overall. The report also shows a significant decrease in the volume of installs flagged as fraudulent and in the overall click-to-install ratio, indicating a drop in the prevalence of fraud this past quarter.

“The Index is based on the foundational metrics of signal clarity, fraud, quality and correlation, but fraud impacts each of those individually by muddying the signal, traffic, and the correlation between clicks and installs. This quarter, we saw a significant drop in fraudulent installs and click flooding,” said Grant Simmons, Head of Client Analytics at Kochava. “We attribute the decline in fraudulent installs to the increased mitigation we’re seeing from media partners.”

From Q4 2018 to Q1 2019, the global install volume that Kochava flagged for fraud dropped by 30%. In North America, the decrease was just over 40%.

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Since Kochava began reporting on media partner performance in Q3 of 2018, the click-to-install (CTI) ratio has consistently decreased among the top five ranked partners overall.

Q1’s CTI ratio was 22:1, which is closer to expected human interactions with ads across connected devices and indicative of less fraud from click flooding. Last quarter, the overall CTI was 62:1. In Q3 2018, it was 52:1.

“This was an impressive observation, and one that I hope will continue. Click flooding has cheated advertisers out of ad spend and valid metrics for far too long,” Simmons said.

Among the media partners, Amazon showed its strength in digital advertising this quarter by moving into the top spot and with the highest grades across the board since the inception of the Index last year.

To rank on the Index, a certain volume of installs is required, and Amazon became eligible last quarter. Since then, their install volume has increased by 49%, reflecting the ubiquitous tech company’s reported increase in ad revenue.

The media partners following Amazon in the top five include Moloco, Pinterest, Criteo and Unity Ads. AppLike, LifeStreet and Pinsight Media are among the top 10.

“It’s exciting to see how Kochava’s index evolves and shifts each quarter to represent the best value that ecosystem media partners have to offer marketers and brands. We’re honored to be among the top 10. It validates the hard work our team puts forward every day to offer quality growth at scale,” said Levi Matkins, Vice President, Business Operations for LifeStreet.

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Media partners new to the Index include Fyber and Appnext.

The Kochava Traffic Index ranks media partners on the metrics of signal clarity (comprised of clicks and impressions), fraud, quality (user retention), and correlation (statistical relationship between clicks and installs).

“We want this Index to provide insights into the traffic we observe and to showcase the media partners excelling in the key metrics that validate campaign data,” Simmons said. “With each report, we are seeing the results of partners striving toward cleaner campaigns.”

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