Indonesia emerges as safe haven for advertisers amid global ad fraud surge, IAS says

While the global digital advertising industry faces mounting challenges - rising fraud, evolving brand safety risks, and shrinking attention spans - Indonesia is emerging as a rare point of stability. The 20th edition of the Media Quality Report (MQR) by Integral Ad Science (IAS), which analyses over 280 billion daily digital interactions, places Indonesia ahead of much of the Asia-Pacific region - and the world - on key media quality benchmarks.

In a year when global ad fraud reached 10.9% for non-optimised campaigns, Indonesia posted one of the lowest fraud rates worldwide. Optimised desktop display campaigns in the country saw just 0.6% fraud, while mobile web environments recorded an even lower rate of 0.1%. These figures outperform Southeast Asian peers where programmatic complexity often raises exposure.

Indonesia also scored high on viewability. Mobile app display viewability reached 86.4%, placing it among the top performers in APAC, while desktop display viewability stood at 67.6%.

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More importantly, Indonesia leads the region in time-in-view, a key attention metric. Users spent an average of 31.13 seconds on desktop display ads and 26.49 seconds on mobile web ads - well above global averages. This positions Indonesia as a promising market for long-form, narrative-driven creative that seeks more than just quick clicks.

Brand safety: low risk with a notable spike in violent content

IAS data also found that only 0.9% of desktop display impressions in Indonesia posed brand safety risks, reinforcing its appeal as a lower-risk market. However, one caveat stands out: content linked to violence. In 2024, the share of risky impressions in this category jumped to 62.2%, mirroring a broader APAC trend - where violent content on desktop display rose from 43.5% in H1 to 54.3% in H2.

"While overall brand risk decreased, APAC saw consistent increases in violence, offensive language, controversial content, and hate speech throughout the year," IAS said. "Marketers should remain vigilant around key political and cultural events, using precision suitability tools to manage shifting sentiment."

Globally, overall brand risk dropped by 10.6% from 2023 - and 39% since 2021 - reaching a record low of 1.5%. But the nature of risk is shifting. The share of content flagged for offensive language, controversial topics, and hate speech on the open web rose to the highest levels since 2020. Notably, offensive content increased by 72% year-over-year, highlighting the evolving landscape of online brand threats.

APAC overview: holding steady with global trends

Ad fraud in APAC remained largely consistent with global patterns. Optimised fraud rates held steady year-on-year for desktop display (1.3%) and mobile web video (0.3%). However, desktop display fraud dropped from 1.1% to 0.8%, while mobile web display nudged up from 0.4% to 0.5%.

Viewability improved across the region. Desktop video jumped from 69.2% in 2023 to 88.9% in 2024, outperforming the global average of 83.9%. Mobile web video also saw a modest rise from 81.6% to 83.3%.

When it comes to consumer attention, APAC continues to outpace EMEA and the Americas in time-in-view. While mobile app display declined slightly - from 16.09 seconds to 14.06 seconds - desktop display (20.07 seconds) and mobile web display (15.74 seconds) held steady.

"As digital media complexity accelerates, IAS remains steadfast in empowering our partners with the transparency, precision, and protection they need to succeed," said IAS CEO Lisa Utzschneider. "The 20th edition of the MQR underscores the critical need for proactive media quality strategies to ensure marketers can drive performance while protecting their brands from the evolving and multi-faceted risks in the programmatic advertising landscape."

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