Intro to Digital Ads and Ad Fraud (Members Only)

Understanding how the internet is monetized is key to any technology company of the modern era. Start-ups focused on building user bases generally move towards monetizing either the attention or data of users.

On December 12, join ad tech and ad fraud experts Shailin Dhar and Praneet Sharma for an in-depth look into how user attention and user data get fed into the ecosystem of online advertising. Start-ups rely on this data not only for monetization, but also to promote their product or service to new potential users through digital ads.

Whether your company is on the demand side or supply side of digital advertising, learning about the inner workings can give you the edge on your competition as well as protect your marketing budget from waste.

Topics we will cover:

• History of digital advertising
• Parties involved in the ad-serving chain and how they monetize
• Technical overview of digital ads
• How fraudsters thrive (invalid traffic + garbage sites)

In this workshop, you'll gain:

• Understanding of how advertising is delivered online and the infrastructure it operates in
• Understanding of how advertising is targeted and the data that is based on
• Confidence in your digital advertising practices (you'll have as much knowledge as an ad agency)

The workshop will be followed by Office Hours for members who would like to work with Shailin and Praneet.

Agenda

12:00 - 12:10 pm | Introductions

12:10 - 12:50 pm | Presentation / Discussion

12:50 - 01:00 pm | Q&A + Wrap-up

01:00 - 3:00 pm | Office Hours

Registration Required

Please note that this event is open to RocketSpace campus and corporate innovation members only.

About the Speakers

Shailin Dhar

After his experience from working at ad-networks and in the affiliate marketing space, Shailin began speaking out against ad-fraud in 2014. Called the "Fraud Crusader", Shailin takes ad-fraud very seriously because of the wider implications to the economy and integrity of the open internet.

Working with international advertising trade bodies, agency groups, brand advertisers, ad-tech firms, and ad-verification companies to fight advertising fraud has solidified his reputation in the industry as a leading expert on the topic. Shailin's time working independently since 2014 led him to found Method Media Intelligence in 2017 to take his crusade to the next level by teaming up with like-minded experts that can help make a real impact on the industry.

He is a strong believer in "Knowledge is Power." Having written many publicly available articles and research pieces on the topic of ad-fraud, Shailin's goal is to increase the level of awareness across the industry.

Shailin lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, close to where he grew up with his family. Being born in Delhi, India after his family migrated from Kashmir, he moved to California with his parents and younger brother at the age of 5. He has also lived in New York City, Toronto, Seattle, and India.

Praneet Sharma

Praneet brings an entrepreneurial and technical spirit to combatting ad fraud. He started his career as one of the technical founders of a website design platform. He was an early employee and lead engineer at another startup focussed on publishing user generated content on large sites such as Converse and Kenneth Cole. It was his experience working in the monitoring space which brought him to the world of ad tech. Working with large publishers and ad tech companies, seeing how granular data points were showing large disparities, he set out to address the problem.

Praneet has a firm belief that whats missing in fraud research is sound data collection and analytical measures. The ecosystem deserves to be empowered with the means to scientifically question such a large scale, and complex system. The community should also be aware of how fraudsters might think, what toolsets they use and will use in the future, and how different forces are unknowingly creating a landscape for ad fraud to exist.

Praneet used to be a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor. A Bay Area native, he now lives in Berkeley.