Marketecture Podcast Summary: "Cheq.ai: Anti-fraud for Marketers"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Marketecture: Get Smart. Fast.
• Host: Ari Paparo, Marketecture Media, Inc.
• Episode: Cheq.ai: Anti-fraud for Marketers
• Release Date: March 3, 2025
• Guest: Guy Titanovich, CEO of Cheq.ai

1. Introduction to Cheq.ai and Its Leadership

Ari Paparo welcomes listeners to the episode and introduces Guy Titanovich, the CEO of Cheq.ai. Guy provides an overview of the company's global presence, headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in major cities including New York City, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.

[00:56] Guy Titanovich: "Thank you for having me."

2. Company Overview and Mission

Guy elaborates on Cheq.ai's mission to protect marketers from various cyber threats. The platform focuses on safeguarding every aspect of the marketing technology stack, addressing issues like bot-generated ad clicks, fake user sign-ups, and the theft of customer data by third-party marketing tools.

[01:16] Guy Titanovich: "We protect literally every part of either your martech edtech stack or the operation."

3. Target Customers and Core Problems Addressed

Cheq.ai primarily serves Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and their organizations, though it also engages with Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). The platform offers three main packages, with the most popular being Marketing Security, designed to ensure data integrity and prevent fraudulent activities that can distort marketing analytics and decision-making processes.

[02:37] Guy Titanovich: "Our biggest, so we have three packages. The one that most customers land on first is called Marketing Security."

4. Real-World Challenges: Bot Activities Impacting Marketers

The discussion delves into the specific ways bots harm marketing efforts. Guy highlights that bots can generate fake ad clicks, leading to wasted advertising budgets, especially detrimental to small businesses. For larger enterprises, such activities can undermine data-driven decisions critical for effective marketing campaigns.

[03:35] Guy Titanovich: "One simple one to understand... is just bots clicking on your ads."

Furthermore, Guy explains that the prevalence of bots—ranging from malicious entities to analytical agents—complicates data interpretation across the internet, which is estimated to have 30-50% bot traffic.

[03:59] Guy Titanovich: "It's really hard to make decisions based on data."

5. Comprehensive Bot Mitigation Strategies

Cheq.ai employs a dual approach to handling bot interactions:

1. Blocking Malicious Activity: Identifying and preventing bots from performing harmful actions such as ad clicks and fake sign-ups.
2. Data Integrity Assurance: Ensuring that marketing data remains accurate by eliminating fraudulent inputs.

[05:39] Guy Titanovich: "We're doing both. So the first thing we do is when such a user comes in... we block them."

6. Technical Implementation and Integration with Walled Gardens

Ari and Guy discuss the challenges of integrating Cheq.ai’s solutions with major platforms often referred to as "walled gardens" like Google and Facebook. Despite these platforms having robust APIs, Cheq.ai leverages its extensive domain network and real-time data processing to identify and blacklist fraudulent users effectively.

[07:22] Guy Titanovich: "We sit on over two and a half million domains globally and we see about 30 billion user interactions a week."

7. The Evolving Landscape of AI Agents and Future Threats

Guy emphasizes the impending shift towards AI agents in user interactions. These agents, while facilitating legitimate user activities, also open new avenues for sophisticated fraud, such as AI-driven purchases and account takeovers. Cheq.ai is adapting to this trend by enhancing its ability to discern not just human vs. bot interactions but also the intent and authenticity behind them.

[09:26] Guy Titanovich: "Bots are now going to be and your best users, they are going to make purchases on our and acquisitions on our behalf of a real user's behalf."

8. Metrics and Reporting for CMOs

When asked about the insights provided to CMOs, Guy acknowledges the complexity of data but highlights two primary reporting methods:

1. Raw Data Access: Allowing clients to integrate and analyze data within their existing platforms.
2. Cheq.ai Dashboard: Offering a user-friendly interface for monitoring and managing fraud-related metrics.

[11:58] Guy Titanovich: "We prefer option B, but most customers prefer option A."

9. Pricing and Customer Segmentation

Cheq.ai caters to both enterprise-level clients and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Enterprise customers typically invest between $20,000 to $2 million annually, while SMBs pay from $1,000 to $12,000 per year. This tiered pricing structure ensures that businesses of all sizes can benefit from Cheq.ai’s anti-fraud solutions.

[19:02] Guy Titanovich: "The vast majority of our revenue, I'd say about 90% comes from enterprise customers."

10. Immediate Benefits for Small Businesses

For smaller merchants, such as Shopify store owners, Cheq.ai offers immediate cost savings by reducing click fraud, potentially saving 10-20% on cost-per-click (CPC) expenditures. This translates directly into more efficient ad spend and improved marketing ROI.

[19:42] Guy Titanovich: "The first thing... is literally the ability to save about 10 to 20% of your click or your CPC spend."

11. Lightning Round: Quick Insights

Competitive Advantage:

• Guy Tumianovich: "The ability to marry identity versus human unhuman." [20:12]

Biggest Barrier:

• Guy Tumianovich: "Market education." [20:26]

Big Players’ Involvement:

• Guy Tumianovich: "They are doing it, but they have a disadvantage. They're a sitting duck." [20:31]

Metaphorical Animal:

• Guy Tumianovich: "Lion... megalomania." [21:24]

12. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Ari concludes the interview by thanking Guy for his insights, highlighting the critical role Cheq.ai plays in safeguarding marketing efforts against evolving cyber threats. The discussion underscores the importance of advanced anti-fraud measures in an increasingly data-driven and AI-integrated marketing landscape.

[21:30] Ari Paparo: "Lion because of megalomania... thank you so much for being here."

Key Takeaways:

• Cheq.ai provides comprehensive anti-fraud solutions tailored specifically for marketers, addressing both current bot threats and anticipated AI-driven challenges.
• The platform not only blocks malicious activities but also ensures the integrity of marketing data, enabling more accurate and effective decision-making.
• With a scalable pricing model, Cheq.ai serves a diverse range of clients, from large enterprises to SMBs, delivering immediate financial benefits and long-term security.
• As AI agents become more prevalent, Cheq.ai is at the forefront of evolving its strategies to protect against sophisticated fraud tactics, ensuring that marketers can navigate the digital landscape with confidence.

Notable Quotes:

• Guy Titanovich: "We protect literally every part of either your martech edtech stack or the operation." [01:16]
• Guy Titanovich: "The ability to marry identity versus human unhuman." [20:12]
• Guy Titanovich: "Market education." [20:26]

This episode offers valuable insights into the intersection of marketing and cybersecurity, emphasizing the necessity for advanced anti-fraud measures in today's digital economy.