Combatting Ad Fraud with AudioQR & Smartlinks

A second, larger consultancy project with Minfo UK Ltd, funded through the Innovate UK Business Connect DCMS Create Growth Programme (1 November 2025 – June 2026). Building on the initial feasibility work, this project involves the comprehensive deployment of AudioQR technology on the University of Bath campus for more elaborate real-world trials. AudioQR embeds verifiable, traceable audio signals into offline media (TV, radio, outdoor signage) linked via smartlinks to digital content, creating an auditable bridge between physical advertising and digital engagement that makes it significantly harder to fake impressions or clicks.

When a company runs an ad — on TV, radio, or a poster — they have almost no way of knowing whether real people actually saw it and responded, or whether the engagement data they're getting is fake. This project tests a technology that embeds a hidden audio signal into ads, which your phone can detect and respond to. Because every interaction is tied to a unique, verifiable signal, it becomes much harder to game the system with bots or fraudulent clicks. We're running real-world trials across the University of Bath campus to see how well this works in practice.