Monday, July 07, 2014

Measuring Digital Advertising Effectiveness: Defining the Viewable Impression

As we get further into the course, I continue to be surprised by how the digital advertising world is measured.  While it certainly seems hard to measure views of ads, the below article gives context to a new standardized measurement of viewable impressions.  An ad on a website or a pop-up ad seems to be difficult to confirm that someone on the other side of the computer/device has viewed it.  Maybe that person didn't scroll down the page far enough, maybe the ad was interactive and the viewer walked away from the computer as the a video viewed, etc.  There seem to be a multitude of ways companies can advertise on the internet, banners, links, pop-ups, sponsored data on an affiliate site, however there does not seem to be an easy way to measure whether or not these ads were viewed, and therefore how effective they were.  Click-through-rate seems to be the best way to measure impressions and therefore effectiveness.  However, what if an ad was successful in making an impression on a consumer in terms of reinforcing a brand or reminding them to purchase something from that brand in person, but since the consumer did not click on the ad, there is no way to know if it was even actually seen.
 
This article makes me feel better about a standardized approach to viewable impressions, however I understand that measurement in this industry is something that will be constantly influx and evolving as technology changes.  The mere specification of defining "viewable impressions" seems to be a step in the right direction for big time online advertisers.  Moreover, with more standard terms and definitions of marketing effectiveness, along with click-through-rate, it appears that the cost of advertising can be better determined in the future.  As more precise measures are implemented, advertisers will hopefully have a better idea for what they are actually paying.
 
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