When was the last time you got stuck in the rain without an umbrella because the weather forecast predicted clear skies? We’ll blame the weatherman for being wrong (again!), but ultimately the weather is just unpredictable. Viewability is a lot like the weather.
You can’t predict it, and trying to can cause more harm than good. To invest programmatic dollars efficiently, advertisers should look for tools to track real-time viewability conditions and leave the forecasting to the weatherman.
Viewability is a digital advertising metric used to determine if an ad was seen. It gives advertisers insight into what percentage of ad impressions served were viewable. What exactly makes an impression viewable? According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) & Media Rating Council (MRC), a viewable video impression is when at least 50% of the ad’s pixels are visible on-screen for at least 2 consecutive seconds.
For advertisers, measuring viewability across digital video campaigns is a valuable tool in determining reach and the first step in maximizing advertising impact. After all, if an ad isn’t seen, how can it be effective?
The majority of viewability measurement is done by third-party companies who package and pass data to brands, agencies, and DSPs. Advertisers use viewability data in two ways:
1. Post-bid verification to confirm an ad was viewable
2. Pre-bid targeting to filter out inventory that does not meet certain thresholds
To verify post-bid viewability, a pixel is attached to a brand’s creative. The pixel will fire once the impression is served and record the viewability of the ad. After a campaign has wrapped, advertisers can see how different ad placements delivered against their viewability goals.
For pre-bid targeting, measurement vendors use historical data to build algorithms that predict the visibility of an ad on a publisher’s page. These models rely on past user behavior to forecast future engagement. This reliance on probabilistic data, rather than real-time outcomes, poses a number of potential issues for marketers looking to make the most of their ad budgets.
1. Historical data may under- or over-represent a site’s actual viewability. Real-time fluctuations in site traffic are not captured when relying on forecasted data, meaning brands can miss out on periods of peak user engagement.
2. Pre-bid filters share viewability averages for an entire domain. Traffic and engagement on specific sections, pages, and even ad units might vary drastically from an overall site average. These high-level norms give advertisers zero insight into the viewability of the page where their ad actually appears.
3. Scaling campaigns can be challenging when pre-bid viewability filters are applied. By narrowing the universe of targetable impressions, these filters decrease potential reach and increase possible overexposure.
4. Troubleshooting a campaign that isn’t scaling due to viewability filters takes time and effort to investigate, resources that could be better spent on campaign optimizations, frequency management, or evaluating outcomes.
5. Pre-bid viewability targeting adds data costs and reduces overall working media dollars for any campaign where it’s applied.
It’s impossible to predict if an ad will or will not be in view. So how can marketers still target high-viewability video placements at scale? One solution is to tap into the technology providing the on-page video experience. Many publishers partner with technology companies to power their online video players. These players are embedded within the code of a page and can “see” exactly when a video is in view. Because the player is there upon page load, there’s no need to guess at viewability. The technology captures it in real-time.
By working with a video technology partner who provides code-on-page players for premium publishers, advertisers can target real-time signals over past behavior. Real-time viewability means real-time attention, a valuable opportunity for advertisers who know where to find it.
Download our case study to see how real-time viewability delivered scale and performance for a top insurance brand while reducing CPA costs by 50%.
Reach out for customized insights on leveraging real-time viewability in your next campaign.