The document discusses the evolution of viewability metrics for digital advertising. In the past, impressions were counted simply by being served, regardless of whether ads were actually viewable to users. Now, the industry is shifting to define a "viewable impression" as one that is at least 50% visible on screen for one second. Currently many ads are served but not viewable, with estimates that only around 36% of all digital ads are actually viewable. There are challenges in accurately measuring viewability across different channels and environments. Viewability is becoming an important metric for advertisers, publishers and the industry as a whole to better align ads with human viewers and driving engagement.

1. Beyond the fold and across channels
Viewability

2. Evolving Success Metrics
Past
“Served” impression
“Above the fold”
Served ads counted by an ad
server
Disregarding rendering and
actual viewability
Present
“Viewable” impression
“Viewable impression” focused on
area and duration (3MS proposed
definition):
An impression that is at least 50%
visible to a human for a duration of
at least 1 second
Served impression but aim for
viewablilty
Success
Good
placement
Payment
based on

3. The Facts
Many ads are served but not viewable!
Total Industry
Direct Publisher
Exchange
Network
= 64% not viewable
Source: IAS Database

4. Viewability
The stakeholders
The advertiser The publisher
I trick you
into serving
viewable
ads to me
The bot
Many influencing factors determine whether your ad is in view
I want to do
my own
thing. Who
cares about
ads?
The user
I want to attract
advertisers and
maximize my
ad revenue
My ad must be
in view in order
for a user to
take action

5. Geometric
Method:
Covers all browsers
Geometric Method:
Covers Internet
Explorer and Firefox
(48% of browser
usage)
How is viewability measured?
Ads run in friendly or unfriendly iframes
Browser
Optimization:
Covers all
browser types
35% of ads run in
friendly iframes
or directly on a page
65% of ads run in
unfriendly iframes, also
called cross-domain

6. Measuring Viewability – Geometric
Capabilities:
• Accurately measures ads that run in:
• Friendly iframes
• Directly on a page
• Unfriendly iframes, on Internet Explorer
and Firefox
• Limitations: cannot detect ads that run in
unfriendly iframes in webkit browsers
(Chrome [40%] and Safari [10%])
Measurement methodology:
• Measure the position of the ad relative to the
viewport or other elements of the browser

7. Measuring Viewability – Browser Optimization
Capabilities:
• Accurately measures ads that run in:
• Friendly iframes
• Directly on a page
• Unfriendly iframes – all browsers
Measurement methodology:
• Relies on analysis of ad processing of
on-screen versus off-screen

8. measurability
on campaigns*95%
+ +
=
Friendly iframe
measurement
Unfriendly
iframe
measurement
by Geometric
method
Unfriendly iframe
measurement by
Browser
Optimization
method
*Potential to measure display impressions. Limitations apply.

9. When is an ad not in view?
• Quality of the environment:
– Ad loads in an area out of the user’s
browser
– Multiple ads put in 1x1 pixels
– Impression stuffing/layering
– Poor quality pages
– Frequently refreshing pages
• User interaction with the
environment:
– Takes action before the ad loads
and rendered
– When the user is not human (bot)
– Multi-tasks: minimizes
browser, opens another
tab, switches browser

10. Viewability Demo

11. Viewability – Channel Review
Mobile
– Black box – untapped
market, lack of
transparency in
measurement
– No standards in place
yet – no proposed 3MS
definition
– Mobile web and
responsive design
– In-app measurement is
a challenge
– Varied ad formats and
screen sizes
Video
– Different type of
engagement – long
form
– Higher CPMs –
lucrative channel
• Attracts fraud
– 3MS definition for a
viewable video
impression
• 2 continuous seconds
of the ad is
played, with 50% of
pixels in view
Display
– Relatively
simple
compared to
other channels
– 3MS standards
built around
display
– Primary focus has
been on
measurement but
how do we
account for RTB?
– Safeframes seem
to be popular but
hard to enforce

12. Programmatic & Viewability

13. Programmatic
Optimizing for viewability
Leveraging data at scale to make effective buying decisions

14. Where do we go from here?
• Viewability or vCPM is a proxy that better aligns advertisers’ targets and goals versus the CPM
• A viewable ad has a different value to different advertisers
o Other factors contribute to ad value, for example: context, geography of where the ad is served, audience
• Paying for viewability – no losers
o Today it is based on billing for served impressions; in the future it will be based on targeting and the likelihood for
impressions to be in view
o Advertisers – increased chance to connect with target; more ads are shown to more people, driving performance
o Publishers – differentiate and price according to the viewability level and length
Viewability as a
planning tool for the advertiser
Viewability as a
currency for the industry
Viewability as a
site optimization tool for publishers

15. • Eliminating technology barriers for measurement
• Share of view
• Viewability as the gateway to ad engagement
• Adoption of new ad formats optimizing for length of viewability
• Dynamic pricing – viewability as a currency 2.0
Viewability 2.0

16. If you remember only 5 things:
1. Viewability as a currency is happening
2. Ads not in view by a HUMAN can’t make an impact
3. Viewability is vital to attribution measurements across all channels
(display/video/mobile)
4. Paying for viewability is a step in the right direction, but you need to
evaluate the value for your brand by considering other parameters
5. Not all MRC accredited vendors have the same measurement capabilities

17. Thank You.