The case for a more robust online viewability metric

Karen Nelson-Field and Erica Riebe

This article examines the clear evidence from industry research that shows the restriction of 50% of pixels on-screen for only two seconds leads to a reduced ability to influence.

The recent industry concern over ad fraud is not new. Back in 2011, measurement error and ad fraud were reported as impacting up to 50% of served digital impressions. So a concerned US advertising industry came together to discuss a pathway towards greater accountability and to establish a currency standard for impression counting for advertisers.

The bodies involved were the IAB, National Association of Advertisers and 4As, together forming Making Measurement Make Sense (3Ms). There was general agreement that 'viewability' must be at the heart of the metric, based on the sensible premise that if an audience can't see the...

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