MRC OK for Google's Ad Viewability Measure

Google has announced that its viewability measurement tool Active View has won accreditation from the Media Rating Council, and has released stats revealing that - perhaps predictably - viewers are considerably more likely to click on an ad if they can see it.

The search giant's data suggests clickthrough rates (CTR) are up to 21 times higher where an ad is 'viewable'. The latter is defined by the percentage of the ad that is viewable on screen and the length of time for which it is displayed - before viewers go elsewhere, for example. The standard defnition of the IAB (Interactive Advertising Burea) says at least 50 percent of an ad must be viewable on screen for one second or longer for it count as 'viewable'.

Google says it believes that viewable impressions will eventually replace 'served impressions' as the standard measure for online ads. The firm's clients can already buy ad inventory on the GDN (Google Display Network) and pay only for 'viewable' ads, and Active View reporting will be available within DoubleClick for Advertisers and DoubleClick for Publishers later this year.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.