Because widgets are commonly uploaded onto a personal site, their mere presence connotes some sort of endorsement by the site's owner and publisher, lending a credible voice to the brand on the widget. That widget isn't there to pay the sales force; it's there because the person whose words or photos we're coming to see every day likes it.

But in addition to simply measuring the number of Web sites a widget is on, Uploads also measures the number of customers who are willing to take public action to evangelize a brand. So if the number of Uploads for a campaign seems tiny to an advertiser used to purchasing hundreds of millions of impressions at a time, each one represents a personal affinity to the brand worth many times its weight in impressions.

In fact, we ought to have a Widget Metrics Conversion Rate, that allows us all to see that X Uploads = YX Usage = ZX Views = Z'X Banner Ad Impressions. The quality over quantity aspect is simply that important to approaching widget marketing successfully.

A few other metrics aren't as easily tracked in a spreadsheet, but are perhaps equally as illuminating to marketers considering a widget campaign:

Mindshare: Widgets have rapidly earned a place at media strategy tables. RFPs are now coming out that expressly include sections on "Widget Brief" or "Widget Strategy". And the level of integration within the plan is nothing short of inspired. Advertisers who have worked with widgets in the past are clearly putting a lot of resources into weaving them creatively and effectively into subsequent campaigns.

Advertiser Distribution: We are seeing financial services, automotive, consumer durables; even personal care companies make inroads into widget marketing. Some of the brands you will see on widgets in the near future may surprise you, and may also tip you off that the demographic using widgets is more varied than you might have thought as well.

Repeat Advertisers: As a publisher, this is a metric we're especially interested in. But it's also a tacit testimonial to marketers considering widget marketing campaigns themselves. Those who try it come back for more. And they put more energy behind it each time, producing higher quality campaigns and turning out stronger results.

So the bar for widget campaigns is already higher. With the right metrics advertisers will know exactly how high, and can adjust their run-up accordingly.