EyeWonder Adds 'Visibility' Metrics
- by Mark Walsh @markfwal, November 2, 2009
EyeWonder has introduced a new set of metrics telling marketers how long their rich media ads are actually viewable within a browser. The ad tech company's new Ad Visibility Suite tracks the total and average time (in seconds) that someone is exposed to an ad as well as what portions of ads are visible at any given scroll position.
The aim is to give advertisers feedback beyond click-throughs and other interactions like video plays, giving creative and media agencies insight into how users react to messages in different placements on the page. That information can then be used to optimize campaigns or guide future ad buys.
EyeWonder also promises the new offering will benefit publishers by giving them a better understanding of how to value their inventory.
"Customers get a more comprehensive view of their ad performance by seeing the exact amount of time users have ads in their browser windows and comparing that with length of engagement," Ricky McClellen, EyeWonder's chief information officer. "We're bringing these two pieces of the puzzle together to provide a more complete picture of what constitutes a successful online ad campaign, resulting in more meaningful measurement."
When used in conjunction with interaction metrics, agencies would be able to see that low engagement rates for an ad might result because it was visible to a user for only a very short time -- so the opportunity for interacting with the ad was minimal.
The new measurement service is similar to Lotame's "Exposure Tracker" technology, which counts the time users actually spend viewing an ad minus the time when the ad is obscured, minimized or scrolled out of view. A study by the social media ad company earlier this year found the ubiquitous 300 x 250 rectangle unit to be more engaging than other premium ad formats.
Mindshare Netherlands was the first agency to use EyeWonder's Visibility Suite, but all campaigns launching as of Nov. 1 that use the company's ad technology will automatically capture the new viewing metrics.
This is great news, and an innivation that arrives at a perfect moment... although French Company Alenty (www.alenty.com) has released this feature more than a year ago. We've ran such technologies on top of our usual adserving plateforms...and the perspectives are amazing.
First, because it gives agencies and advertisers new rationales beyond reach, frequency, format size and features, context for branding campaigns (I'm not talking about CTR on purpose!).
Second, because it gives real insights about site usage, placement quality by publisher, section and format.
Finally, because when coupled with Target Cost per thousand or cost per rating point (see Planners Dilemma by Richard Huff) it allows to question "traditional advertisers" (ie.FMCG) beliefs about the 30' spot.
Furthemore, it allowed us to demonstrate impact on brand items is correlated with duration of exposure (through an innovative post-test methodolgy designed with Mediamento in France for a P&G Brand).
Finally, it's a real opportunity to get out of the tricky yet infertile debate around CPM pricing and advertising space commoditization (French Publisher Canal+ markets their inventory based on these new metrics ie. Cost per Thousand Impressions viewed X seconds).
As in Europe, we have to wait for US to set the pace (usually, in the digital field...), this is good news, and may help us all set new and meaningful standards.
wow...it's amazing~ this is not only a good news for Advertisers, but also good for Digital Agencies...such innovation can help us a lot regarding measurement and metrics.