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.
