• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, February 5, 2003

This past week I was subjected to a few articles debating the merits and negativity associated with pop-ups (again). I was sad to see this issue being retread yet again, but since we’re on the topic of old, tired, ridiculous topics, lets visit one that we let sit for awhile in the hopes that it would be addressed but unfortunately has fallen by the wayside once again.

Trust me. I cannot believe that I have to be the one to bring this up again, but here goes…

Can someone please define an impression?

It is now 2003. The Internet is fast becoming a mass medium, and I still to this day have not heard a standardized definition of one of the most fundamental metrics for online advertising! I am actually ashamed that I have to bring this up.

It’s been talked about. It’s been debated. Consider this an invitation to those people in the best position possible to make the call. No instant replay, just take a stand.

The landscape has been narrowed and it comes down to the Agencies needing to make the stand. The publishers have the clout to make this happen, but have dragged their heels through the mud and aren’t able to make a decision. The ad-servers don’t own the leverage to make this decision enforceable and are probably in the best position to change their counting methodologies, so it comes down to the Agencies and their Clients to make this happen.

We need to put our foot down and state the definition of an impression, enforce it by making all billing for all clients in all agencies be based on third-party numbers, and make the ad-servers all commit to one definition of an impression. I feel we sat back over the last couple of years hoping the industry would come to agreement on this issue, but it is ever more obvious that this is not going to happen. After 8 years, if it hasn’t happened, then my hopes have most certainly dwindled.

The impression is crucial to the discussion of reach and frequency. It is also crucial to measuring response rates, whether click rates or conversion rates. They are fundamentally necessary for our industry to grow and yet we still need to see standardization on their definition.

Now, I could go into the differences and the merits of the various counting methodologies that apply here, but Dave Smith is definitely the expert on this topic and he is more appropriate to answer this question, I just want a decision to be made. I say that an impression be defined as the confirmed delivery of an ad unit to the site that made the ad-call. I am sure that more than a few of you will argue with my request, but I still say make a decision and lets move on with it.

I propose that the IAB make a statement on this definition, the publishers and the ad-servers be given a timeline to implement this, and the agencies enforce it by said date.

Any questions?