Facebook this week made strides toward improving
transparency, that buzzword everyone’s chattering about lately. In a blog post, it said it’s adding independent ad
vertification partners to ensure advertisers trust their ad delivery data. Facebook said it’s partnering with Nielsen, Integral Ad Science and comScore to measure the effectiveness of the
video ads on its platform.
The expansion of Facebook's third-party verification program as it relates to viewability and attention metrics is a good and timely
move. As the fever pitch over transparency and trust grows louder, Facebook made the right move as a leader in the digital advertising ecosystem.
Frankly, Facebook could have such a move
sooner. The company has come under criticism, since marketers
don’t want to pay for video views that consumers are scrolling past in their newsfeeds vs. actually viewing. They want Facebook to tighten up and improve viewability standards. They want to know
whether a consumer actually viewed a video. Is that too much to ask?
Last fall, Facebook partnered with Moat, which offers independent verification of Facebook video ad
metrics. With the addition of three more partners, Facebook should be inching closer to launching viewability and attention metrics for its platform.
Marketers and their
agency partners are right to be voicing their frustration. Think of it this way: Don’t you want what you pay good money for?
In Q1 2016, for example, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak
told the New York Times that 85 cents of every new dollar spent on digital
advertising goes to either Facebook or Google. It’s incumbent on Facebook and Google to deliver viewability metrics--and soon.