• by Merrily McGugan , Op-Ed Contributor, September 1, 2016

Imagine strolling down a busy street when you come across an ad for Bloomingdale’s summer sale. Or at least, that's what you think the ad is for—because half of it is missing. Instead of “Bloomingdale’s — 50% Off,” only the more nonsensical “dale’s 0% off!” is visible. As you walk toward it to try and decipher what it says, the ad suddenly disappears.

Would a reputable brand like Bloomingdale’s ever accept this user experience in the offline world? No. And the retailer wouldn’t accept this online, either. Ask anyone to invest significant amounts of cash for a job half-done, and they will balk at the idea. Yet that’s precisely what the ad industry has been asking marketers to do for years.

Non-viewable ads are unacceptable. That’s why the Interactive Ad Bureau UK plans to review its viewability principles by 2017, while various U.S. vendors are striving to improve quality and safety for advertisers and their media investments.

But the truth? 2016’s viewability metrics are still very much a work in progress.

A crystal ball for viewability

Today, no method exists for marketers to ensure an ad is 100% viewable, but reliance on pure view rates distorts marketing return on investment (ROI) in the short term. Inaccuracy in viewability measurement means that the true ROI of a campaign is impossible to determine.

Today’s lack of precise viewability measurement will be detrimental to future campaign strategies, while not knowing whether an ad is seen by consumers creates mistrust between brands, agencies and publishers. Before that trust hits rock bottom, agencies and technology vendors must seek to resolve this issue.

Pre-bid viewability solutions represent a best-practice approach, allowing marketers to predict an ad’s viewability — dependent on platform and placement — before spending a dollar. Pre-bid viewability is the online equivalent of Bloomingdale’s visiting a street in advance to ensure foot traffic is high and it’s the right audience, before committing to putting up a billboard.

Pure view rates do not necessarily mean real people see an ad. Viewable cost per impression (vCPM) is a more accurate metric than pure view rate. vCPM gives marketers a more realistic picture of what they are paying for, whether they are viewable or non-viewable impressions.

The most viewable ad in the world

Pre-bid viewability solutions are a step toward making sure ads will be seen. But how can marketers develop more viewable ad creatives?

There are opportunities to fine-tune an ad at every stage of development. This can happen from strategizing to conceptualizing, through to design and execution, and finally analysis and reporting. The following three characteristics should be considered at the very beginning to make served ads as viewable as possible:

Size—Go Big Or Go Home
High-impact creative sizes work better. Aim for height or extra-large sizes that will remain on users’ screens for longer.

Location—Rise Above The Rest
Do your homework on page location and its correlation to viewability. Ads placed directly above the fold (not at the top of the page) are the most effective.

KPIs—Mind Your Viewability Metrics
Use the right metrics when thinking about viewability. vCPM is a more accurate metric than CPM for many campaigns.

Designing creative with viewability in mind and taking advantage of pre-bid viewability solutions can let marketers know the minimum number of views and ROI they can expect from their buy, before they buy.