• by Tobi Elkin , Staff Writer @tobielkin, December 8, 2016

Engagement metrics will rule: The metrics for digital ad quality will expand as ad tech and martech converge—from measuring the quality of an ad placement to measuring the quality of user engagement. Engagement metrics will encompass richer measures of user ad involvement as important indicators of overall ad effectiveness and performance.

Media transparency will become mainstream: Media transparency will become universal, as advertisers demand ubiquitous third-party measurement across all publishers, social sites, and programmatic platforms. Without exception, advertisers will demand the ability to measure the total quality of what’s delivered, regardless of platform.

Cross-screen transparency will become imperative: The migration of internet traffic and ad dollars to in-app mobile, connected TV, and OTT (over-the-top TV) will accelerate, creating new opportunities and expanding the need for cross-screen transparency and performance measurement. As consumers adopt new modes for staying connected, it will become imperative for the underlying standards to evolve quickly.

Improving the quality of ad inventory is a must: Programmatic demand will continue to surge. Media quality vs. quantity will separate the winners from the laggards. Increasing the quality of the supply chain is critical to gaining the confidence of large advertisers and continuing the long-term growth in our industry. Increasingly CPMs, supported by stronger performance from programmatic buys, will become the norm.