Over a third of rich media ads served on a web page are not being seen by the consumer, due to poor visibility on the page, according to new research.
The study, from ad server MediaMind’s Global Benchmark Report, looked at ad ‘viewability’ for the first time- a percentage of ads that were ‘seen versus served’.
The study analysed more than 600 billion display ads from 47 countries worldwide.
The research indicates that there is a significant correlation between viewability and performance; the 63 percent of rich media ads that were viewable showed a 54.5 percent boost in click-through rates versus total served ads.
Demonstrating the potency of the new measurement, the research showed that non-viewable impressions (which had no chance of being seen by a consumer) dragged down overall performance.
By eliminating those extraneous impressions, performance increased dramatically.
More statisitics from the report follow the infographic below:
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Global Trends: Video Fuels Engagement
Globally, the CTR for viewable rich media ads was 54.5 percent higher than for non-viewable ads, while post-click conversion rates doubled.
The report shows that in the US, overall engagement metrics increased for ads that included interactive and video elements. Click-through rates rose from 0.10% for standard banners to 0.14% for rich media and 1.11% for video. Interaction rates rose from 2.5% for rich media to 6.4% for interactive in-stream video (VPAID), an increase of 156 percent. This trend was replicated worldwide.
Globally, the report indicates increasing adoption of digital video reflected in the growth of in-stream video (VAST) ads. Video ads met the threshold to be included in the new benchmarks in 23 countries versus 16 for the previous benchmark.
UK
In the UK, performance was up in several areas over Q3 2011-Q1 2012. During 2012, standard banner CTR held at 0.08%, same as the previous benchmark, while rich media CTR doubled (0.28% verse 0.14%). Rich media’s stand out performance was driven by floating and expandable ads (2.67% and 0.99%, respectively).
The boost in performance comes on the heels of a record year for advertising spending in the UK following events like the Euro Cup, London Summer Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee. It shows that strong investment in creative of rich media provides strong results.
Viewability Drives CTR and Post-Click Conversion
Answering the call for transparency in online advertising metrics, a viewability standard would shift the currency standard from served impressions to viewable impressions. This would assure advertisers that the ads they buy will be displayed within the viewable screen and for a visually relevant amount of time.
“Before the viewability metric, advertisers did not have a standard way to detect if an advertisement even had the chance of being seen by consumers,” said Ricky Liversidge, chief marketing officer, DG. “The adoption of viewability as a standard metric is another step in arming advertisers with the knowledge they need to measure and execute successful digital campaigns.”
Top ad formats
The most viewable rich media ad formats were floating ads, wallpaper ads and commercial breaks, according to the report, indicating that these highly interactive and persistent formats are valuable for brands using viewability as a key performance indicator.
DG MediaMind’s viewable impression measurement is pending accreditation from the MRC.
To download the full DG MediaMind Global Benchmarking Report for 2012, see here (registration required).
http://www.dgit.com.
