What is Expanded Viewability?
Quantcast’s expanded viewability model can be an optimizer lever for stricter viewability and audibility standards of viewability on Brand Video or Display (both DR & Brand) campaigns rather than the MRC definition.
Quantcast Expanded Video Viewability optimizes brand video campaigns for stricter viewability and audibility standards. All in a brand-safe environment, without sacrificing the scale or performance of other key video metrics.
Why do we see a discrepancy in measurability and viewability between vendors?
Different Technologies. Viewability vendors utilize different techniques and achieve varying degrees of success in measurement. The most common challenge in the RTB environment is detecting whether an ad displayed within a nested I-Frame is on-screen. Most modern web browsers hide on-screen/off-screen information when using a nested I-Frame, which makes measurement of viewability difficult.
Additional Factors. Some vendors combine additional factors (e.g. non-human traffic, brand-safety) into viewability metrics.
Which channels and formats is Viewability available on?
Viewability is available for Video, Rich Media, and Standard Display.
What KPIs are offered for Viewability? How should we measure success?
We can optimize for Viewability(IAS) for the MRC and stricter definition, Frequency, and Target Index (comScore vCE).
Does viewability always help with performance?
Not always. There is a key gap in attribution. With a viewability goal in place, Quantcast will only bid on opportunities more likely to be viewed. However, if they are not held to the same viewability standard, partners can bid and serve ads with low viewability rates. If your attribution vendor lacks integrated viewability in their conversion reporting, conversion credits are given to unviewed ads.
Is 100% viewability achievable? Is a VCPM 100% viewable?
No. Several factors that prevent this are:
User behaviors are unpredictable. If a consumer scrolls before an ad loads, has multiple tabs open, or frequently refreshes web pages, it means that an ad isn’t seen.
The technology isn't there yet. It’s not just consumers but also websites that can create unpredictable circumstances. Web pages can be compromised; slow internet connections can cause loading errors, or ads can load in an area outside the viewable browser area.
VCPM shifts the risk of unviewable inventory away from the marketer. By subtracting any out-of-view impressions from the invoice, VCPM allows an advertiser to pay only for viewed impressions. However, the campaign will not be delivered at 100% viewability because no inventory is 100% viewable.
Is Viewability just buying Above-the-fold (ATF) inventory?
Above-the-fold (ATF) and viewability are similar concepts but are different measurements. ATF is a proxy toward achieving viewability but does not guarantee that an ad will be in view. Quantcast evaluated ATF inventory across three major exchanges and found that ATF inventory had viewability rates ranging from 45-65%. Depending on the publisher and the technique used for identifying ATF versus Below-the-fold (BTF) inventory, the viewability can range almost 20%. Furthermore, none of the ATF inventory measured was anywhere close to 100% viewable.
If optimizing for viewability is important, ensure you optimize toward the right metric. Viewability allows you to see whether the ads were displayed on screen, regardless of where an exchange says they were placed.
What is the optimal viewability rate? What are the viewability benchmarks?
Optimal Viewability Rate is hard to define optimal because:
It depends on campaign parameters. Because of the supply limitation, viewability adds another layer of complexity to performance and delivery goals.
It is best to run a test. Start with monitoring. Our Account Teams will adjust and evaluate the impact of viewability on performance and delivery to find the optimal balance.