Whether buying programmatic or traditionally, media selection decisions are always based on three key inputs--Audience, Impact, and Cost. The problem is that the models or algorithms used to project the most efficient media are based on garbage audience data. At this point we have to deal with the issue of "garbage in, garbage out.") The garbage I am referring to, of course, is audience based on Viewability estimates.
So the first question is, what is Viewability?
What is Viewability?
Viewability is defined for display ads as having at least 50% of the web page containing your ad is "in view" for one second or more and two seconds or more for internet video. Really? A one second view is the literal blink of an eye, not providing enough time to communicate much of anything.
Research from several well known research companies has found that ads need 5-10 seconds of screen time before they can raise consumers'awareness of or attitude toward a brand.
Issues
Some additional issues regarding Viewability include:
- Viewability overstates size of audience.
- There is a correlation between programmatic and decreased levels of viewability.
- There is an increased incidence of fraud
- Overstated audiences can make bad buys (inefiient) look like good buys (efficient)
- "As an advertiser I want my ad to perform...the problem with programmatic is that you buy, but you don't know what you are buying." (Campos Silva/Google Program Manager/Brazil)
- So after filling up your bag full of viewable impressions, what do you really have? For example, if the computer output says you have just bought 100,000 target impressions. Thinking about the end in mind, what exactly did you buy-- 100,000 what?
Garbage in, garbage out.