Online ad viewability “hits record high”

Thanks to better optimisation, UK ad viewability levels have hit their highest level since records began almost four years ago, according to ad verification firm Meetrics.

In the first quarter of 2018, the proportion of banner ads served that met minimum viewability guidelines rose from 56% to 59% – the first time levels have risen for four consecutive quarters.

Ads are deemed viewable if they meet the IAB and Media Ratings Council’s recommendation that 50% of the ad is in view for at least one second.

However, last month ISBA, the body representing UK advertisers, announced it is adopting a new viewability standard that will double the current industry threshold.

At its annual conference on 6 March, the body’s director general, Phil Smith, called for advertisers to be given the option to buy digital display at “100% in view”, as opposed to the current Media Rating Council (MRC) guideline of “just 50%.”

ISBA said it recognises that different advertisers have different needs and that every advertiser should be able to buy at whatever viewability thresholds deliver against their business objectives, including below 100%.

However, the longer-term aim is for there to be a market where brands are able to buy their advertising “delivered as designed” – meaning 100% in-view.

Commenting on this week’s news, Max von Hilgers, Meetrics’ CEO and co-founder, said: “It’s the highest level since our records began and four straight quarters of growth is a reliable indication the industry’s efforts to tackle viewability are paying off.

“Alongside this, campaigns are increasingly being optimised towards viewability and we’ve seen a drop in the number of impressions. This suggests a move towards more careful placements – a case of quality over quantity, not something the industry has historically been renowned for but an encouraging sign for the future.”

However, despite the rise the UK still only ranks fifth among the seven other European countries in which Meetrics measures viewability. Austria (71%) leads the way while Switzerland is bottom (50%).