By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO
Facebook on Wednesday took aim at revolutionizing the way in which Internet ads are measured.
Traditionally, ad delivery is measured by impressions served. A website tells its computer system to deliver an ad to user visiting the site. If the system finds that the advertising was delivered, it counts that as a success.
But even if the ad is delivered, it doesn’t mean the ad reaches the visitor. The system registers a success regardless if the ad is at the top of a homepage or far down on a Web page – they even often count ads that don’t load before a user clicks off of the page.
A billboard in the middle of an abandoned field is worthless compared to one built alongside a busy road, but the two would be essentially the same judging by how digital advertising traditionally works.
Of course, advertising agencies have decried this system for years, but it’s not in websites’ interests to change becasue they are paid whether a user views the ad or not.
That’s why it’s interesting Facebook is pushing to measure “viewed impressions” instead of served impressions, and the social network has the heft to alter the rest of the industry. This is the first time Facebook has publicly addressed its view on counting ad impressions.
“Viewed impressions add an extra layer of analytical rigor, as well as common sense,” Facebook’s team argued in a blog post. “They more accurately define delivery and help ensure that people have seen the ads they’re supposed to see.”
Facebook said it now measures impressions the moment an ad enters the screen of a computer browser or mobile device. If the ad doesn’t enter the screen and the user never sees it, Facebook won’t count it, and won’t charge for it.
The company said it was working with a group of advertising agencies and the Media Rating Council to change the old practices and create industry standards for viewed impressions.
