Viewability, defined simply as the opportunity for an ad to be seen, has had a major impact on how marketers perceive performance. But there are some hard truths marketers must come to terms with.

According to “Viewability: What Smart Marketers Need to Know”, a new guide on this topic from Quantcast, any marketer planning display or video ad campaigns should keep these four things in mind:

Viewability can mean missed opportunities

Quantcast research shows that, on average, 10 per cent of inventory cannot even be measured for visibility, which can hinder campaigns measuring a strict visibility goal. In addition, differences in vendor methodologies can alter results.

This means that it’s hugely important to test before deciding on a viewability goal for your campaign.

There is a limited supply of high viewability inventory

Inventory with viewability above 80 per cent constitutes just two or three per cent of all RTB Inventory in Europe. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Above-the-fold is a poor proxy for viewability

While many marketers assume that putting an ad above the fold will increase its viewability, research conducted by Quantcast over three years of experimentation, testing and development has shown that this isn’t the case, with one exchange at only 44 per cent viewability rate on ATF Inventory.

Total viewability isn’t possible — yet

A combination of unpredictable user behaviour and technological inconsistencies, 100 per cent viewability is not yet a possibility. Keep this in mind as you plan your campaign.

In “Viewability: What Smart Marketers Need to Know”, Quantcast draws on its analysis of over 5bn impressions per month over three years to break down everything marketers need to know about viewability, including how its optimised and the answers to the five key viewability questions.

Source – ClickZ.com