IAB Europe’s latest Digital Brand Advertising and Measurement Report demonstrates that advertisers, agencies, and publishers appreciate the need to align digital advertising measurement with growing trends and industry demands; including rising cross-media consumption and ad quality concerns. But, when it comes to accurately assessing the impact ads make, there is still a gap between knowing what the industry should be measuring and putting those metrics into action. For example, metrics related to ad impact, such as purchase intent (88%), sales (79%), and uplift in direct site visits (77%) are ranked highly as important measures. Yet figures for deployment of these metrics are far lower, with all measured by less than half of stakeholders. Indeed, even viewability is presently measured by just 48% of agencies, advertisers, and publishers.
The Report draws on a survey of approximately 650 buy and sell-side stakeholders from across Europe1. The results echo the findings of the 2017 IAB Europe Digital Measurement Priorities Report2 highlighting that industry-wide solutions are yet to be agreed for cross-media measurement and quality metrics.
Cross-media and cross-device measurement is key; both buy and sell-side stakeholders indicate that cross-media evaluation and a better understanding of how digital works in combination with other channels are important to drive more digital brand advertising investment. This is further supported by the fact that the top key performance indicators that stakeholders want to use for digital are those associated with traditional media, e.g. brand awareness and purchase intent. Indeed, online video, a popular format for digital branding campaigns saw growth of 35% according to the IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark 2017 study.
As per ongoing industry discussions, viewability and brand safety are top of mind when it comes to determining contact or environment quality. All stakeholders agree that increased trading on viewable rather than served impressions is important.