Stop Stressing About Clickthrough...Think Viewthrough!

This is not going to be another bit about declining clickthrough rates, but a quick analogy that should get the juices flowing about viewthrough measurement.

FACT: For many digital advertisers, the average rate of clicks on their display ad campaigns is about the same as the probability of being dealt a full-house in standard 5-card poker. That works out to 0.14%...actually based on the above industry averages - your odds in poker are much better.

Relying on clickthrough measurement today because it is easily available (and you have benchmarks) and not because it is meaningful or actionable exemplifies a digital marketing capability that is likely obsolete. Sure you can juice your CTR with rich media, incented video and even questionable calls-to-action on Facebook (Like Beer?), but immediate click response to display ads is often problematic. See ComScore's Natural Born Clickers (originally from 2007, updated in 2009) study for additional information.

And if you are really serious about getting away from clickthrough obsession, you can get one of these from Visual IQ!