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!

Calling All Analytics Vendors and Ad Networks

There has been an incredible amount of interest and enthusiasm the Viewthrough.org effort from across the ad technology stack, evolving into a real grass-roots Viewthrough Measurement Consortium. Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to share their considerable insights, ideas and candid feedback.

LEARNINGS SO FAR
Below are some key learnings gathered from throughout this process:

• Nobody is happy about clickthrough measurement and its inherent biases
• With the DAA and IAB doing their own thing and the emergence of ad viewability as the latest bright shiny object, viewthrough measurement continues to be looked over
• Most everyone wants better viewthrough measurement but are unsure how to push this forward on their own
• Many digital advertising companies across the ad tech stack are already measuring viewthrough but don't necessarily label it viewthrough or they are not breaking it out in their reports today.  
• Reasons include that it is confusing to clients/agencies that are still focused on last-click attribution; also, that there is that lack of standard definitions, i.e. mention viewthrough and get ready to teach.

It is apparent that analytics and advertising vendors are seeking a meaningful way to report passive display media response. It should be a concern to everyone that many ad networks do not get credit for viewthrough performance today, itself a by-product of slimy performance networks and cookie-stuffing. While the bigger Viewthrough.org strategy evolves (advocacy, research, standards, best practices), there is a definitely tangible step that is low-cost and be taken today.

NEXT STEP: VIEWTHROUGH SCORECARD
Vendors that are already reporting on passive post-exposure response to display media (beyond clickthroughs) ought to consider letting the industry know.Whether it is raw viewthrough visits, a viewthrough rate or viewthrough conversions, now is the time and this is the place.

Below is the current list of vendors known to the Viewthrough Measurement Consortium that provide analytics/reports that specifically containing viewthrough performance:




POST COMMENTS OR SEND FEEDBACK FOR UPDATES.

Proposed Definition of an Ad Viewthrough

Viewthrough (view-through) is a measure of the passive but self-directed response from paid media (banner, rich media, video or audio). For starters:

• Scope
• Post-impression viewthrough follows from one or more ad exposures where there was no click event
• Although the focus here is on display media, viewthrough or passive response could come from email, affiliate advertising, online PR and "dark" social media
• Apart from Google's self-serving studies, no independent research validates the notion of a paid search viewthrough
• Relation to Clickthrough
• Distinguished from post-click visitation or conversion
• Measurement
• Can be a success metric like a conversion, high-value task or a site visit
• Can be measured by a brand on its' own Web properties through site analytics
• Can be measured more broadly (competitor/peer site visitation, search, etc...) through panel-based research
• May be subject to attribution rules, such as first touch, last touch, equal touch or staistically derived techniques
• Time
  • Is subject to a lookback and lookahead window that is configured by the ad server
• Viewthrough impact decays over time from the initial ad exposure
• Calculation
• The VTR (viewthrough rate) is calculated as # of viewthrough / # of impressions (viewed impressions preferably)
• Impressions should be based on "viewed" or "viewable" for most accurate measurement
• In-flight viewthrough are observed during a live ad campaign, while the post-flight viewthrough "vapor-trail" can be observed when the campaign ends or is paused

If you have feedback, please reach out or comment below!