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GroupM begins trial with verification firm Moat in move to analyse viewability of online ads

GroupM has declared that media owners “cannot be the referee” in tracking the viewability of digital ads as it announced the roll out of Twitter campaigns using verification firm Moat.

John Miskelly: Players can’t be the referees

The beta program will be trialled in campaigns for Paramount Pictures and Kathmandu with the viewability of ads tracked across Twitter, including video.

GroupM said partnering with Moat will enable it to analyse viewability and measure the performance of ads on Twitter against expectations and other channels.

Head of digital John Miskelly said: “The importance here for GroupM is the fact that this is third party accreditation and it has to be. Players can’t be the referees.

“This deep and independent insight into the data strengthens GroupM’s position in regards to viewability and will give our clients yet another unfair advantage to further boost the performance of all their campaigns.”

The trial follows a move by GroupM earlier this year to adopt a new definition of a viewable ad. After signing deals with nine publishers, GroupM said 100% of a digital ad must appear on screen, and be in view for at least one second, for it to be defined as viewable.

If it is not, the advertiser will not pay.

The definition is well above the IAB’s current global standard for viewability, which is 50% in view for one second for display ads and 50% in view for two seconds for video.

Miskelly told Mumbrella at the time that it “didn’t feel the IAB standard went far enough”.

“We created our own standards and went to publishers directly, rather than hanging around (for the IAB),” he said.

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