- July 15, 2013

Comscore Online Ad Delivery Findings Featured in the Journal of Advertising Research

To lend insight into the complex landscape of the digital advertising industry, the recent June issue of the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) gathered Empirical Generalizations in Digital Advertising, featuring an in-depth research study from Comscore. The article, authored by Comscore Chairman Gian Fulgoni, Senior Analyst Stephanie Adamo and me, discussed a compilation of results from landmark validated Campaign Essentials™ (vCE®) Charter Studies conducted in the US, Europe and Canada.

The Charter Studies sought to bring the industry closer to understanding the true delivery of online campaigns by quantifying the incidence of sub-optimal delivery in terms of viewability, accuracy of targeting, geography, brand safety, and non-human traffic. An analysis of results across all regions revealed several significant empirical generalizations:

  • High rates of cookie deletion occurred in all countries included in the study
  • In-view rates varied dramatically by site, ranging from a low of less than 1 percent to a high of 100 percent
  • Viewability did not relate to the price charged for digital ads
  • In-flight optimization of the media plan increased return on investment (ROI) for advertisers and agencies

Since conducting these studies throughout 2012, Comscore has measured thousands of campaigns with advertisers large and small, and has recently published a new analysis that further illuminates the incidence of sub-optimal digital campaign delivery. This analysis is based on thousands of campaigns of global advertisers who ran their ads across a variety of publisher sites and ad networks/exchanges from May 2012 through February 2013.

Not surprisingly, the results differed from those of the vCE Charter Studies. The campaigns evaluated in the charter study were mainly from blue chip companies who made extensive use of premium publisher buys for their advertising. In contrast, our recent analysis included a much broader variety of campaigns, including those run through ad networks and exchanges, which showed different viewability rates. These additional studies have helped to paint a more complete picture of the digital advertising landscape.

For a detailed description of the findings of the charter studies, see the original article from the Journal of Advertising Research here. And, to review the recent study analysis, please refer to our blog.

This article was originally published in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Advertising Research. Reproduced with permission of the Journal of Advertising Research, the R&D vehicle for professionals in all areas of marketing including media, research, advertising and communications. To subscribe visit www.warc.com/jar. © Copyright Warc.
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