MRC Okays 'Viewability Impressions' Metric

The Media Rating Council (MRC) has given a green light to the ad industry to begin using 'viewable impressions' as a metric for measuring display advertising.

Back in November 2012, the MRC issued a caution about the use of this metric, citing issues preventing a transition from a digital advertising currency based on served impressions, to one based on viewable impressions. According to the council, now that these issues have been largely resolved, it has lifted its previous advice. MRC says this shift from a 'served' impression to a viewable impression standard will provide marketers with a more accurate way to quantify their investment.

In collaboration with the IAB's Emerging Innovations Task Force and a working group of industry stakeholders, the MRC has released a draft version of its 'Viewable Impression Measurement Guidelines', which state that 50% of pixels must be in the viewable portion of an Internet browser for a minimum of one continuous second to qualify as a viewable display impression. These guidelines will be circulated for a 30-day period for public review.

CEO George Ivie (pictured) commented: 'By adopting this standard for viewable display impressions, the entire marketplace - agencies, marketers and publishers - will benefit from the improved quality and accountability of digital advertising. This shift will ultimately benefit the entire advertising ecosystem by paving the way to better cross-platform campaign planning and analysis.'

To date, the MRC has accredited eleven vendors for their viewability solutions including digital ad management companySizmek, advertising intelligence specialist Integral Ad Science, mobile and web ad metric specialist WebSpectator, and Google.

Web site: www.mediaratingcouncil.org .