If you’ve done any type of online display advertising you’ve probably heard quite a bit about view thru and attribution beyond the click. TV, Radio, and billboards have all based their success on some level of view thru. Meaning, because a consumer was exposed to your ad, your message is top-of mind and they are more likely to take action. And it’s true, advertising does work. I’ve seen it over and over again.
However, when dealing with the online space simply being ‘top-of mind’ is not enough. It’s easy to see that exposure and visibility have value but this can be difficult to quantify with real metrics. The real value comes in the breadth of analytics and measurement that are available to you, including tracking click activity and justifying ROI. These forms of measurement allow you to track consumer engagement and optimize accordingly.
With more sophisticated ad tracking software, advertisers now have the ability to monitor View Thru and attribute value. A View Thru measure is made when a cookie is dropped on a consumer’s computer after being exposed to an ad. The cookie correlates with a corresponding cookie on the advertiser’s website and typically a ‘thank you’ page after conversion. By comparing the interaction between the two cookies, advertisers can now attribute exposure and measure activity beyond the click.
For a marketer the results can be fascinating, but I’d caution that they can also be misleading. Over the past several years we’ve worked with several ad networks who espouse the overwhelming benefits of view thru and it’s easy to see why. On average I’d say you could attribute a 5-10X lift in lead conversion from view thru compared to a traditional click. Who wouldn’t be excited about going from $100/lead to $10?
However, it’s important to consider other factors when gauging success. For example, is simply seeing the ad what drove the user back, or would they probably have returned anyway? Measuring lift in repeat traffic would be a better indicator of View Thru than just ‘exposure’.
We’ve also seen about 40% of the View Thru attribution occur the same day as the last impression served. That’s a strong argument for View Thru especially when the consumer had the ability to click the ad just moments before. To me, this is one of the most compelling cases for view thru but when I look deeper and consider the frequency of actual banner impressions served I become more skeptical. I find my reporting will attribute View Thru conversion to users that were exposed to 1-2 ads. I would never gauge success from one TV spot, so why would I do it with a banner? In order to truly be top of mind with a consumer, the frequency of an ad needs to be much higher to truly leave a lasting ‘impression’.
We continue to test the value of View Thru but I haven’t found a formula that will satisfy my skepticism. We’re currently conducting an A-B test in select markets to gauge incremental lift and are adjusting flight terms to measure effects on View Thru and other attributions. More details on those findings to come.
If you’ve struggled to attribute value to View Thru I’d love to hear more about your findings and methodologies. I’m also curious to see what value you place on those conversions attributed to ‘View Thru’.
For more information about this blog post or display advertising with BDX, contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager or contact your local Sales Representative.