Less than half of display ads are considered viewable -- and that is based on a loose definition of 50% of the pixels of the ad in view for 0.5 seconds.

1. Viewability of
Online Ads
Dr. Augustine Fou
http://linkd.in/augustinefou
December 2013
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Augustine Fou

2. Viewability by Time-in-View
When it comes to viewability, directSource: Integral were seen Feb 2013
sold ads ads, again,Ad science for the via AdExchanger
longest amount of time. Of direct ads,
56% were in view for more than one
second, 37.8% were seen for more than
five seconds, and 22.7% were in view
for more than 15 seconds. Exchange
ads saw the lowest viewability, as
37.6% were in view for more than one
second, 26.1% were seen for more than
five seconds, and 15.7% for more than
15 seconds
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Augustine Fou

3. 54% Online Ads Aren’t Viewed
Source: comScore June 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou

4. 54% Online Ads Aren’t Viewed
ComScore counts
an online ad as
viewable if at least
50% of pixels are in
view for at least
half a second for a
site visitor.
Source: comScore June 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou

5. Viewability of Display Ads
Publisher direct is
best and lowest
risk
Source: Integral Ad Science Sept 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou

6. Where Fake Impressions Come From
Ad exchanges are particularly prone to fraud because shady sites sell enormous
quantities “ad impression inventory” into the exchanges for re-sale.
Source: Integral Ad Science, via BusinessWeek Nov 26, 2013
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Augustine Fou

7. Average Viewability
Source: The Guardian Dec 2013
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8. Viewability by Site Type
63% of ads NOT in view
Source: PointRoll June 2013 via MarketingCharts
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9. Viewable Rate by Industry
Vertical
Viewable rates ranged from a high of
73% for the travel vertical to a low of
50% for the financial vertical, with
CPG (68%) and B2B (67%) among the
higher performers and retail (63%) right
on the average. Viewability was found
to (not surprisingly) impact clickthrough rates (CTRs): those 63% inview had a 54.5% higher CTR than the
average.
Source: DG MediaMind March 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou

10. Viewable Ads, Higher CTR
Source: Infectious Media
Question is, how do humans click non-viewable ads?
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Augustine Fou

11. Video Ad Viewability
A new study [download page] from
VideoHub indicates that during the first
quarter, average viewability for online
video ads in the US was 83%, although
rates varied widely among properties,
from 43% on the low end to 94% on the
high end. Broadcast TV sites fared best
(89% on average) among property
categories, with networks and
exchanges (73%) bringing up the rear.
Source: VideoHub August 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou

12. Video Ad Viewability
Source: Tremor Video
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Augustine Fou

13. Related Articles
Fake YouTube Videos
By: Augustine Fou, December 2013
How Display Fraud Works
By: Augustine Fou, May 2013
Fake Linkedin Profiles
By: Augustine Fou, December 2013
How Click Fraud Works
By: Augustine Fou, November 2013
Fake Facebook Profiles
By: Augustine Fou, Dec 2013
The Magnitude of Digital Ad Fraud
By: Augustine Fou, November 2013
Fake Twitter Accounts
By: Augustine Fou, August 2013
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Augustine Fou

14. Dr. Augustine Fou – Digital Consigliere
“Over the course of 2013 we saw the
dramatic rise in the number of display and
video ads; however, along with this increase
was a dramatic rise in ad fraud, from fake
impressions or ads that are not viewable.”
FORMER CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, HCG (OMNICOM)
MCKINSEY CONSULTANT
CLIENT SIDE / AGENCY SIDE EXPERIENCE
PROFESSOR AND COLUMNIST
ENTREPRENEUR / SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
PHD MATERIALS SCIENCE (MIT '95) AT AGE 23
ClickZ Articles: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-clickz
Slideshares: http://bit.ly/augustine-fou-slideshares
LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/augustinefou
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@acfou
Augustine Fou

15. APPENDIX
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Augustine Fou

16. Viewability of Display Ads
Source: Integral Ad Science Feb 2013 via MarketingCharts
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Augustine Fou