Ad Viewability Has Nothing To Do With Effectiveness: Kargo

Eyes of technologies in the futuristic

Although the viewability of an online ad impacts how it is priced, research suggests it has little to do with overall effectiveness.

The study, conducted by mobile advertising company Kargo, compared the effectiveness of in-app, desktop, social and mobile web ads using eye-tracking technology.

Effectiveness was measured by recording eye movements throughout the entire end-to-end experience, as the user engaged with each respective platform.

It found in-app ads, in the form of gaming banners, had the lowest effectiveness (1.3 per cent), despite having 90 per cent viewability.

This meant that almost 98.5 per cent of the time the ad was ‘in-view’, it was not being looked at.

Desktop also had a relatively poor viewability to effectiveness ratio, according to the research.

While being in-view around 80 per cent of the time, a sidebar ad had the effectiveness of two per cent.

Using Instagram as the test platform, social ads performed far stronger than in-app and desktop.

Although viewability was relatively low (50 per cent) due to the extended session lengths and higher number of total ads being served, effectiveness was still 10.8 per cent.

In-article ads made for mobile web also had an effectiveness of 10.8 per cent, despite having a similarly low viewability of 50 per cent.

As well as testing effectiveness, the Kargo research also tested the ad recall of each format.

Mobile web (29 per cent) and social (20 per cent) again performed better than in-app (11 per cent) and desktop (three per cent).

Why it matters

Kargo argues that optimising ads based purely on visibility “will likely result in lost opportunity for marketers”.

And while the research shows that specific platforms have an impact on the effectiveness of an ad, the design of the ad is also an important factor.

“The fragmentation of today’s media landscape has created a rift in consumers’ consumption habits — where consumers’ attention is no longer owed but in fact must be earned,” Kargo says.

“In order for brands to break through in today’s attention economy, it takes nothing short of “thumb-stopping” creative for marketers to garner recognition and appreciation.”

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

effectiveness kargo viewability

Latest News

New Business Wins For We Scout
  • Marketing

New Business Wins For We Scout

Indie comms agency We Scout announces new business wins. Well, you'd hardly announce new business losses, would you?

Oceania map with connection networks.
  • Media

Zenith Wins Superloop’s Media

The Zenith Christmas party set to be a wholly more bawdy, jolly soirée after agency nabs end-of-year win.

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC
  • Media

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC

Independent brand and digital agency, Archibald Williams (AW) has been appointed to lead the NBA account across the APAC region. The NBA is one of the most prestigious sporting leagues in the world and basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. Effective immediately, AW said it was “excited” to work across all digital, […]

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor
  • Advertising

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor

Leading digital outdoor company QMS has announced it is the first-ever inaugural partner for Most Contagious APAC, the landmark London event by creative and strategic intelligence company Contagious, which will be showcased in Australia on Tuesday, 12 December in Sydney and Wednesday, 13 December in Melbourne. Most Contagious is an event that delivers key advertising […]

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics
  • Technology

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics

Omnicom’s data and analytics division Annalect has partnered with Meta, giving it access to Advanced Analytics (AA) – one of Meta’s privacy-focused measurement solutions – to provide Omnicom’s clients with future-proof, next-level measurement. Omnicom is the first holding company to have access to AA. AA allows advertisers to combine their first-party data with Meta’s ads […]

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably
  • Technology

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably

WPP’s AKQA has launched Fixmas.gift, an environmentally conscious AI-powered DIY assistant, affectionately known as Fixie, for a one-stop solution for all things repair. Fixmas.gift hosts an array of guides and inspiration to empower people to prolong the lives of their belongings or purchase pre-owned items that need a little love and care. Fixie can: Help […]