Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Recommends Marketers to Pay for ‘Measurably Viewable’ Digital Advertisements

NEW YORK (April 27, 2015) – The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) today advised its membership to transition their digital investment strategies to pay for digital advertisements that are measurably viewable. Speaking to a cross-industry audience at the 2015 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, ANA CEO Bob Liodice stated that marketers’ digital ad investments must satisfy the minimum Opportunity to See (OTS) requirements.

The Viewable Impression Guidelines outlined by the Media Rating Council, in conjunction with Making Measurement Make Sense, state that an “Opportunity to See” occurs when 50 percent of a display ad’s pixels are in the viewable portion of a browser for one continuous second and a minimum of two continuous seconds for video ads.

“We recognize that the digital advertising community is adapting to the strategically superior platform of “viewability”. We also recognize that there are technical challenges in this transition phase. However, the transition must be accelerated as marketers have a clear focus to pay only for what is viewable. This would put digital ad buying on a comparable foundation -- consistent with other forms of media buying” Liodice said.

“The Viewable Impression is a measure of a viewer’s Opportunity to See. It is not a measure of engagement nor is it a metric for campaign efficacy. But it needs to be a critically important starting point in the ad negotiations process among marketers, agencies and publishers. If an ad is not viewable, then the marketer should not bear the obligation to pay for it,” Liodice continued. “It is important that the industry understands this distinction so that all parties can transact campaigns fairly and understandably.”


About the ANA

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) is the definitive voice of the marketing industry. Since 1910, we have set and advanced the agenda for marketing transformation, connecting over 1,600 member companies to an influential global network, insights and resources that drive growth. Our members represent 20,000 brands and $400 billion in annual marketing investment. Through industry-leading research, the CMO Growth Council, and our proprietary Growth Agenda and Practices, the ANA empowers marketers to shape the future of marketing and create lasting impact for their organizations and the industry.