IAB Europe Press Release: Latest IAB Europe research highlights disparity between vision and reality in measurement of digital brand advertising campaigns

Brussels, 6 June 2018 – IAB Europe’s latest Digital Brand Advertising and Measurement Report demonstrates that advertisers, agencies, and publishers appreciate the need to align digital advertising measurement with growing trends and industry demands; including rising cross-media consumption and ad quality concerns. But, when it comes to accurately assessing the impact ads make, there is still a gap between knowing what the industry should be measuring and putting those metrics into action. For example, metrics related to ad impact, such as purchase intent (88%), sales (79%), and uplift in direct site visits (77%) are ranked highly as important measures. Yet figures for deployment of these metrics are far lower, with all measured by less than half of stakeholders. Indeed, even viewability is presently measured by just 48% of agencies, advertisers, and publishers.

The Report draws on a survey of approximately 650 buy and sell-side stakeholders from across Europe1. The results echo the findings of the 2017 IAB Europe Digital Measurement Priorities Report2 highlighting that industry-wide solutions are yet to be agreed for cross-media measurement and quality metrics.

Cross-media and cross-device measurement is key; both buy and sell-side stakeholders indicate that cross-media evaluation and a better understanding of how digital works in combination with other channels are important to drive more digital brand advertising investment. This is further supported by the fact that the top key performance indicators that stakeholders want to use for digital are those associated with traditional media, e.g. brand awareness and purchase intent. Indeed, online video, a popular format for digital branding campaigns saw growth of 35% according to the IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark 2017 study3.

IAB Europe’s efforts to improve cross-media measurement are focused on enabling cross-industry discussions and facilitating the development of common best practices and standards across Europe via its Measurement Organisations Forum.

As per ongoing industry discussions, viewability and brand safety are top of mind when it comes to determining contact or environment quality. All stakeholders agree that increased trading on viewable rather than served impressions is important.

IAB Europe is working with EACA and WFA in the cross-industry European Viewability Initiative4 which aims to improve the accuracy and consistency of viewability measurement, a vital step towards identifying realistic brand exposure levels. This will help to make digital advertising more directly comparable with TV where ‘opportunity for the consumer to view’ or ‘opportunity to see’ an advertisement is the accepted tenet for brand advertising.  

“The IAB Europe report confirms the fact that cross-media measurement and the application of traditional media metrics to digital brand advertising are of utmost importance to our clients and our business” explains Christer Ljones, Head of Product Strategy, Schibsted Norway Advertising and Vice-Chair, IAB Europe Brand Advertising Committee. “Cross-industry cooperation is critical to develop these areas to ensure advertisers continue to consider digital as a key channel for brand campaigns.”

Fabrizio Angelini, CEO, Sensemakers – comScore Italia said:“In my opinion, the results of the IAB Europe survey offer a clear picture of the online industry’s current needs and expectations in terms of measurement. On the one hand it is crucial to constantly improve the quality and transparency metrics – with a focus on the programmatic ecosystem – and on the other hand, developing consistent cross-media measurement systems is key to foster future investment and growth.”

For more information, please contact: Marie-Clare Puffett, IAB Europe (puffett@iabeurope.eu)

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1 About the IAB Europe Digital Brand Advertising and Measurement survey

IAB Europe invited the industry to share views on their current challenges for digital brand advertising, measurement and solutions that could drive more investment into digital media.

The survey asked about:

• Defining digital advertising quality, both in terms of impressions and environments
• Insights which enable effective targeting of brand advertising campaigns
• KPIs for determining digital brand advertising success

2 IAB Europe 2017 Digital Measurement Priorities Report – https://bit.ly/2gPFBQp

3  IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark 2017 study – https://bit.ly/2x7tS7s

The AdEx Benchmark study is the definitive guide to the state of the European digital advertising market and is now in its twelfth year.

4 European Viewability Initiative – http://bit.ly/2wKMeGj

About IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this innovative sector and ensure its sustainability by shaping the regulatory environment, demonstrating the value digital advertising brings to Europe’s economy, to consumers and to the market, and developing and facilitating the uptake of harmonised business practices that take account of changing user expectations and enable digital brand advertising to scale in Europe.