YouTube Reportedly Planning To Allow Independent Viewability Measurement

Following complaints by many advertisers, YouTube has now announced its plans to provide businesses with information about the number of ads that are actually seen by viewers on the platform. Considering the fact a lot of auto dealerships advertise on YouTube as part of their digital marketing strategy, this increased transparency comes as tremendous news.

As the Financial Times has stated, some brands are concerned YouTube isn’t being forthcoming with its reporting. These discontented brands have been buying ads but say that they aren’t certain those campaigns are actually being viewed. There are many possible causes for this situation, such as ads being located outside of a user’s screen or the potential viewer simply having chosen to leave a page before the ad is fully loaded.

Although Google provides advertisers with analytics through its Active View product, several brands have made it clear that they wish to confirm this information in other ways. Instead of simply taking YouTube’s word at face value, brands could potentially use third-party services to find out whether their money is being well-spent and whether their campaigns need to be retooled or repositioned. Sources told the Financial Times that YouTube is planning to allow third-party verification groups to insert code onto its site, thereby enabling these independent entities to collect data on the position and context of the ads.

YouTube’s move is expected to start by the end of this year, and it will likely see strong interest from verification companies, including ComScore, DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science. In a statement, YouTube says that viewability has long been a concern for its ad clients, adding, “We’re committed to meeting all of our clients’ measurement needs through a combination of product innovation and industry partnerships.” YouTube also indicated that it has further efforts planned and is “taking our clients’ feedback into account as we continue to roll out new solutions.”

Google research conducted in December 2014 revealed a startling 56 percent of the Web’s banner ads are never seen. This evidence led companies like GroupM and Unilever to understandably demand publishers only charge them for ads that have a guarantee of being seen. At that time, Rino Scanzoni, the chief investment officer of the world’s largest advertising media company, GroupM, said, “Third-party verification is a critical component to responsively measure ad viewability. The vast majority of publishers agree to it and the few that don’t will be adversely impacted with significantly reduced spend or be completely removed from our preferred vendor list.”