Online ad impressions measurement standardised

Hong Kong - A global assemblage of organisations has issued a definition and standard for online ad impression measurement to simplify the buying and selling process for advertisers, marketers and publishers with a view to hastening the global growth of online adspend.

"The guidelines provide a coherent way for advertisers, publishers and agencies to measure online media, and help guide both experienced marketers and newcomers to the medium in the construction of consistently priced and accurately measured campaigns," said Sophie Lottefier, Director of the Asia Digital Marketing Association (ADMA) in a statement -- ADMA helped develop the guidelines.

The standard, endorsed by organisations such as Cathay Pacific, DoubleClick and MSN, includes a detailed definition for counting ad impressions, a critical component in establishing consistent and accurate online ad measurement across publishers and ad serving technologies. 

This is the first time any advertising medium has launched a global measurement standard accepted by all the key industry stakeholder organisations -- so far, it has the support of almost all major online publishers, as well as about 35 out of the 37 major online advertising server technologies worldwide. Other media vehicles such as television, radio and magazines use different measuring techniques depending on country and region. 

"In the past, deciding how to measure online ad effectiveness has been challenging, but I am pleased that we now have a global standard which will make the selection of different online media easier in terms of prioritisation, targeting and measurement," said Danesh Darayanani, VP of Marketing at Universitas 21 Global. "With this common accountability, I forsee a rise in both the quality and quantity of online advertising."