‘We’re often working with one second’: Most viewable ads are gone in a flash

Advertisers want to ensure that their ads are seen by humans, but most ads that are measured as viewable barely reach the industry’s minimum benchmarks.

Although viewability rates are rising, 57 percent of display ads were in view for just one second last month, according to data from Integral Ad Science. IAS also found that the average length that a desktop display impression was in view for declined from 9.8 seconds last May to 7.7 seconds this month. As more advertisers adopt viewability standards, like the Media Rating Council’s rule that stipulates that at least half of a display ad must be in view for at least one second to be counted as viewable, it appears that publishers are doing whatever they can to make sure their ads are viewed for just a second, and advertisers are buying ads that hit that mark and calling it a day.

“There is not a ton of incentive for publishers to try and make impressions last longer than the viewability standard,” said Travis Lusk, vp of analytics at IAS. “If they achieve one second, they get paid the exact same amount as they would if they deliver eight seconds.”

Read the full article on Digiday.

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