The value of precise data to target your exact customer cannot be overstated. It truly is the most unique thing differentiating ad platforms today. However, it's an extremely concerning trend that so many ad agencies and platforms have set the expectation for low CPMs — often at the expense of quality.
Sadly, CPMs have become the new screening mechanism for digital media RFPs. The result? The largest brands and advertisers continue to feed bad sites and apps, irrelevant placements, and waste countless dollars on under-performing media. Here are three simple rules to fix it.
Rule #1: Take Out the Trash
No Fraud. No Junk Sites or Apps. Invalid traffic (IVT) is both greedy and elusive. It's critical for brands to leverage multiple IVT prevention filters to protect against placements on completely useless digital properties. Watch out for:
- Spammy sites with too many ads
- Double-served ads (it happens more often than you'd think)
- Sites or apps dominated by bot or non-human traffic
- Ads in nearly unviewable areas or excessively below the fold
Rule #2: Keep Good Company
Right Content and Context for Your Ad. Just because a site or app is legitimate doesn't mean your brand's ad belongs there. Wrong content and context includes:
- Inappropriate content: illegal, hateful, violent, or controversial material
- Culturally alienating content: strong polarizing political content, conspiracy theories
- Category irrelevance: a dog treat ad on a DIY home repair site
- Activity irrelevance: a hair care ad on a page about buying wigs
Good examples to emulate: an Airbnb ad on a travel app, an organic food ad on a healthy food blog, a mid-market furniture ad on a home décor deals site.
Rule #3: Proof Is in the Interaction
Right Positioning and Format on the Site or App. After screening out garbage sites and brand-unsafe content, think about where your ad actually appears on the page:
- Exclude low-quality positions, like below-the-fold or unknown placements
- Optimize for engagement metrics using machine learning — set minimum CTR thresholds or, for video, minimum view completion rates
At Mediavision2020, we've consistently seen 1.5x to 3x performance improvements from enforcing these three rules in programmatic media buys. Not only will this yield better brand reputation — you will see the results directly in your performance metrics.
