Understanding the Limitations of Estimated TV Impressions
There are several reasons why using estimated TV impressions can be misleading and detrimental to your business. To understand these limitations, we need to examine how these estimates are created. The foundation of these impression estimates is a representative sample of viewership. This sample is then extrapolated to estimate the viewing habits of 300 million people in the United States. The exact number of set-top boxes used to calculate the sample data varies among providers, but it is generally a small percentage of total TV consumption. Consequently, some audiences and methods can escape this sample data, such as TV viewership in public areas like bars, airports, and lounges. This leads to the first source of misleading information stemming from these best-guess, traditional methods.
The Weak Correlation Between Viewership and Actions
Another issue with using TV impressions is that viewership only loosely correlates with actions. In other words, the estimate of viewership is a leap of faith, and the connection between actual viewership and a person taking action is also uncertain. Quality Analytics’ TV attribution overcomes these challenges by discarding both of these best guesses. Instead of estimating viewership, Quality Analytics focuses on real-world actions, as they are more relevant. The company measures directly from a brand’s Google Analytics data, capturing real-world actions such as website visits, new visitors starting their customer journey, user registrations, lead forms, email registrations, and the most crucial metric of all, transactions.
All Media is Not Created Equal for All Brands
The third flaw in using impressions to optimize media is that even if the estimate of viewing was hypothetically accurate, it would not apply universally for all brands. Put simply, all media is not created equal for all brands. For instance, a cooking show will perform well for a cooking brand that advertises on it. However, that same ad slot will not yield the same results for a brand in the automotive vertical.
Quality Analytics: A Solution to the Traditional Impressions-based System
Taking into account these three critical flaws of the traditional impressions-based system, marketers are left searching for better answers. Quality Analytics’ TV attribution solves all three of these existential flaws by measuring real-world actions specific to the brand in question, in real time, for all ads in the media campaign. This data-driven approach provides marketers with a more reliable method for evaluating and optimizing their campaigns.
The Future of TV Advertising: Moving Away from Impressions-based Measurement
The industry is evolving, and impressions-based measurement is losing ground. Some systems have been discredited or lost accreditation. Meanwhile, Quality Analytics refines its system, becoming one of the few TV attribution companies to measure local television and local radio. By adopting data-driven attribution methods like Quality Analytics, advertisers and media buying agencies gain a more accurate understanding of campaign performance, leading to better optimization of media investments.
Conclusion: Why Choosing Quality Analytics for TV Attribution Matters
Estimated TV advertising impressions have long been the standard method for evaluating television ad campaigns. However, this approach has significant flaws and can mislead businesses. Quality Analytics’ TV attribution provides a more accurate, data-driven solution by measuring real-world actions and specific brand metrics in real-time. This helps marketers optimize media investments with confidence.
Embracing Quality Analytics’ TV attribution allows advertisers and media buying agencies to move away from the outdated impressions-based measurement system. They can make informed decisions based on actual consumer behavior. As the advertising landscape evolves, adopting data-driven methods will better equip those in the competitive market to succeed.