MRCMobileViewableAdImpressionMeasurementGuidelines
FinalVersion–June28,2016
Introduction
TheMobileViewableAdvertisingImpressionMeasurementGuidelinesdocument
thatfollowsisintendedtoprovideguidanceforthemeasurementofviewable
impressionsinMobileWebandMobileIn-Application(In-App)environments.
Theseviewabilityguidelinesaredesignedformobile(webandin-app)advertising.
ThisdocumentsupersedesallpreviousMRCguidanceonthemeasurementof
viewableimpressionsofadvertisingthatappearsinmobileenvironmentseffective
uponissuanceandservesaspermanentguidance(subjecttoperiodicupdates;
futureiterationsoftheseguidelineswillbemanagedincoordinationwiththeIAB
ModernizingMeasurementTaskForceandincludeappropriatenotificationand
graceperiodsforcompliance).
ThisdocumentsupplementstheexistingInteractiveAdvertisingBureau
(IAB)/MobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)/MediaRatingCouncil(MRC)
MeasurementGuidelinesformobilewebadvertisingandmobileapplication
advertisingaswellasservesasanaddendumtotheDesktopViewableAd
ImpressionMeasurementGuidelinespublishedbytheMediaRatingCouncil(MRC).
TheseGuidelinesandthemostrecentversionoftheMRCDesktopViewability
Guidelinesmaybefoundatthefollowinglinks:
IAB/MMA/MRCMobileWebAdMeasurementGuidelines:
http://www.iab.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/MobileWebMeasurementGuidelines2FINAL-1.pdf
IAB/MMA/MRCMobileApplicationAdMeasurementGuidelines:
http://www.iab.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/MobileAppsAdGuidelines1FINAL-1.pdf
MRCDesktopViewabilityGuidelines:
http://mediaratingcouncil.org/081815%20Viewable%20Ad%20Impression%20Gu
ideline_v2.0_Final.pdf
Thecriteriaestablishedinthisdocumentwillprovideapathbywhichorganizations
thatdocomplywiththeguidancenotedhereincanbecomeaccredited.Any
organizationthatwasgrantedaccreditationbyMRCformobileviewability
measurementpriortothefinalcompletionoftheseguidelinesisrequiredto
substantiallycomplywiththefinalmobileviewableimpressionmeasurement
requirementswithin90daysoffinalissuanceoftheseguidelinesoraccreditation
willberemoved.
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ForbackgroundanddetailsontheprocessofdevelopingMRC’sViewability
Guidelines,seetheViewabilityProjectBackgroundandDataAnalysisAddendum
issuedseparatelybyMRC.
Definitions
ApplicationProgrammingInterface(API):Asetofroutines,protocolsandtools
forbuildingsoftwareapplications.AnAPIdefinesfunctionalitiesthatare
independentoftheirrespectiveimplementations,whichallowsdefinitionsand
implementationstovarywithoutcompromisingtheinterface.Inthecontextofthis
document,anAPIisoneoftheavailabletechniquestogatherandtransmit
informationaboutmobileviewabilitymeasurementwithinanapplicationatthe
publisherside.
Density-IndependentPixels(alsocalledDeviceIndependentPixelsoriOS
Points):Anabstractionfromphysicalscreenpixelsmeanttosimplifyapplication
andcontentdevelopmentacrossdevicesofdifferentscreendensities(identicaltoa
CascadingStyleSheetorCSSpixel).OneDensity-IndependentPixelcorrespondsto
roughlyonedevicepixelonadevicewithroughly160DPIor1/160thofaninch.For
purposesofthisdocument,creativedimensionsandviewabilitypixelthresholds
refertoDensityIndependentPixels(alsousedbytheIAB’sMobileRichMediaAd
InterfaceDefinitionorMRAID),notPhysicalPixels(definedbelow).
InlineFrame(IFrame):AnHTMLdocumentembeddedinsideanotherHTML
documentonawebsite.TheIFrameHTMLelementisoftenusedtoinsertcontent
fromanothersource,suchasanadvertisement,intoaWebpage.IFramescanbe
nested,essentiallycreatinga“chain”ofservinginstancesfromservingpartners.An
IFrameassociatedwithaplacementwheretheadtagislocatedonanHTML
documentloadedfromadomainotherthanthedomainofthedocumentonwhich
theIFramewasrenderediscalledacross-domainIFrame.
InvalidImpressions:Impressionsthatdonotmeetcertainadservingqualityor
completenesscriteria,orotherwisedonotrepresentlegitimateadimpressionsthat
shouldbeincludedinimpressioncounts.Amongthereasonswhyanadimpression
maybedeemedinvalidisitisaresultofnon-humantraffic(spiders,bots,etc.),or
activitydesignedtoproducefraudulentimpressions(seedefinitionofFraudulent
ImpressionsintheDesktopViewabilityGuidelines).Formoreoninvalid
impressions,refertoMRC’sInvalidTrafficDetectionandFiltrationGuidelines
Addendum.
MobileDevice:Ahandset,tablet,orothercommunicationdevice(generally
runningamobileoperatingsystem)usedtoaccesstheInternetwirelessly,usually
throughamobilecarrierorWi-Finetwork.TraditionalPCsandlaptopsarenot
consideredMobileDevicesforthepurposesoftheseguidelinesnorarehybrid
devicesrunningdesktopoperatingsystems.
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MobileIn-Application(In-App;forpurposesofthisdocumentandmobile
viewability):ReferstocontentandadswithinthenativeUserInterfaceofan
applicationandnotcontentwithineitheramobilebrowseroranembedded
browserwithinanapplicationenvironment(aninstancethatisembeddedwithina
nativeapplication;typically,thisoccurswhenauserclicksonaURLinamobile
applicationandtheapplicationexecutestheembeddedbrowser).MobileInApplicationincludesscenarioswhereviewabilitycannottypicallybemeasured
usingonlyJavaScript(SDKsorAPIsasdefinedinthisdocumentaregenerallyalso
requiredforviewabilitymeasurement)andinterstitialadcontent(wherethead
contentrepresents100%ofthescreensize)withinapplications.WebView
componentsmayormaynotbepresent.
MobileRichMediaAdInterfaceDefinition(MRAID):Aprotocol(API)that
enablescommunicationbetweenanadandamobileapplicationinordertoexecute
interactionssuchasgeolocation,adresizing,andaccelerometerfunctionsamong
others.
MobileViewableAdImpression:Amobileservedadimpressioncanbeclassified
asamobileviewableimpressioniftheadwascontainedintheviewablespaceofthe
device,eitherwithinanin-focuswebbrowser(WebView)orafullydownloaded,
opened,initializedapplication,basedonpre-establishedcriteriasuchasthepercent
ofadpixels(Density-Independent)withintheviewablespaceandthelengthoftime
theadisintheviewablespaceofthedevice.Itisrecognizedthatan“opportunityto
see”theadexistswithamobileviewableadimpression,whichmayormaynotbe
thecasewithamobileservedadimpression.
MobileWeb(forpurposesofthisdocumentandmobileviewability):Refersto
websitecontentandadswithinit,displayedwithinamobilewebbrowseror
displayedbyanembeddedbrowserwithinanapplicationenvironment(excluding
interstitials).MobileWebviewabilitycantypicallybemeasuredthroughJavaScript
alone(withtheexceptionofcertaincross-domainIFramescenarioswhichmay
requireothermeasurementassetsortechniques).
NewsFeed(alsocalledContinuousFeed,EndlessPageorInfiniteScroll):For
purposesofthisdocument,referstomobileenvironmentseitherwithinamobile
browseroranapplicationthatcontainacontinuous,infinitelyscrollablecollection
ofcontentandlinks,generallyarrangedverticallyorhorizontally.Inordertobe
consideredaNewsFeedenvironmentforpurposesofthisdocument,thecontent
mustbeserialandautomaticallyloadedduringuserscrolling(NewsFeedsdoesnot
includediscreteloadingofcontentafteruserinteraction;scrollablecontentmustbe
continuous).
Obstruction:UsedgenerallytoincludeanyocclusionofcontentincludingZ-order
layering(orverticalstacking)ofelements,OSlevelalertsornotifications,contentin
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thebackgroundandcontentclippedorscrolledintheuserinterfacewhichiseither
partiallyorcompletelyunabletobeseenbyauser.Foregroundcontentwithout
obstructionisanalogoustoin-focusindesktopenvironments(seetheMRCDesktop
ViewabilityGuidelinesforfurtherdetail)andusedinterchangeablythroughoutthis
document.
PhysicalPixels:Theactualpixelsonadevicescreen.Deviceswithhigherscreen
densityorresolutionsmaymanifestmorepixelsthanthosedeviceswithlower
densitiesforidenticalcreativeswiththesamephysicaldimensions.Hence,the
PhysicalPixelscontainedwithinthesamephysicalareacanvarybetweenMobile
Devices,whichmakestheuseofphysicalpixelsdifficultasaviewableimpression
parameterinamobileenvironment.Forpurposesofthisdocument,creative
dimensionsandviewabilitypixelthresholdsrefertoDensityIndependentPixels
(definedaboveandalsousedbyMRAID),notPhysicalPixels.
RenderedMobileServedAdImpressions:TheRenderedMobileServed
Impressioncountsreferencedinthisdocumentapplytomobileviewability
measurementandreportingandrefertovalidservedmobileadimpressionsas
specifiedbytheIABAdImpressionMeasurementGuidelines(aswellasapplicable
MobileWebandMobileIn-ApplicationMeasurementGuidelines;seeNotebelow)
usingclientsidecountingaswellasverificationthatanadwasdeliveredand
loaded/renderedwithinabrowserorcontainerinanapplication.Therequired
countneedstogobeyond“countondownload”.Discretemeasurementateachstep
(deliveryandload)isnotrequired.
Note:TheDesktopViewabilityGuidelinesdefineRenderedServedAdImpressions
asservedimpressionsthatmeetthecurrentrequirementsforavalidservedad
impressionasspecifiedbytheIABAdImpressionMeasurementGuidelines(aswell
asapplicableMobileWebandMobileIn-ApplicationMeasurementGuidelines),with
theexceptionofthoseadscountedasservedutilizinga“CountonDecision”
methodology,whichisamethodinwhichtheservedadiscountedatanearlypoint
intheclient-sidecountingprocess(thecounttypicallyoccurswhentheadserver
servestheadcontentinresponsetoanadrequest).TheMRCintendstoworkwith
theIABtoupdatetheMeasurementGuidelinesregardingadserving(Display,Video
andMobileWeb/Application)tocreateconsistentrequirementsforservedimpression
countingacrossplatformsandcontent.Vendorsareencouragedtomoveall
impressionmeasurementtothestricterviewabilityguidelinesdetailedabove.
Server-SideAdServing(canincludeStreamStitching,VideoPre-LoadingorAd
Stitching):Inthecontextofmobilevideo,theuseofanintermediaryserverto
insertadsdynamicallyintovideostreamsontheserversideordirectlyembedding
adsintovideocontentpriortocontentdeliverywhereastreamingvideoplayeris
notcapableofexecutingdynamicadresponsesortrackingimpressionsand
interactions.
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SoftwareDevelopmentKit(SDK):Aseparatesub-applicationwithinthe
applicationenvironmentwhichisdirectedatperformanceofcertaincommon
functionssuchasmeasurementorcountingofadvertisingactivityand/orthe
deliveryorstorageofadvertisingcontent.Inthecontextofthisdocument,anSDKis
oneoftheavailabletechniquestomeasuremobileviewabilitywithinanapplication.
VideoAdServingTemplate(VAST):AnXMLresponseframeworkthatenablesa
consistentdeliveryformatforadsoradvertisingacrossstreamingvideoplatforms.
Webview:AcomponentthatdisplaysHTMLdocumentswithintheuserinterfaceof
mobileapplications.
GeneralRequirements
Forcountingofmobileviewableadimpressions,existingkeyconceptsofservedad
impressioncountingshouldbefollowed,asdetailedinpreviouslyissuedIAB
MeasurementGuidelines.Theseinclude:
• ClientSideCounting
• Mobilemeasurementfordownloaded,opened,andinitializedapplications
• Inclusionofoff-lineapplicationactivityduringacampaignreportingperiod
• FiltrationofNon-HumanActivityandInvalidActivitycommensuratewith
MRC’sInvalidTrafficDetectionandFiltrationGuidelines
• CacheBustingTechniques
• DifferentiateSignificantAuto-RefreshversusHuman-InitiatedActivity
• DifferentiatePre-FetchandPre-RenderActivity(fromtraditionalserved
activityandeachotherwherepossibleandcountsadsonlyaftertheyappear
onauser’sbrowser)
• DifferentiateImpressionsOut-Of-FocusorwithObstruction
o Measurersarerequiredtoaccountforsituationsofobstructionas
definedabovetotheextenttechnicallyfeasibletodeterminetheinfocusstatusofmeasuredcontent.Limitationsintheabilitytodetect
certainobstructionsorocclusionsofmeasuredcontentshouldbefully
disclosedwithimpactonreportedresultsquantifiedwherematerial.
• DisclosingMaterialInternalTraffic(ifnotfiltered)
• FullDisclosureofmeasurementmethodsandkeymetricsbyPublishers,
Portals,Ad-Servers,AdNetworksandExchanges
o Inthecontextofviewablemobileadimpressions,thisprincipleof
transparencyofmeasurementprocessestodatausersshouldapplyto
allmeasurersofviewablemobileimpressions,including3rdparty
measurers.
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RequirementsforMobileViewableDisplayAdvertisingImpressions
Inadditiontotheaboverequirements,MobileViewableDisplayAdImpressionsare
countedwhenthefollowingcriteriaaremet:
• PixelRequirement:Greaterthanorequalto50%ofthepixels(DensityIndependent)intheadvertisementwereonanin-focusbrowser1orafully
downloaded,opened,initializedapplication,ontheviewablespaceofthe
device,and
• TimeRequirement:Thetimethepixelrequirementismetwasgreaterthan
orequaltoonecontinuoussecond,postadrender.Thistimerequirement
appliesequallytoNewsFeedandnon-NewsFeedenvironments.
Theaboveactions—determiningpixelrequirement,determiningtime
requirement—shouldbeperformedinthatspecificorderwhenmeasuringthe
viewabilityofanad.Inotherwords,satisfyingtheminimumpixelrequirement
shouldprecedethemeasurementofthetimeduration;forexample,theclockstarts
ondeterminingwhethertheadmeetstheonecontinuoussecondtimerequirement
onlywhentheadisdeterminedtohavemetthe50%pixelthreshold.
Note:Insituationswherecustomtimeorpixelthresholdsabovetheminimumcriteria
areutilizedinclassifyinganimpressionasviewable,suchparametersshouldbeclearly
disclosedandlabeledinreporting(includingameanstonoteuserconfigured
parametersinreporting).Customviewabilityreportingaboveminimumthresholds
mustbeinadditiontostandardviewabilityreporting,notinlieuofit.Impressionsthat
donotmeettheminimumtimeand/orpixelthresholdshereinmustnotbereportedas
viewable.
AdditionalNotesonMobileNewsFeedEnvironments:Datareviewedinthe
preparationoftheseGuidelinessupportsthatthevastpreponderanceofmobile
displayNewsFeedadsthatmeetorexceedthequalificationsstatedabovefora
ViewableImpressionwillindeedhaveresultedintheestablishmentofOTSina
NewsFeedenvironment,however,theMRCrecognizesthepossibilityexists,
becauseoftheuniquemannerinwhichcontentanddisplayadvertisinginaNews
Feedenvironmentpassesthroughauser’sviewableportofamobilewebbrowser
orapplication,thatincertainlimitedcircumstancesspecifictomobiledisplay
advertisinginNewsFeeds,theOpportunitytoSee(OTS)anadmaybeestablishedat
asub-secondlevel.
Whilecompellingevidencedoesnotexistatthistimetoestablishalowerindustry
timethresholdformobiledisplayadviewabilityinNewsFeedenvironments,MRCis
awareofsomeresearchthatsuggeststhatmorerapidestablishmentofOTSin
1Seedefinitionof“infocus”above;“browser”inthiscontextreferstoamobile
browserorembeddedbrowserwithinanapplication.
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certainlimitedadcontextsmayoccurmorefrequentlywithinmobileNewsFeeds
thaninotherenvironments.TheseGuidelinesthereforeallowfortheseparate
reportingofmobiledisplayadimpressionsthatappearinNewsFeedswhere50%
ormoreofthead’spixelsareincontinuousviewformorethan0.5secondsbutless
than1second,postrender;thismetricistobelabeleda“Sub-SecondAd
Impression.”2
Sub-SecondImpressionsarenotViewableImpressions,astheyfailtomeetthetime
exposurethresholdnecessarytoqualifyasViewableImpressionsasdefinedherein.
However,buyersandsellersmaychoosetoassignvaluetotheseSub-Second
Impressions,recognizingthatanyvaluetheymayhavecanvarybasedonthe
specifictypeofadvertisementinvolved(forinstance,logo-baseddisplayadsmay
inherentlyberecognizedmorequicklythanothertypesofcreativeexecutions)and
thenatureoftheNewsFeedenvironmentinwhichitappears.TheMRCbelieves
thatexposures(postrender)oflessthan0.5seconds,evenwithinidealcontextsin
NewsFeedenvironments,areextremelyunlikelytoresultintheconsistent
establishmentofOTSoccurrences.
ThesegregatedreportingofSub-SecondImpressionscanfacilitatethebuy/sell
parties’abilitiestorecognizeanyvaluetheymaychoosetoassigntothese
impressions,butalsorecognizestheydonotmeettherequirementstoqualifyas
ViewableImpressions.
UserInteractionConsiderations:Ifthemeasurerisabletodeterminethatthereisa
stronguserinteractionwiththead,thentheadmayoptionallybecountedas
viewableevenifitdoesnotmeetthepixelandtimecriterianotedabove.Inthis
context,alegitimatetaporclickwithinanad(i.e.,itsatisfiestherequirementsfor
countingaclick,basedontheIAB’sClickMeasurementGuidelines)mayconstitutea
“stronguserinteraction”thatwouldresultinaMobileViewableImpression(given
thenatureofmobileenvironmentswhichmayinvolvemorefrequentand
inadvertentinteraction,clicksortapstominimizeorcloseadsasaproxyfor
viewabilityshouldbesupportedempirically);butaswipealone(forexample,a
swipeforhorizontalorverticalscrollinafeedenvironment),withoutcompelling
empiricalsupportofuserintent,generallywouldnotbeconsideredastronguser
interactionwiththeadthatwouldserveasaproxyforviewability.Aswipeorflip
withinthespaceofanadunitforcertainRichMediaandlargerformatorfull-screen
creativesmayrepresentstronguserinteractionwhenempiricallydefensible
(demonstratingsupportforuserintenttointeract)asareasonableproxyfor
viewabilitybythemeasurer.
AtaporclickthatinitiatesaClicktoPlayvideoadwouldnot,initself,beconsidered
auserinteractionthatsatisfiesthiscriteria,asavalidvideoimpressionshouldnot
2Intheeventthata200millisecondpollingintervalisusedformeasurement,3
successfulpollsarerequiredtoqualifyasaSub-SecondAdImpression.
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becountedasserveduntilaftertheinitiationofthestream,post-buffering
(measurementshouldnotoccurwhenthebufferisinitiated,rathermeasurement
shouldoccurwhentheaditselfbeginstoappearontheuser’sbrowserasspecified
byIABguidelines).OnlysubsequentclicksafterinitiationofaClicktoPlayvideoare
eligibleforconsiderationofuserinteractionforpurposesofviewability
measurement.
Specificuserinteractionsthatwillsatisfytherequirementofa“stronguser
interaction”shouldbeappropriatetotheadvertisementandtheenvironmentin
whichitappears,theyshouldbeempiricallydefensibleasreasonableproxiesfor
viewability,andeachtypeofqualifyinguserinteractionshouldbefullydisclosedby
themeasurementorganization.Inaddition,thenumberofMobileViewable
Impressionsthatresultfromapplicationofauserinteractionrule(ratherthanthe
50%ofpixels/onecontinuoussecondrule)shouldbesegregatedforreporting
purposes.
MeasuringtheAdvs.theAdContainer:ViewableImpressionmeasurersgenerally
measuretheviewabilityofanadbasedontheaditself(forinstance,byattachinga
JavaScripttagtothead).However,somemeasurerswhodonottagthead
determineadviewabilitybymeasuringtheadcontainer(e.g.,suchasinanIFrame)
inwhichtheadappears.Viewabilitymeasurementbasedontheadcontainer
involvesaninferencethatthatadinfactappearedwithinthecontainerinits
intendedformat.Whilemeasurementbasedontheaditselfisgenerallypreferable
wheneverpossible,adcontainer-basedmeasurementisalsoacceptableunderthese
guidelines,butitshouldbesupportedbyevidencethatviewabilitymeasurement
basedonthecontainerratherthantheaddoesnotresultinmaterialcounting
differences,orininaccurateviewabilitydeterminationsbecauseofthemis-sizingor
scalingofads(includingresponsivedesign)thatappearwithinthecontainer.
Relatedtoscalingofads(includingresponsivedesign),ifthescalingofanadis
determinedtobematerialinnature,thepixelpercentagecalculationusedto
determinethead’sviewablestatusshouldbebasedonthepixel(DensityIndependent)areaoftheadafterscaling.Furtherstudyisencouragedtodetermine
whetherthereisaminimallyacceptablepercentageoforiginaldisplaysizethatis
appropriateforacceptablemobilelegibilityandviewabilityqualificationforfuture
iterationsoftheseguidelines.
LargeSizeDisplayAds:Largesizedisplayads(suchasIAB’s“RisingStars”formats,
whichalsoexistinmobileenvironments)maypresentspecialchallengesintermsof
meetingviewabilitythresholds.Becausetheseadsaredesignedtooccupyalarge
areaofthebrowserorapplication,itwasdeterminedthatapplyingdifferentcriteria
todeterminetheviewablestatusofcertainlargesizeadswasreasonableina
desktopenvironment.However,duetothecomplexitiesofthevaryingdevicesizes
andresolutionsincludedwithinthescopeofthemobiledevicedefinitionandthese
guidelines,andaconcernoverwhetheradifferingthresholdwouldpresent
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unmanageablediscrepancies,theseguidelinesdonotstipulateasimilarexception
formobileviewability.
Wesuggestfurtherstudytoevaluatewhetheritisappropriatetoapplydifferent
thresholdsforlargesizemobiledisplayads(basedon%ofpixelsor%ofdevice
screen)orfull-screendisplayads,withparticularattentiontobalancingthespecial
challengespresentedbyadsofthesesizes,withtheneedtopreservethe
effectivenessoftheadvertisingmessage.Ifitisdeterminedtobeappropriateto
applydifferentthresholdsforlargesizemobiledisplayadunits,thisguidancewill
beprovidedinafutureupdateoftheseguidelines.Webelievethatlargesizeorfullscreenmobilevideoadsrequire,atminimum,asimilartimethresholdtothat
specifiedintheseguidelinesforqualificationasavideoviewableimpression.
OtherNotesRelatedtoMobileViewableImpressionMeasurement:
1. Inallcasesaviewableimpressionmustalsomeetpre-existingcriteriafora
mobileservedimpression,forexample,countedontheclientside,filteredfor
invalidactivity,etc.Theseareoverandabovetheviewablecriteria.
2. EachvalidviewableimpressionoriginatesfromavalidRenderedMobile
ServedImpression.InnocaseshouldviewableimpressionsexceedRendered
MobileServedImpressionscountedonacampaign.Therecanneverbea
qualifiedcountedMobileViewableImpressionthatdoesnottietoa
RenderedMobileServedImpressionandthereisamaximumofaone-to-one
correspondencebetweenRenderedMobileServedandMobileViewable
Impressions.
3. OnceanadqualifiesasavalidMobileViewableImpression,itshouldonlybe
countedasoneMobileViewableImpressionwithinthatusersession(seeIAB
AudienceReachGuidelinesandMobileIn-ApplicationMeasurement
Guidelinesfordetailson“Sessions”),regardlessofsubsequentexposures.It
shouldnotbecountedagainasanadditionalMobileViewableImpression,
eveniftheuserscrollscompletelyawayfromtheadandthenscrollsbackto
itsoitagainqualifiesasviewable.Thisadditionalexposuremaycontribute
tothetotaltimetheadisinview,butonlytheoriginalMobileViewable
Impressionshouldbecounted.Replaysforthesameusermaybereportedas
aseparatemetric(whilereplaysarenotrequiredtobereported,where
reportedtheymustbereportedseparately).
4. Auto-Refreshreferstotheactionofservingorchangingadvertisingor
contentinanautomaticmanner.Auto-Refreshcanbesetdirectlybyauser
(userinitiated)orsetbyasitewithoutuserinteraction(siteinitiated).
Measurementorganizationsarerequiredtocollectandutilizesiteinitiated
Auto-Refreshinformationdisclosedorpassedbycontentownersormedia
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sellerorganizations.Measurementorganizationsareencouragedtodevelop
techniquestodetectandestimatesiteinitiatedAuto-Refreshifnototherwise
disclosedorpassed.
Totheextentknownbymeasurementorganizations,thepresenceofsite
initiatedAuto-Refreshshouldbedisclosedtousersofmeasurementdata
includingtheparametersandsettingssurroundingAuto-Refresh.Further,
siteinitiatedAuto-Refreshshouldutilizereasonablerefreshrates(i.e.,the
timeintervalatwhichadsarerefreshedorreplaced)fortheassociated
contenttype3andincludesegregateddisclosureoftheAuto-Refreshcountsif
theyarematerialtototalimpressionsbycampaign.UserinitiatedAutoRefreshiscountedasanormaladvertisingimpression.
Totheextentnewservedimpressionsarecountedinaccordancewiththe
Auto-Refreshguidanceabove,anewviewableimpressionmaybeassociated
tothem,withappropriatesegregationindisclosure.Asdiscussedearlierin
thisdocument,measurersarerequiredtoaccountforsituationsof
obstructionasdefinedabovetotheextenttechnicallyfeasibletodetermine
thein-focusstatusofmeasuredcontent.Screentime-outaswellasother
inactivityshouldbeconsideredinthisregardwhenmeasuringAuto-Refresh
viewability.
SeetheIABDigitalVideoMeasurementGuidelinesforfurtherdiscussionof
measurementandreportingissuesrelatedtoAuto-Refresh.
RequirementsforMobileViewableVideoAdvertisingImpressions
AMobileVideoAdthatmeetsthecriteriaof50%ofthead’spixelsonanin-focus
browserorafullydownloaded,opened,initializedapplication,ontheviewable
spaceofthedevicecanbecountedasaMobileViewableVideoAdImpressionifit
meetsthefollowingtimecriterion:
VideoTimeRequirement:ToqualifyforcountingasaMobileViewable
VideoAdImpression,itisrequiredthat2continuoussecondsofthevideo
advertisementisplayed,meetingthesamePixelRequirementnecessaryfora
MobileViewableDisplayAd.Thisrequiredtimeisnotnecessarilythefirst2
secondsofthevideoad;anyunduplicatedcontentoftheadcomprising2
continuoussecondsqualifiesinthisregard.
3Sportsleaderboards,certainnewssitefeatures,andstocktickersrepresent
examplesofunusualinstanceswheresite-initiatedrefreshratesmaybemore
frequentthannormal;inmoretypicalsituations,refreshrateswouldbeexpectedto
belessfrequentthantheseunusualinstances,andempiricallysupported..
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Sub-SecondAdImpressionsapplytodisplayadsonly;itisourconclusion
thata2continuoussecondexposureistheminimumthresholdthatshould
beappliedasameasureoftheestablishmentofOpportunitytoSeefor
mobilevideoads.
SimilartotherulesforcountingMobileDisplayAdViewableImpressions,
stronguserinteractionwithamobilevideoadmay,incertaininstances,be
consideredaproxyforviewability.Specifically,alegitimatetaporclickona
videoad(i.e.,theclicksatisfiestherequirementsforcountingaclick,based
ontheIAB’sClickMeasurementGuidelines)mayoptionallyresultinaMobile
ViewableVideoImpressioneveniftheaddoesnotmeetthepixelandtime
criterianecessaryforaMobileViewableVideoImpression(but,asnoted
earlierintheseguidelines,ataporclickthatinitiatesaClicktoPlayvideoad
wouldnot,initself,beconsideredauserinteractionthatsatisfiesthis
criteria).Giventhenatureofmobileenvironmentswhichmayinvolvemore
frequentandinadvertentinteraction,clicksortapstominimizeorcloseads
asaproxyforviewabilityshouldbesupportedempirically.
Asisthecasewithmobiledisplayads,specificuserinteractionsthatwill
satisfytherequirementofa“stronguserinteraction”shouldbeappropriate
totheadvertisementandtheenvironmentinwhichitappears,andthey
shouldbeempiricallydefensibleasreasonableproxiesforviewability.If
MobileViewableVideoImpressionsarecountedasaresultofsuchuser
interactions,thismethodologyshouldbefullydisclosed,andthesecounts
shouldbesegregatedforreportingpurposes.
MobileVideoAdabovereferstoanin-streamandstand-alone(out-stream)
videoads.Banneradswithvideoembeddedwithinthemgenerallyare
coveredbythedisplayadcriteriaforviewableimpressionmeasurement.
Alsonotethatthecriteriaspecifiedhereis“50%ofthead’spixels”(emphasis
added);ifthecriteriausedtodetermineviewabilityisbasedon50%ofthe
videoplayer’spixels,ratherthanthoseofthead,thisdistinctionshouldbe
prominentlydisclosed,andshouldbesupportedbyevidencethattheimpact
ofusingtheplayerasthebasisofviewabilitymeasurementratherthanthe
aditselfisimmaterial.
Itisencouraged,butnotrequired,thattheorientation(landscapeorportrait)of
videoadsbedisclosedaspartofplacementlevelreporting.
Note:Insituationswherecustomtimeorpixelthresholdsabovetheminimumcriteria
areutilizedinclassifyinganimpressionasviewable,suchparametersshouldbeclearly
disclosedandlabeledinreporting.Customviewabilityreportingaboveminimum
thresholdsmustbeinadditiontostandardviewabilityreporting,notinlieuofit.
Impressionsthatdonotmeettheminimumtimeand/orpixelthresholdshereinmust
notbereportedasviewable.
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OtherConsiderations
MeasurementTechniques:MeasuringMobileViewableAdImpressionsdiffersfrom
measuringmobileservedadimpressions,asthelatterarecountedwhenservedon
theclientsideregardlessofwhethertheyappearedontheviewablespaceofthe
deviceormetanyspecifictimerequirements.Hence,notallservedimpressionswill
havehadtheopportunitytohavebeenseenbytheuser,andthereforetheywillnot
beviewable.
MobileViewableAdImpressionmeasurersareencouragedtoreportconditions
surroundingandpossiblecausesofmobilenon-viewableadimpressions(where
known).Thisinformationwillbeavalue-addtousersofMobileViewableAd
Impressiondataandwillservetoallowsellerstoimprovetheiroperating
environmentandpage/applicationstrategies.
MobileViewableImpressionmeasurementmayrequireoneormoremeasurement
techniquesorassetsdependingoncreative,environmentanddevice.These
techniquesandassetsincludeJavaScripttagssimilartothoseemployedindesktop
measurement(MobileWeb);however,certaincharacteristicsofmobile
environmentsmayimpacttheefficacyofpagegeometryandespeciallybrowser
optimization(basedontherelianceofthelattertechniqueonFlash).These
techniquesmayalsoinvolveSDKs(whichmaybedevelopedbyathirdparty
measureroranapplicationpublisherandmayrequirecoordinationbetween
measurersandapplicationdevelopers)aswellasAPIs(suchasMRAID)thatare
implementedontheapplicationpublisherordeveloperside.
SoftwareDevelopmentKits(SDKs):SDKscanbedevelopedbyathirdparty
measurerandfitintoapplicationsinwhichadvertisingmaybeserved.Software
developmentcontrols,softwaredataintegritycontrols,integrationoftheSDKinto
theapplicationandselectionofmeasurementparametersoroptionstobeusedby
theSDKshouldbeconsistentlyapplied,subjecttorobustqualitycontrolprocedures
andperiodicallyreviewed.
CommensuratewiththeIAB/MMA/MRCMobileIn-ApplicationMeasurement
Guidelines,ultimatelyitistheresponsibilityoftheadvertisingmeasurement
organizationtoensurethatpropertestingandreleaseprocessesarefollowedand
thatcontrolleddevelopmentprocesseswereemployedinbuildingtheoriginalSDK
(whichmaybeaddressedviaTermsandConditionsforSDKuse).
Ingeneral,theadvertisingmeasurementorganizationshouldhavesufficient
controlstoensure:
• DevelopmentofandchangestoSDKsareauthorized,testedandapproved
priortobeingrolledoutforUserdownload(release).Segregationofversions
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shouldbemaintainedwhereadvertisingfunctionalityhasbeenchanged.
(thisshouldalsobespecifiedandquantifiedfordisclosurewherematerialto
reportedresults).
AccesstoSDKsoftwareassociatedwithadvertising,storageofads,ad
placementandservingfunctionalityisrestrictedtoauthorizedpersonnel
(nonUser)andprograms.Usersshouldnothavetheabilitytoalter
advertisingcontent.
Advertisingrelateduser-setparametersaredocumented,recordedand
includedindatatransmissionsbacktothemeasurementorganizationif
changed.
TheSDKisdocumented,andadvertisingassociatedfunctionalityis
documented.
OnlyauthorizedservedadcontentisacceptedasinputbytheSDK(see
detailsonuseofAPIinputsandrequiredqualitycontrolbelow),regardless
ofwhetherthatcontentisservedreal-timeorstoredforlateruse.
AnycalculationsordataaccumulationprocesseswithintheSDKhavebeen
testedforefficacy.
DatatransmissionsfromSDKs(whetherreal-timeorbatched)arecomplete,
accurateandprotectedfrommodification.
Errorsandadvertisingdatarejectedforqualitypurposesislogged,evidence
supportingtheerrorisretainedanderrorsarefollowedupontocorrect
potentialcasesofsystematicorrecurringissues.
Theapplication’sperformanceisnotmateriallyaffectedbySDKintegration.
SDKintegrationcontemplatesallowabletrackersinapplicationadrequests.
Furthermore,robustqualitycontrolforonboardingSDKusers,updatingandversion
controlmustbepresent.InSDKorientedmeasurementenvironments,the
applicationdeveloperormeasurementorganizationshouldhavesufficient
confidencethattheabovecontrolsaremaintainedfortheSDKfunctionality.
Developmentofthisconfidencecanencompassaperiodicreviewand/ortesting
conductedbytheapplicationdeveloper,inwhichcasetheapplicationdeveloper
thenistakingresponsibilityforthecontrolsattheSDKdeveloper.Another
approachisfortheSDKdevelopertoitselfbeauditedbyathirdpartywithsome
formofobservableassuranceprovidedsuchascertification,accreditationora
third-partyCPAattestation.Inthislattercase,iftheapplicationdeveloperislooking
tobecomecertifiedoraccrediteditself,theauditingorganizationcanbuildacasefor
relyingontheSDKassurance(dependingonconditionsofthatassurance).
TheuseofSDKsformobileviewabilitymeasurementmaypresentsomechallenges
intermsofadministeringandmaintainingtheiruseatscale.Furthermore,the
potentialforthepresenceofmultipleSDKswithinthesameapplicationmayimpact
performance,userexperienceanddatatransmission.Forthisreasontheremaybe
valueinthedevelopmentofanopen-sourcestandardSDKbytheindustrythatcan
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beusedbyallparties.Weencouragesuchdevelopmentandwouldsupportanopen
andsinglesourcestandard.
Note:ItshouldbenotedthatasofthedateoftheseGuidelines’issuance,theMRCisnot
awareofanyactiveinitiativestoaddressacommonindustrySDK(unlikeongoing
commonAPIinitiativesdetailedbelow)andassuch,itislikelythatSDKmeasurement
solutionswillneedtobemeasurementvendorspecificfortheforeseeablefuture.
MeasurersusinganSDKsolutionformobileviewabilityshouldtakestepstoensure
theirsolutionadequatelycoversanyscenariosthatmayinhibitcomplete
measurement.Anyresultantlimitationsshouldbeadequatelydisclosedin
conjunctionwiththecapabilitiesandlimitationsrequirementsbelow.
ApplicationProgrammingInterfaces(APIs)andMRAID:IncertainMobileInApplicationenvironmentswhereJavaScriptmaynotfullyfunction,application
publishersoradvertisersmaydevelopAPIstoallowfurthercommunication
betweenadservingandapplicationfunctionalitysuchasMRAIDformobileRich
MediaandVASTformobilevideoorothers(suchastheW3CWebIncubator
Group’sIntersectionObserver).
MRAID,or“MobileRichMediaAdInterfaceDefinitions”istheIABMobileMarketing
CenterofExcellence’sprojecttodefineacommonAPIformobilerichmediaadsthat
willruninmobileapplications.Thisisastandardizedsetofcommands,designedto
workwithHTML5andJavaScript,thatdeveloperscreatingrichmediaadsuseto
communicatewhatthoseadsdo(expand,resize,getaccesstodevicefunctionalities
suchastheaccelerometer,etc.)withtheappsintowhichtheyarebeingserved.
MRAIDoffersasingleAPIthatanSDKcansupport,whichmeansthatMRAIDcompliantrichmediaadswillrunwithinapplicationsusinganyMRAID-compliant
SDK.
However,MRAID2.0wasnotdesignedwiththeexpressintenttofullyaddress
MobileIn-Applicationviewabilitymeasurement(MRAID3.0containsadditional
featuresthatassistinviewabilitymeasurement,butmayalsoexhibitlimitationsin
accuratelymeasuringpixels,sizeparametersandgeometricposition)andnotallad
contentanddeliveryisMRAIDcompatible(certaincontentandenvironmentsmay
requiresomelevelofSDKintegration).Asaresult,similartoguidancefordesktop
viewabilityuseofPageVisibilityAPIs,measurersutilizingMRAID2.0initscurrent
formareencouragedtousethistoolwhenavailabletoassistinmobileviewability
measurement,butthemeasurersshouldrecognizethisisunlikelytobeacomplete
solutionbywhichtheviewabilityofanadmaybedetermined,andinmostcases
mustbesupplementedbyadditionalintelligence.
Instead,measurersutilizingMRAID2.0arestronglyencouragedtodeploythis
solutionincombinationwithotherassetsandtechniquesoronanextendedor
enhancedbasis(suchasMRAID3.0andbeyond)toenforcefullmeasurement
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coverageofMobileIn-Applicationandcreativetypes.MRAID2.0shouldnotbea
standalonesolutionforMobileViewableImpressionmeasurement(unless
modificationsaremadetoextendorenhanceittoaddressthelimitationsdiscussed
above),butcertainfunctionswithinMRAID2.0canassistinthemeasurement
process.
Furthermore,anAPIapproachmayinvolvetheuseofathirdpartythatis
responsibleforimplementationandultimatelytheinputsintoviewability
measurement.Measurersarerequiredtoconductrobustqualitycontrolprocedures
toonboard,vetandperiodicallyreviewtheuseofthirdpartyinputsintoviewability
measurement.Suchqualitycontrolsproceduresshouldinclude(butnotbelimited
to)executingscriptsinthirdpartyAPIenvironmentstoverifyappropriateand
accurateimplementationbothduringonboardingandperiodicallyonanongoing
basis.UseofAPIlibrariesandaprocessforvalidatingtheanalysisofdatacollected
bytheAPIforpublishersorvendorsusingstandardagreeduponAPIsisstrongly
encouraged.ThirdpartyprovidersofAPIsmaychoosetohavetheirfunctionality
andAPIinputscentrallyvalidated/examinedtoprovideassurancetotheir
measurementusers.Thisapproachcouldsignificantlyreduce(butnoteliminate)
thetestingrequiredbymeasurementusers.
SimilartotheguidanceonSDKs,theremaybevalueinthedevelopmentbythe
industryofanopen-sourcestandardAPI(usingMRAID,VASToraW3Coutput)that
canbeusedbyallparties.Weencouragesuchdevelopmentandwouldsupportan
openandsinglesourcestandard.
MeasurersusinganAPIorMRAIDsolutionformobileviewabilityshouldtakesteps
toensuretheirsolutionadequatelycoversanyscenariosthatmayinhibitcomplete
measurement.Anyresultantlimitationsshouldbeadequatelydisclosedin
conjunctionwiththecapabilitiesandlimitationsrequirementsbelow.
Extrapolations:Extrapolationsorotherassumptionsusedintheprocessof
determiningtheviewablestatusofanadshouldbefullydisclosedalongwithpredeterminedestimatesofaccuracy(basedonindependentlyconductedvalidation
studies).Ifextrapolatedcountsarepresentedwithspecificallyidentifiedcounts,
metricsoriginatingfromeachmethodshouldbesegregated.Inaddition,measurers
shouldnotextrapolatedesktop-basedviewabilityratestomobile-basedads.
MinimumPollingRequirements:TopromoteconsistencyacrossMobileViewable
Impressionmeasurers,thefollowingminimumfrequenciesformeasurementpolling
orsnapshotsofobservationsfordeterminingmobileviewabilityofanadare
required:200millisecondsforbothMobileViewableDisplayImpressionandMobile
ViewableVideoImpressionprocesses.Thisfrequencyequatesto5and10
consecutivepositiveobservationsforaMobileViewableImpressionfordisplayand
video,respectively.Themeasurerisnotrequiredtostorealloftheseobservations.
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Further,ifthemeasurercanempiricallyvalidatethatitspollingatalessfrequent
intervalthanevery200milliseconds(includingtheuseofbackoffpolling,or
differentialandlessfrequentpollingforcertainenvironments,contentand
viewabilityconditions)willresultinnomaterialdifferencesinitsMobileViewable
Impressioncounts,thislessfrequentintervalisallowableforMobileDisplay
Impressionmeasurement.Ifameasurerchoosestopollformobiledisplay
viewabilityatalessfrequentintervalthan200millisecondsorutilizebackoff,the
supportforthisapproachmustberevalidatedonatleastanannualbasis,andthis
practicemustbeprominentlydisclosed.
Inaddition,measurerswiththecapabilitytomonitorstatechanges(orcertain
event-basedtechniques)mayutilizethisapproachinlieuoftheabovepolling
requirements,untilsuchtimeasastatechangeisrecognized(atwhichtimethey
shouldpollattheabovestatedfrequenciesatminimumwithsupportforless
frequentordifferentialpollingasrequiredabove),ifthesemonitoredstatechanges
accountforchangesinscrollposition,browsersize/dimensions,andfocus.
Measurerswhousethisapproachshouldclearlydisclosethis.
TheMRCiscognizantthatdifferentpollingfrequenciesandapproachescancause
measurementdifferencesbetweenvendorssomaterialitythresholdswhen
assessingimpactsorjustificationforpollingdifferenceswillbestringentlyapplied.
CapabilitiesandLimitations:Asdiscussedearlierinthisdocument,measurement
vendorsmayutilizedifferentoracombinationofdifferenttechniquesandassetsto
measuremobileviewability.Thesetechniquesandameasurer’simplementationof
themmayhaveseparateoroverlappingcapabilitiesaswellascertainlimitationsin
termsofthedevices,environmentsandcreativetypesthatcanbemeasuredfor
mobileviewability.Theselimitationsshouldbedisclosedtosubscribersofa
measurementserviceviamethodologicaldocumentsalongwithquantificationof
impactwherematerial(MRCtypicallyappliesamaterialitythresholdof5%).
Measurersareencouragedtoadoptacontinuousimprovementapproachto
measurementcapabilitiesandworktoaddressanymaterialmeasurement
limitations.
AdBlocking:AdBlockingrepresentstechnologiesthatconsumersareusingto
preventthedownloadordisplayofadvertising.Adblockersexistformostdesktop
webbrowsersandalsoimpactMobileWebbrowsingaswell.Furthermore,certain
mobileoperatingsystemsandapplicationsallowextensionofconsumeradblocking
techniquesinthemobileenvironment.Adcontentmaybeblockedseparatelyfrom
measurementassetsandmeasurementtechniquesthatdonotaccountforactualad
deliverymaybesusceptibletocountinginaccuraciescausedbyadblocking.
Asdiscussedearlierinthisdocument,theRenderedMobileServedImpression
countsreferencedinthisdocumentapplytomobileviewabilitymeasurementand
reportingandrefertovalidservedmobileadimpressionasspecifiedbytheIABAd
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ImpressionMeasurementGuidelines(aswellasapplicableMobileWebandMobile
In-ApplicationMeasurementGuidelines)usingclientsidecountingwhichincludes
verificationthatanadwasdelivered/renderedwithinabrowserorcontainerinan
application.Discretemeasurementateachstep(loadandrender)isnotrequired.
MeasurersarerequiredtousetheRenderedMobileServedImpressionasabasisfor
mobileviewabilitymeasurementandalsoaccountforpre-renderingasdiscussed
withinthisdocument.Measurersareencouragedtoleveragetheassetsand
techniquesusedtodeterminetherenderedstatusofanadinmobileenvironments
tolikewisedetectsituationswhereAdBlockingispresent(orapersistentdelivery
mechanismispresenttomitigateAdBlocking)andappropriatelyaccountforthis
withinmeasurement.
MeasurementWeight:Additionalverificationassetsandcallsaresometimesadded
toviewabilitymeasurementtechniques,whicharenotdirectlyrelevanttothe
viewabilityfunctionalityitself(referredtoas“piggybacking”).Thiscanleadto
increaseddeliveryandloadtimes,whichmayimpactuser-experience,butalso
confoundmeasurementaccuracy.Measurersarestronglyencouragedtoconsider
theweightofmeasurementtechniquesandassetsandseektodesignthemina
lightweightmanner.Measurersshouldstudyanddisclosetheimpactofsuch
piggybacking.
Pre-BidViewabilityDetermination:Certainmobileviewabilitymeasurement
implementationsmayinvolvegatheringinformationaboutviewabilitywithina
mobileenvironmentorapplicationpriortobiddingorservinganad(oftenreferred
toasapre-bidapproach).Intheseimplementations,environmentsorapplications
maybedeterminedtobesuchthatadsservedintothemwillalwaysmeetthe
viewabilitypixelrequirements(suchaswithapplicationswhereadunitscoverthe
entirespaceoftheapplicationandarewhollycontainedwithinauser’svisible
devicespace)andasaresult,itmaybethecurrentpracticeforameasurerto
assumethatallservedimpressionsmeetthepixelthresholdandonlymeasure
resultanttimeinview.
Suchpre-bidimplementationsarerequiredtocomplywiththeclientside
measurementrequirementsoftheseguidelinesandaccountfortherenderedstate
ofads.Additionally,strongqualitycontrolovertheprecisionofthese
implementationsisrequiredincludingonboardingandinitialdeterminationofthe
mobileandcreativeenvironmentaswellasperiodicreviewforchangesinthe
environmentthatmaychangethepreviousviewabilityassumptions.Finally,pre-bid
implementationsarestillrequiredtocomplywiththereportingrequirements
discussedbelowincludingMeasuredandViewableRatedisclosures,however,
alternatereportingdisclosuresmaybeacceptable(onacasebycasebasis)
particularlyinsituationswhereservedimpressionsarealsopre-qualifiedand
reportedratesmaybemisleading.
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AdStitching:Forcertainstreamingvideoplayers,theplayermaynotbecapableof
executingdynamicadresponsesortrackingimpressionsandinteractions.Inthese
cases,anintermediaryserverisneededtoinsertadsdynamicallyintothevideo
streamontheserversidepriortocontentdelivery(calledadstitchingamongother
terms;streamstitching,adinsertion,videopre-loading,etc.).Inserver-to-server
andserver-sidead-stitching,theplayermaynotbeabletoprocessadtracking,and
thead-stitchingservicecannotaccesscookiesusedintraditionalclient-side
tracking.Instead,thead-stitchingservicemustidentifydeviceswhereadsplaybya
combinationofothermethods.
Whenanad-stitchingserviceisinvolved,thead-stitchingservermaysendtracking
ontheplayer’sbehalf,butthistrackingmaybelimitedandnotfullyabletosatisfy
client-sidemeasurementrequirements.Thisserver-to-servertrackingprocessmay
alsobeproblematicbecauseallthetrackingiscomingfromoneIPaddressandmay
besubjecttoIVTdetectiontechniques.Certainmeasurersmayusecustom
integrationsorleverageaspectsoftheIAB’sVideoAdServingTemplate(VAST),
whichallowsheaderidentificationofIPs.Customsolutionsshouldbeclearly
disclosedaspartofmethodologicaldocumentsandshouldalsocomplywiththe
clientsideandrenderedcountingrequirementswithinthisdocument.Totheextent
thatmeasurersarenotabletomeasureviewabilityintheseenvironments,they
shouldbeincludedanddimensionedwithinlimitationdisclosuresdiscussedabove.
OtherItems:TheDesktopViewabilityGuidelinescontainotherprovisionsrelatedto
ViewableVideoRequirements,Audio,CommunicationandDiscrepancyResolution,
ExpandableRichMediaAdUnits,Pre-FetchedorPre-RenderedAds,Measurement
ofMulti-AdUnitsandMultipleTagsaswellasSecurityConsiderationsand
ViewabilityMeasurementIssuesRelatedtoCrossDomainI-Frames.Mobile
Viewabilitymeasurersshouldrefertotheseprovisionsasitisexpectedthattheyare
fullyapplicabletomobileviewabilitymeasurement.
DisclosureRequirements:
TheDesktopViewabilityGuidelinesincludeprovisionsrelatedtoDisclosuresinthe
areasof:
• Reporting(includingrequiredmetrics)andAdVerification
• ReportingConsiderationswhenAdditionalSuspectedInvalidImpressions
AreIdentified:
• Otherrecommendedmetrics
• InvalidTraffic
MobileViewabilitymeasurersshouldrefertotheseprovisionsasitisexpectedthat
theyarefullyapplicabletomobileviewabilitymeasurement.
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MobileWebandIn-ApplicationSegregation
Inaddition,measurersshouldsegregatemobileadimpressionsfromdesktopad
impressionsintheirreporting,tothefullestextentpossible(campaign,creativeor
placement).MeasuredRatescandiffersignificantlybetweendesktopandmobile,in
partbecausetherangeofviewabilitymeasurementsolutionsavailableiscurrently
morelimitedinmobileenvironments.Asaresult,measurersshouldreportseparate
MeasuredRatestatisticsforthoseadsinacampaignthatappearinmobile
environments,bothforTotalMobileadsandforMobileWebads(MobileWeband
MobileApplicationdiscretereportingisalsoacceptable).Segregationinreporting
mustbepresentinatleastoneinstancewithinreportingandincludebothuser
interfacedisclosure(ordenotationthatdirectsuserstowheresuchsegregation
occurswhenonlypresentingTotalMobile)aswellasrawfileordatafeed
presentation(exports),butdoesnothavetobepresentinallviewsorreports.
Forthepurposesofviewabilitymeasurement,MobileWebreferstoeitherwebsite
contentandadswithinitdisplayedwithinaMobileWebbrowserorwebsitecontent
andadswithininitdisplayedinanembeddedbrowser,typicallymeasuredthrough
JavaScriptalone(withtheexceptionofcertaincross-domainIFramescenarios
whichmayrequireothermeasurementassetsortechniques).MobileIn-Application
referstocontentandadswithinthenativeUserInterfaceofanapplicationthat
cannottypicallybemeasuredusingonlyJavaScript(SDKsand/orAPIsasdefinedin
thisdocumentaregenerallyalsorequiredforviewabilitymeasurement).
Technicallimitationsmayinhibitthedistinctionbetweenanembeddedbrowser
withinanapplicationenvironmentandanativeapplicationUI.Measurersare
encouragedtodevelopsolutionstoaccuratelymeasuretheseinstancesdiscretely
whileconsideringtheimpactsuchsolutionsmayhaveontheaccuracyof
measurement.Anyestimationinvolvedshouldbeempiricallysupportedand
disclosedtosubscribers.Techniquesshouldbeperiodicallymonitoredandassessed.
Acknowledgements
Wethankallwhocontributedtothecreationofthisdocument,inparticulartheIAB
andmembersoftheIAB’sModernizingMeasurementTaskForce(MMTF),the
MobileMarketingAssociation(MMA)andparticipantsintheMakingMeasurement
MakeSense(3MS)initiative,ajointinitiativeoftheANA,4A’sandIAB.Thankyou
alsotothepublishers,agencies,marketers,vendors,auditors,andotherswho
contributedtoourmobileviewabilityworkinggroupanddatavolunteergroup.
Foranyquestionsconcerningthisdocument,pleasecontact:
RonPinelli,VPDigitalResearchandStandardsMediaRatingCouncil,Inc.
420LexingtonAvenue,Suite343NewYork,NY10170
(212)972-0300
rpinelli@mediaratingcouncil.org