Because of in-app ad spend’s recent surge, getting accurate in-app viewability measurements is a big deal for mobile marketers. We forecast that $77.03 billion will be spent on in-app advertising in the US this year, up 25.1% over 2018.
A recent PubMatic and Forrester Consulting survey of decision-makers at brands and agencies revealed widespread concern with viewability measurement of programmatic in-app advertising. Among brand respondents, only fear of fraud ranked higher as a key challenge. Viewability measurement was the top challenge, for agency respondents.
“Mobile campaigns are run across mobile web and app, without splitting them out,” said Paulina Klimenko, general manager of mobile at supply-side platform (SSP) PubMatic. “Because verification methods for the browser vs. in-app environments are so different, the [in-app] viewability signals delivered by vendors to advertisers are often inaccurate.”
On desktop and mobile web browsers, measurement companies can track viewability by deploying a pixel on the website they’re analyzing. With mobile apps, measuring viewability requires the use of software development kits (SDKs)—software tools that allow third parties to integrate their products into apps. To track viewability within apps, third-party measurement companies have to get app owners to install their SDKs, according to Jane Clarke, CEO of advertising trade group Coalition for Innovating Media Measurement (CIMM).
“This is a huge hurdle, because these companies usually subcontract app development to outside developers that often live in different countries, and the lawyers at the app owners must ensure that the SDKs are in compliance with consumer privacy laws,” Clarke said. “Additionally, every time an app is updated, the SDK has to be tested to make sure it still works.”
