Measuring viewability in a changing game environment

Viewability for a served ad on a game-world surface asks whether the creative had a measured opportunity to be seen from the player's perspective. The camera, surface and obstructions change during play, so a single still cannot explain a campaign's viewability result. Check the measurement method and the classified delivery.

Apply the rule to the right inventory

The IAB/MRC intrinsic guidelines address intrinsic in-game ads: native in-game or in-play ads placed 'in the game' as a seamless part of the gameplay environment. They should not be assumed to apply to every ad placement associated with a game. Confirm the format before applying an intrinsic viewability rule.

For covered display, at least 50% of the intended creative must be visible for one continuous second after rendering.

Covered video is also addressed by the guidelines; the method should set out the applicable visible-area and time conditions. Such conditions sit within a wider method that includes valid impression counting, obstruction and impaired visibility. They do not establish that a person noticed the ad.

The guidelines treat angle, along with factors such as screen size, resolution and lighting, as a technical consideration. Ask how the method measures angle and how it handles a creative viewed across more than one axis.

Check what changes during delivery

Ask the measurer how it evaluates the creative as the camera moves, the ad shrinks, an object crosses it, lighting changes or a creative refreshes. Which conditions are measured directly, and which cannot be classified on the proposed devices or game versions?

The guidelines address viewability of the ad within the in-game environment. Ask how the method treats the creative and any container, especially if the two can differ in size, position or rotation.

A gameplay preview can help identify plausible scene changes before a buy. It is not a substitute for classified campaign delivery. This measurement decision concerns what the delivered report can support.

Read the classified results

For covered inventory, request viewable impression counts and the counts the method cannot classify. Ask what measurement limits affect those classifications. Request the measured rate alongside the viewable rate.

A high viewable share among classified impressions can coexist with substantial delivery the method cannot classify. Keep projections separate from directly identified counts.

Break results out by game, surface, device and creative where the data can support it. Ask whether the measurement method or coverage changed during the campaign.

If viewability is low, inspect the scene conditions and method before attributing the result to the artwork. If much delivery cannot be classified, improve coverage or narrow the claim. Neither result justifies treating every game session as an ad view.

Viewability Reporting Metrics to Request from Measurers