Barry Levine says, “According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Media Rating Council, an online ad is deemed “viewable” if half of its pixels appear on the screen for at least one second.

It’s always been a curious measurement, given that no human could be expected to respond to seeing half an ad for a second.

Now, a recently-released eye-tracking study shows how inadequate this viewability threshold is for any advertiser wanting some impact on a website viewer.

The study, conducted by biometric tracking firm Sticky, ad tech firm InSkin Media, and market research firm Research Now Group, finds that viewers need about a second of “gazing” at an ad to have even the smallest amount of ad recall. In the study’s terminology, “gazing” means looking at an ad long enough and with enough attention to actually have the possibility of remembering it.

But, to get a second of “gazing,” the ad needs to be on-screen for an average of at least 26 seconds. That’s still just 50 percent of the ad, at minimum.

Fourteen seconds of viewability is required for gazing from zero to one second, on average.

Let’s say that again: Unless the ad is on the screen for at least 14 seconds, it has little or no value to the advertiser. Preferably, 26 seconds”.

Eye-tracking study: Web ads need to be viewable for at least 14 seconds to matter

Marketing Land

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