Performance measurement in the digital display ad industry is flawed. Traditional metrics like impressions and clickthroughs leave advertisers paying for quantity without weighing the quality of the influence ads have on consumer shopping behavior.
There are many granular problems associated with traditional metrics, but the underlying reason impressions and clickthroughs don’t work is their failure to effectively align campaign goals with broader marketing goals. While marketing objectives focus on increasing conversions and building brand loyalty, campaigns optimized around traditional metrics are designed to maximize only the specific metric for which they’re accountable. Here’s how this can be detrimental to the success of an online ad campaign: