10 Ways to Fix the Unseen Video Ad Problem

Just when digital marketers were getting excited about comScore’s latest report, which showed U.S. online ad spending reaching a record $12.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013, fueled by video advertising, The New York Times had to go rain on the parade. This past Sunday, in a piece titled “The Great Unwatched,” the Times pulled no punches in explaining how most digital video ads are never seen.

Yes, the problem of digital ad placement is real. Ad platform Vindico found 57 percent of digital video ads were not viewable. ComScore estimates that 54 percent of all digital ads are never seen. And this week, the Association of National Advertisers suggested digital placement is still so shoddy the industry needs a new “measurement mandate” to solve the mess…