Page views are dead - long live "engagement mapping".
Microsoft announced Monday that it would begin testing a new way to measure
the effectiveness of Internet advertising. Engagement mapping is due to begin
(in beta of course) on March 1st. This for many has signified a radical
departure from the current standard wherein marketers tie sales, leads and
traffic to the last advertisement that a user clicked on online.
Engagement mapping will take into account all Internet interactions that lead
consumer to purchase products, giving advertisers a more accurate assessment of
how to plan their online marketing campaigns. The new approach will better
convey how each ad exposure (display, rich media, search - seen multiple times
on multiple properties) influences eventual purchases.
From a Reuters article, ""The 'last ad clicked' is an outdated and flawed
approach because it essentially ignores all prior interactions the consumer has
with a marketer's message," said Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the
advertiser and publisher solutions unit at Microsoft.