Counting Impressions vs Impressions That Count

The world of ad sales and media buying hasn’t changed much. The internet created new ad types, like banner ads, pre-rolls and video ads, but everything is still sold using the same metric: impressions.

Impressions tell you how many times your ad was shown. How many cars drive past a billboard on the freeway. Or how many views you racked up on YouTube when you forced everyone to watch it.

But impressions can’t tell you how many people actually saw your ad. You’ll never known whether people actually watched your ad on TV or grabbed their phone when the commercial break began.

For any ad to deliver on its purpose, it needs to be consumed, not just shown. Impressions are worthless if people weren’t paying attention.

Attention is a fickle thing. It cannot be bought or sold. You have to earn it from your audience. It comes down to the quality of your message. Was your creative compelling enough to be noticed? Did it motivate your audience to take action?

Clicks, comments, likes and shares offer more insight than impressions because they indicate that people saw and engaged with your ad. It shows they cared. It shows they gave your content their attention.

Forget about maximising impressions. Focus on leaving one.