Define the Campaign Metrics in a Publisher's Ad Performance Report

Publishers that sell ad space send advertisers reports on how the ads they ran performed. Explain what kinds of metrics those reports contain: group them sensibly, define the important ones precisely, and say which matter most for different ad formats and campaign goals. ```hint Follow one ad through its life Trace a single ad from the moment it is requested to the moment someone acts on it. Each stage the ad can reach, plus the money spent to get it there, suggests a family of metrics. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which formats should I cover: standard display banners, interactive rich media, video, social placements, or all of them? - Is the campaign aimed at brand awareness, or at clicks and conversions? - Are we describing only what the publisher's ad server counts, or also what the advertiser verifies with its own ad server and measurement vendors? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A grouping of metrics into families such as delivery, quality, engagement, cost and outcomes, with precise definitions and formulas. - Format-specific metrics for rich media, video and social placements, including where definitions differ between platforms. - Which metrics fit which campaign goal, and why click-through rate alone can mislead. - Measurement reliability: viewability and invalid-traffic standards, how impressions are counted, and discrepancies between the publisher's and the advertiser's numbers. - The difference between metrics reported to advertisers and the publisher's own revenue and yield metrics. ### Follow-up Questions - The advertiser's ad server shows noticeably fewer impressions than your report. How would you investigate and settle the gap? - A brand campaign shows a strong click-through rate but no measurable change in awareness. What would you look at, and what would you change in the report? - Which single metric would you put at the top of a report for a video awareness campaign, and why?