Getting so-called "pre-bid" data feeds from ad verification companies is becoming commonplace for ad networks and DSPs. As the name suggests, "pre-bid" verification screens out impressions at the server level prior to bidding, saving money on ad space that is either unacceptable to the buyer or not in view.
So far agency trading desks don't appear to be using pre-bid feeds en masse, but that may be changing. In a deal announced today, Vivaki is making comScore's ad verification data available to Audience On Demand media buyers on a pre-bid basis. The agreement should let AOD advertisers refine audiences and guarantee placements it bids on are in-view, deliverable, and contextually appropriate before they name a price.
Mike Zeman, VP, Solutions at the VivaKi Nerve Center, said in a statement, “Viewability insights obtained ‘pre-bid’ enable us to more accurately assess the value of inventory in the ecosystem and deliver significantly better results for our clients."
For more on what pre-bid means, check out DoubleVerify CEO Oren Netzer's extended comment from our April 2012 interview.
This is potentially very interesting, but I have to wonder how it really works.
If an impression is below the fold, then this integration wouldn't place the bid. But if the user scrolls down, it will become viewable. So is this any different that determining if the ad is above the fold?
Much of the available exchange inventory is not classifying above/below the fold inventory. For those that do, you can include it as a factor in bids. For those that don't, how much additional inventory is comScore really able to see?