This week on The Big Story, it’s all about quality – the quality CPM (qCPM).
It’s a new – but actually kind of old – way for ad buyers to figure out whether they’re getting good value for the inventory they purchase by adding indicators of quality, such as viewability and brand safety, to the actual CPM.
It’s a nifty little trick that’s already been well-adapted by a handful of agencies steeped in programmatic. But let’s be honest, it’s also a nifty little trick to get more branding dollars.
As Sarah Sluis points out, the qCPM was initially designed to prove the value of programmatic for branding campaigns. Cynicism aside, the qCPM did legitimately protect brand advertisers from fraud as well. So perhaps this is one of those instances where everyone wins.
Also, we’ll scrutinize the companies jockeying for position in data onboarding. LiveRamp is still the boss, but it’s facing more competition from mainstays like Neustar and Experian, pivoting companies like TransUnion and Signal and a host of startups like Zeotap and Throtle.
Apparently middleware has never been sexier.
