Brand impact 'more important than clicks in ad measurement'

7th August 2008

Marketers should avoid relying on clicks as a way of measuring campaign success and instead look to the impact made by branding, it has been advised.

Tracking the effectiveness of online brand building as a way of driving offline purchases may be key to giving online advertising campaigns a boost, according to Andrew Lipsman of comScore.

The expert told the Canadian Press: "People are beginning to understand how these online ad exposures do have a brand-building impact.

"And as they begin to see the value in that and get out of the mindset it's all about direct response and purchasing something online right now, more dollars will begin to shift online."

The comments follow the publication of a report by the Online Publishers Association suggesting that branded content on websites perform significantly better when it comes to online ads than portals and ad networks.

According to the study, branded content sites can do much to boost brand favourability and purchase intent among consumers - two key metrics for online marketers.

Mr Lipsman noted that US web users view some 1,762 online ads per month.