Display & Programmatic Analytics
Display and programmatic advertising analytics measure the performance of banner ads, video ads, and automated media buying across digital channels. Understanding these metrics helps optimise ad creative, targeting, and bidding strategies.
Display advertising refers to visual ads (banners, images, videos) shown on websites, apps, and social media platforms. These ads can be purchased directly from publishers or through programmatic platforms.
Key Display Ad Formats:
- Banner ads (static and animated)
- Rich media ads (interactive elements)
- Video ads (in-stream and out-stream)
- Native ads (match platform look and feel)
- Interstitial ads (full-screen)
Programmatic advertising automates the buying and selling of digital ad inventory using real-time bidding (RTB) and algorithms. It enables precise targeting and efficient media buying at scale.
Programmatic Buying Models:
| Model | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Bidding (RTB) | Open auction where advertisers bid on impressions in real-time | Broad reach, performance campaigns |
| Private Marketplace (PMP) | Invitation-only auctions with premium publishers | Brand safety, quality inventory |
| Programmatic Direct | Fixed-price deals negotiated directly with publishers | Guaranteed impressions, premium placements |
| Preferred Deals | Fixed-price inventory with first look before open auction | Priority access to quality inventory |
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impressions | Count of ad displays | Varies by campaign | Measure reach and exposure |
| Viewability Rate | (Viewable Impressions / Total Impressions) × 100 | 50-70% | Ensure ads are actually seen |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | (Clicks / Impressions) × 100 | 0.05-0.1% display, 0.5-1% video | Measure ad engagement |
| Cost Per Mille (CPM) | (Total Cost / Impressions) × 1,000 | $2-$10 display, $10-$30 video | Evaluate media efficiency |
| Cost Per Click (CPC) | Total Cost / Clicks | $0.50-$3.00 | Measure click acquisition cost |
| Conversion Rate | (Conversions / Clicks) × 100 | 1-3% | Assess campaign effectiveness |
| Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) | Total Cost / Conversions | Varies by industry | Evaluate conversion efficiency |
| View-Through Conversions | Conversions after viewing (not clicking) ad | Varies | Measure indirect impact |
| Frequency | Impressions / Unique Users | 3-7 optimal | Control ad exposure per user |
| Win Rate | (Won Auctions / Total Bids) × 100 | 10-30% | Assess bidding competitiveness |
Programmatic Targeting Options:
Audience Targeting
- Demographic (age, gender, income)
- Behavioral (browsing history, purchase intent)
- Contextual (page content relevance)
- Lookalike audiences
- Custom audiences (CRM data)
- Retargeting/remarketing
Technical Targeting
- Geographic (country, city, radius)
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Operating system and browser
- Connection type (WiFi, cellular)
- Time of day and day of week
- Language preferences
Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs):
| Platform | Strengths | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Google Display & Video 360 | Massive reach, integration with Google ecosystem | Enterprise campaigns, YouTube integration |
| The Trade Desk | Independent platform, advanced targeting | Multi-channel campaigns, data-driven strategies |
| Amazon DSP | Amazon shopping data, on/off Amazon inventory | E-commerce brands, retail media |
| Adobe Advertising Cloud | Cross-channel orchestration, Adobe integration | Enterprise marketing clouds |
| MediaMath | Omnichannel capabilities, transparency | Agencies, sophisticated buyers |
Best Practices for Display Creatives:
Design Principles:
- Clear, concise messaging (5 words or less for headlines)
- Strong call-to-action (CTA) button
- High-contrast colors for visibility
- Brand logo prominently displayed
- Mobile-optimised designs
- Animation (but not distracting)
Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO):
DCO automatically generates personalised ad variations based on user data, testing multiple combinations of headlines, images, CTAs, and offers to find the best-performing creative for each audience segment.
Key DCO Elements:
- Headline variations (3-5 options)
- Image/video assets (multiple versions)
- CTA button text and colors
- Product feeds for e-commerce
- Personalisation tokens (name, location, etc.)
Protecting Your Brand:
Brand Safety Measures:
- Whitelist/blacklist management
- Keyword blocking
- Category exclusions
- Pre-bid filtering
- Third-party verification (IAS, DoubleVerify)
- Contextual analysis
Ad Fraud Prevention:
- Bot detection and filtering
- Invalid traffic (IVT) monitoring
- Domain spoofing protection
- Click fraud detection
- Ads.txt implementation
- Sellers.json transparency
Industry Standard: Aim for <1% invalid traffic rate. Use certified measurement partners (MRC-accredited) for verification.
Measuring Display Impact:
View-Through Attribution:
Tracks conversions that occur after a user views (but doesn't click) a display ad. Typical attribution windows: 1-30 days.
Best Practice: Use shorter attribution windows (1-7 days) for direct response campaigns, longer windows (14-30 days) for brand awareness.
Cross-Device Tracking:
Connects user interactions across devices (mobile, desktop, tablet) to understand the full customer journey. Essential for accurate attribution in programmatic campaigns.
Incrementality Testing:
Use holdout groups (PSA or ghost ads) to measure the true incremental impact of display campaigns by comparing conversion rates between exposed and control groups.
Formula:
Continuous Improvement Tactics:
Bidding Optimisation:
- Start with manual bidding to establish baseline performance
- Transition to automated bidding once sufficient data is collected
- Use bid modifiers for high-performing segments
- Implement dayparting for time-based optimisation
- Set frequency caps to avoid ad fatigue (3-7 impressions per user)
Audience Refinement:
- Analyze performance by audience segment
- Exclude low-performing or non-converting segments
- Layer multiple targeting criteria for precision
- Create lookalike audiences from converters
- Test new audience segments regularly
Creative Testing:
- A/B test ad variations (one element at a time)
- Refresh creatives every 2-4 weeks to combat fatigue
- Test different ad sizes and formats
- Analyze creative performance by placement and audience
- Use dynamic creative optimisation for personalisation