Impact Media, a new programmatic ad buying platform enabling advertisers to only pay for ads which reach certain minimum thresholds for attention, announced its launch today.
Advertisers big and small are increasingly integrating attention metrics into their ad planning and measurement, seeking to eliminate spend on ads which go unseen and ignored by audiences. But many tools allow advertisers to target high attention media and use attention metrics for optimisation, rather than guaranteeing attention. And the ongoing debate around made-for-advertising websites – which continue to draw ad spend despite the low quality of their inventory – show that large chunks of advertiser’s investment still ends up with low attention inventory.
CEO Wayne Blodwell said the company aims to bridge this gap between ad spending and actual ad attention, focussing on brands and independent agencies. Impact Media’s ‘Guaranteed Attention Measurement Suite’ at launch will bill clients only when a display ad is seen for one second or a video ad is seen for three seconds. The company plans to cover CTV and audio inventory in the future, and says billing points will vary depending on brands’ individual needs.
“We believe that advertisers should not have to pay for ads that haven’t received the attention their brand deserves,” he said. “Our approach ensures that every ad we charge clients for is an ad delivered to a real person, paying real attention, on a premium website, making every campaign more cost-effective and impactful.”
Impact Media says that many marketers seeking quality reach end up buying against a range of traditional metrics like engagement, viewability, click-through rate, cost-per-click, and custom quality CPMs. The company says that guaranteeing attention provides a better way to find quality reach, which in turn is more likely to drive brands’ desired outcomes.
“Impact Media is poised to create meaningful change for digital advertisers seeking accountable results,” said Nadia Gonzalez, an investor and advisor to Impact Media who was CMO at Scibids AI when it was acquired by DoubleVerify. “Blodwell’s hands-on experience and highly regarded knowledge of media buying are unmatched in the industry. His vision for Impact Media is prescient and comes at a time when it’s important for advertisers to adopt new and superior metrics. The technology developed by his team, which leverages purpose-built artificial intelligence, analytics, and deep industry knowledge, will bolster a new era of media buying, and I couldn’t be more excited for this venture.”
The company launches with a number of advisors and investors working in the industry, including Matt Barash, Shailin Dhar, Nadia Gonzalez, Simon Harris, Dan Kersh, Joseph Leon, Rory Paterson, Doug Ray, Matt Sattel, Ruben Schreurs, Angela Solk, and Erich Wasserman. Impact Media says these advisors will guide its strategic direction and product pipeline as it grows its business.
