Using video completion rate, ad interaction rate, or CTR to judge effectiveness
In a vacuum, these numbers are meaningless. Two factors are more important than any kind of completion or interaction rate. They are:
- Whether the desired audience was reached
- The impact it had
If desired audience composition can be effectively measured and validated (which Rocket Fuel does with a survey-based approach to augment data targeting capabilities), then the level of engagement associated with each partner can be meaningful.
However, consider the opposite. In a program for a spirits company, we originally sold with the goal of honing in on people who enjoyed this particular spirit. However, later, the team that took over the account was entirely new and was wholly focused on the video completion rate from each partner, regardless of who viewed the ads. In fact, the two primary measures should have been desired audience composition, and brand lift.
Advice: Avoid engagement metrics as the primary arbiter of success. Any engagement metric is only one that is potentially correlated with what is truly important -- impact on the target audience. Instead, measure success with audience composition and brand impact metrics.
