If an Ad Falls in the Forest, Was it Ever Really Seen?

In advertising, a second is everything – and also, it’s not enough.

You’ve heard the standard: 50% of an ad’s pixels, in view, for at least one continuous second. 

That’s the industry benchmark for viewability.

It’s also the bare minimum. 

And it tells us very little about whether a user actually saw the ad – let alone engaged with it or remembered it.

That’s like looking at a billboard while driving at 100 miles per hour (please don’t folks! And while I’m venting – please stop funding those!) 

Technically? It was in view. 

Realistically? It didn’t stand a chance.

So what does a better picture of visibility look like?

Let’s break it down:

𝟭) 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲

Here’s a truth we all understand instinctively: an ad that stays in view for 7 seconds performs better than one that’s gone in 1. 

And yet, many advertisers optimize to the minimum threshold because that’s what’s reported.

The irony? 

Time in view is knowable. 

Platforms can track it. Publishers can report it. And there’s mounting evidence that it correlates more closely with outcomes  –  like brand recall and conversion  –  than viewability ever did.

𝟮) 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

This one’s sneakier.

Publishers can refresh ad slots automatically after a certain interval – say, every 30 seconds. It’s a common strategy for increasing inventory and revenue. 

A high refresh rate doesn’t automatically mean low quality – but it does mean the real value per impression is probably lower than it looks on paper. (also, sometimes advertisers may think they’re paying for a fresh impression when they’re actually getting a recycled one).

𝟯) 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘀

If a user scrolls, clicks, or even hovers during an ad’s display (literally, figuratively), it’s a signal. 

Not of intent, necessarily – but of presence.

We tend to think of “engagement” as clicking on an ad. 

But passive engagement – being active on the page while the ad is in view – is a meaningful signal too. 

It’s the difference between showing an ad to someone who’s reading and someone who’s already walked away from their screen.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨?

Together, these three metrics shift our focus from visibility to attention. 

And that’s where quality really lives. 

Because an ad only works if someone’s still around to see it.

Next up, we’ll look at the other side of the coin: the ecosystem around the ad itself. 

Because even great creatives, seen for long enough, can fail if they’re buried in noise.