Campaign Performance and the Problem with Single Metrics

In the vein of last week’s cartoon on ROI, marketers are struggling to prove their digital efforts are working. Advertisers aren’t sure which measurements point to success, often relying on single metrics like the click-through rate.

Single metrics can give a false picture, particularly for campaigns that may be more about awareness than conversion.

I read recently that a whopping 60% of all clicks on mobile banner ads are accidents. Fat thumbs were identified as the main culprit. Only 16% claimed they clicked on mobile banner ads because they “like the company, product or service being promoted.” Just 13% of those surveyed said they clicked because “the ads are interesting.”

When you layer on problems with viewability and fraud, marketers have to be increasingly data-savvy about how they read the numbers. They can’t take metrics at face value.

As marketing becomes more data-driven, we have to continually question what data we’re letting drive us. Marketers need to work for a full picture based on their specific marketing goals. No single metric is the answer.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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