Medialets is First to Adopt Rigorous Methodology for Counting Mobile Ads as Recommended by the MRC

Medialets' Stringent Measurement Will Count Only Ads Confirmed Rendered to the Device

NEW YORK, May 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 6, the Media Rating Council (MRC), Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) updated their Mobile Web Measurement Guidelines and Mobile In-Application Measurement Guidelines.  They eliminated "count on decision," a counting methodology based on when a third-party ad server chooses to deliver an ad, as an accepted method of counting served ad impressions on mobile. The updated guidelines for mobile call for "reasonable assurance that the ad was rendered on the device in order to count it as a valid ad impression."

Medialets, the first ad server built for mobile and the first buy-side mobile ad server to receive MRC accreditation, has moved to push the industry forward by adopting a new methodology for ad measurement. This approach to ad counting requires ads to download and render on a device in order to count as an ad served, and Medialets will be the first ad server to count this way in mobile.

"Desktop methodologies don't work on mobile," said Medialets CEO Richy Glassberg. "The updated guidelines reflect the importance of new standards for mobile advertising. We believe that on mobile, ads should only count when they render on a device - not when the ad call is made, the way they'e counted by some desktop ad servers. Other ad servers have settled to count on decision on mobile, even though we know that many ads get lost between the decision and actually downloading to a device and rendering. We believe the right move is to count a served ad when it has fully loaded in a browser or app. Advertisers shouldn't pay for an ad that never makes it to a device."

Medialets has been accredited by MRC since February 2014, and is currently accredited for its served impression measurements for display, rich media, and digital video ad formats across both mobile web and mobile app environments. Since it became accredited, Medialets has signed global agreements with all five advertising holding companies and leading independent media agencies.

"Medialets is taking a much-needed step to ensure advertisers get what they pay for," said Glassberg. "Our clients need to have standard metrics and common-sense measurement in order to make more substantial investments in mobile."

"We applaud Medialets for its move to exceed the industry's minimum standards by requiring ads to render to qualify for inclusion in its served impression counts," said George W. Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of MRC.  He added, "Counting only upon the ad's rendering on a user's mobile device assures those who rely on the measurements that the served impression counts are not inflated because of latency issues, and serves as the best impression count available short of viewable impression measurement."

About Medialets

Medialets makes mobile count for advertisers.  Medialets' Servo platform works across any inventory source, integrates with all data and viewability partners, and goes beyond the last click to give insight into view-through attribution. The company's independent device graph sees across the full landscape of mobile web and mobile apps to identify unique devices. Medialets was the first ad server to receive MRC accreditation for ad formats on both mobile web and mobile in-application placements, and continues to develop industry-leading mobile solutions for advertisers. Acquired by WPP in April 2015, Medialets is headquartered in New York City with offices in London, Chicago and Los Angeles. To learn more, visit https://www.medialets.com/ and follow us on Twitter @medialets.

CONTACT:  Dan Feldstein, 917-415-5278, [email protected]

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