Also known as an ad impression, an ad view occurs whenever an advertisement is viewed. For example, when a person loads a website with a banner ad, one ad view is reported. This term can be used to refer to Internet advertisements or print media. The ads themselves are usually targeted toward a specific audience to increase the chances of the viewer actually paying attention to the ad and possibly clicking on it. All sorts of studies have been conducted to find out what factors generate more click throughs and more successful ads in general.
Although the term can be used for both Internet and print media advertisements and these media might seem incredibly different, ad views work in much the same way on each. The advertiser purchases a certain spot on a website or magazine to display his or her ad. If the website or print media is particularly popular with a large established audience, the advertisement will cost significantly more than putting an ad on a newly fledged website, magazine, or newspaper.
The differences are seen when the pricing scheme is examined. Websites usually charge for a certain amount of ad views, and then the banner is automatically dropped from the website. Magazines and newspapers usually take into account how many people typically buy their product each week and then charge the customer per run. With magazines and newspapers, the advertiser is often out of luck if a certain edition does not sell well.
An advertisement is usually targeted toward a specific audience. While getting plenty of ad views raises awareness of a product, organization, or cause, click throughs are what a lot of Internet advertisers aim for. A click through occurs after an ad view; the viewer finds the ad interesting and then clicks on it to be taken to the advertiser’s website. Sometimes this leads to a sale or donation, which is usually what the advertiser ultimately wants from an ad view. If the ad is not targeted, people might not be interested in clicking through, which wastes money for the advertisers.
Magazines and newspaper advertisers often have similar goals for their advertisements. When people look at an ad in a newspaper, the best outcome for the advertiser is that person eventually purchasing something from the company. The newspaper ad might even lead potential customers to a website to order right away. An example of a targeted newspaper ad would be a resume writer service ad next to the classified job listings.
