For years, marketers have relied on reach and gross rating points (GRPs) to measure the impact of their campaigns. This approach allowed advertisers to highlight performance from a high level, enabling marketers to compare TV with other channels, like radio and print. But these metrics fell short when it came to providing more granular insights into which impressions were offering the most value. So while programmatic advertising has empowered marketers to use more data and make better decisions in their performance campaigns, there's still an untapped opportunity to leverage these benefits for campaigns focused on reach.
To address this, we've developed the TV Quality Index (TVQI), a revolutionary new metric that can help advertisers understand and prioritize more premium ad experiences, because content quality matters. By tapping into TVQI, advertisers can gain an additional insight into the quality of their advertising placements. Campaigns that were once focused on reach can now focus on both reach and quality, which can lead to better engagement and higher ROI (see Tombras’ results on Max and Discovery+ here).
The impact of quality on conversion rates
In a recent analysis of campaigns on our platform, we’ve found that every 10-point increase in the TV Quality Index, led to a 15-percent average improvement in conversion rates.1 This is a promising sign for Connected TV (CTV) buyers who seek an easier way to understand what they're buying through their digital investments. TVQI also provides advertisers with greater optionality when looking for additional scale — helping circumvent manual deal-creation processes. By dictating their desired quality score, marketers can access broader inventory sets with confidence.
1The Trade Desk Platform Data, 2023
Note: The Trade Desk provides this information for the general knowledge of its clients or prospective clients and does not make any representations or guarantees of any kind with regards to the future performance of the information set forth.
The approach
TVQI can help shift the focus toward an advertiser’s most important stakeholders: its consumers. In a 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index, 64 percent of consumers said they do not trust the advertising they see on social media platforms. While purchasing cheaper inventory can lead to more impressions, not all impressions are made equal. Our focus is on quality, and we base this on three key pillars:
- Content quality
We've developed a content score rating system based on criteria such as production quality, freshness, and critical acclaim. In the U.S., we've also commissioned an independent consumer survey through YouGov to better inform our scores. - Ad experience
Poor ad experiences can have a negative impact on both the network or streaming service and the brands involved. That’s why we built TVQI to consider the type of video playback, the position of the ad in relation to the content, and the device on which it is viewed. - Signal quality
Signal quality, which is paramount for a marketer’s ability to make better decisions for targeting and gain key insights when measuring. Transparency is key here — helping our clients attribute media to business outcomes.
Overall, our approach to quality is rooted in our goal of delivering the best possible experience for both the consumer and the advertiser. As new signals become available, we plan to further refine and improve our approach.
What’s considered a good score?
Inventory on our platform is vetted for quality based on brand safety and marketplace-quality measures. If you can increase scores over time, it's likely that a greater emphasis is being put on higher-quality ad experiences. If you’re buying on reach goals today, consider your current score as a baseline. It should not be viewed as either good or bad; rather, it’s a starting point.
How can I raise my score?
Are you serving ads in a way where you’re in control of who sees them and how often? Consider the perspective of your audience, and the impact that both you and the publisher have on the quality of their ad experience. Let’s face it: If you don’t have control of the execution, there’s a risk that your audience is being oversaturated with ads. There’s also a risk that it isn’t even your desired audience! Control is key and the more that’s given up, the more scores can suffer.
For buyers: Leaning into transparent and decisioned inventory sources, where frequency and optimizations can be controlled, can help lead to higher scores. Tools are also available that can help allocate spend toward higher scores, which is recommended to improve the quality of your reach campaigns. Talk to your account manager to learn more about TVQI optimizations.
For sellers: Content and experiences were measured through an independent consumer survey through YouGov.
Reach out to your inventory partner at The Trade Desk to learn how your scores can be improved further, and start measuring quality today!