Global eCPM averages remained fairly steady on a quarter-over-quarter basis across display, mobile, and video channels, particularly when compared to trends from prior quarters, according to Turn’s “Global Digital Audience Report” [download page] covering Q3 activity. Display ads saw the largest relative change, as eCPMs averaged out at $1.28 in September, up 4.9% from $1.22 in June following a 16% increase during the prior quarter. After sporting double-digit increases between Q1 and Q2, mobile and video eCPMs showed only marginal changes during the past quarter.
Mobile’s average eCPM inched up a cent from $1.01 in June to $1.02 in September, a relatively inconsequential 0.9% increase. Online video, the most expensive option, remained basically on par with the prior quarter, with eCPMs averaging $10.97 in September from $11.03 in June, a 0.54% decrease.
The increase in display ad eCPM was attributed to increased activity at the end of Q3 for back-to-school campaigns, while mobile’s flat prices are the result of a hike in impressions keeping pace with demand, according to the analysts.
The study illustrates the most common pricing buckets and formats for each channel:
- Display: 53% of impressions are in the $0.10-$0.80 range, mostly unchanged from Q1 and Q2. The most popular display ad formats in Q3, by percentage of impressions, were 728×90 (40.4%) and 300×250 (38.5%), also relatively stable from Q2;
- Mobile: 60.6% of impressions are in the $0.10-$1.00 range, up from 56% in Q2 and 52% in Q1. The 320×50 unit was easily the leading mobile ad format, at 82% of impressions, up from 74.9% in Q2, but not quite at Q1’s level (88.5% share); and
- Video: 60.3% of impressions are in the $8-12 range, down from 71% in Q2. The leading video ad formats were 15-second pre-rolls (48%, from 43% in Q2) and 30-second pre-rolls (34.1%, from 38.4%).
The latest study also offers some data demonstrating the increased popularity and effectiveness of cross-channel advertising. The number of brands advertising across multiple digital channels has increased by 137% during the year-to-date, per the researchers, while there has been a 500% increase in the number of brands that have advertised in all 4 digital channels (display, mobile, video, and social). Brands moving from single to multiple channels have tripled their ROI, on average, as consumers seeing ads in multiple channels converted 24% more frequently than those seeing them in only one channel.
About the Data: Data for the Global Digital Audience Report is based on activity on the Turn platform from July to September 2013. Every day, the Turn cloud marketing platform makes nearly 100 billion advertising decisions, analyzes more than 1.5 billion customer attributes, and provides instant access to more than 2 trillion display, mobile, social, and video advertising impressions every month.
