IAB calls on brands to stop using click-through rates to measure effectiveness

The IAB UK is calling on brands to move past click-through rates as a way to measure the effectiveness of digital advertising.

In a letter sent to more than 100 advertisers, including brands such as BMW, Diageo and Sky, the IAB urges marketers not to be “clickheads” and to instead embrace National Anti-Click-Through Rate Day (NACTRD). The tongue-in-cheek messages aims to get the industry talking about how best to measure the effectiveness of online media and highlight some of the current failings.

It comes as the IAB launches its measurement toolkit, which aims to showcase best practice and offer guidance on measuring digital advertising alongside other media.

IAB UK CMO James Chandler says: “Advertisers increasingly rely on click-through-rates to justify their marketing spend to the CFO but it’s not a reliable metric for effectiveness and only tells half the story. That’s why our message to the industry today is simple: don’t be a clickhead.”