Methods for measuring advertising impressions (post-view)



Why track advertising impressions?

Tracking ad impressions is a fundamental component of marketing performance analysis. Ad impressions—even without immediate interaction—contribute to brand awareness, influence consideration, and can have a halo effect on purchasing decisions.
The attribution of conversions must therefore take into account these passive exposures, whether seen or simply broadcast, in order to:
  • Reconciling omnichannel user journeys.
  • Evaluate the actual contribution of the top funnel levers (awareness).
  • Optimize the overall budget allocation on a more representative basis.
However, tracking advertising impressions presents specific challenges depending on the technical and contractual environments, which implies using different methods adapted to each inventory.


Typology of advertising inventories and measurement implications



Closed inventories (Walled Garden)


Examples :
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok…

Features :
  • These environments are called "walled gardens": they control access to data.
  • The use of third-party pixels is often restricted or prohibited.
  • Integration is achieved through partner APIs, or proprietary connectors (e.g., Meta MTA Connector).
  • The tracking relies on deterministic data exchanges (user ID, print timestamp, etc.) OR on algorithmic modeling.


Open inventories (Open Web)


Examples :
media sites, display networks, traditional DSPs (e.g., Google DV360, Xandr, Teads…)

Features :
  • These environments allow the deployment of third-party pixels on advertising placements.
  • Tracking can be implemented directly via tracking URLs.
  • Exposure is measured deterministically via the pixel, subject to a functional third-party cookie or a cookieless solution.


Methodological impact:

The nature of the inventory determines the method of collecting impressions: deterministic (Eulerian pixel or MTA Connector) or modeled (indirect integration, extrapolation).
The coverage of available advertising networks varies greatly depending on the approach chosen.


Comparative table of print tracking methods

Method
Impression measurement
Coverage
Pros
Cons
Pixel Eulerian
Determinist
Partial (Open Web only)
Accurate measurement performed by your attribution platform (trusted third party)
Stuck in the walled gardens
Dependencies on third-party cookies
MTA connector
Determinist
Weak
Compatible with walled gardens
Low coverage
EPC (Eulerian Partner Connect)
Modeled (based on probabilistic models)
Complete
Full coverage
Probability measure


Compass Table of the main partners and methods available

Partner
Connec
Pixel Eulerian
MTA Connector
Google Display & Video 360
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Cross Mark
Campaign Manger
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Google Ads
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Bing Ads
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YouTube
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Meta (Facebook/Instagram)
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Pinterest
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LinkedIn
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TikTok
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Cross Mark
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Snapchat
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Xandr
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Teads
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Amazon Ads
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Yahoo DSP
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Criteo
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Taboola
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Outbrain
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Adform
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Equativ
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Weborama
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Seedtag
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Azerion
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Freewheel
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Invibes
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