LOS ANGELES - Microsoft's new engagement mapping service, designed to measure and manage the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns, is scheduled to be released Saturday.
According to Microsoft, the beta release of Engagement ROI "evaluates and assigns measurable value to a consumer's interaction with ads, giving advertisers and publishers a more complete picture of online behavior."
"Engagement ROI is designed to allow advertisers and publishers to manage their campaigns with greater insight and control than previously available through third-party ad serving," Microsoft explained.
Microsoft said the system provides more in-depth performance metrics than "last ad clicked" solutions, taking into account the various experiences that consumers go through before a sale.
"The 'last ad clicked' is an outdated and flawed approach because it essentially ignores all prior interactions the consumer has with a marketer's message," said Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of Microsoft's advertiser and publisher solutions division. "Our engagement mapping approach conveys how each ad exposure - whether display, rich media or search, seen multiple times on multiple sites and across many channels - influenced an eventual purchase. We believe it represents a quantum leap for advertisers and publishers who are seeking to maximize their online spending."
Engagement ROI is an integrated reporting system run within the Atlas Media Console. It assigns ad values based on real-time performance measurements that evaluate the impact of recency, frequency, size and ad format (whether still image or rich media such as video) on the consumer's purchase decision process.
The new system will be tested by advertisers such as Citi Cards, Mindshare Interaction and Sprint.
