Native programmatic buying platform StackAdapt has announced a new tool to help brands track audience engagement after an ad is clicked.
Native ad units on publishers’ websites often lead to external landing pages that, while owned by the advertiser, aren’t necessarily connected to the original ad. StackAdapt’s new tool opens that landing page in an iFrame (an HTML-coded display that acts as a kind of browser-within-a-browser), which then tracks the amount of time the user remains in that branded environment and other relevant metrics such as page views.
The company is billing this new service as a means of connecting metrics on either side of the click.
“Marketing platforms typically measure everything before the click, and analytics platforms tend to measure everything after the click,” the company said in a release. “But since the two platforms speak to each other and pass along information using outdated tools — such as UTM codes, click trackers and conversion pixels — this model isn’t particularly effective.”
The new tool also allows advertiser to add a social sharing bar to the iFrame and an action box for direct response opportunities. So a page of branded content about travel could use an action box directing viewers to buy airline tickets.
“What we are really trying to do is to connect content marketing and direct response campaigns, as they are very disconnected now,” said company co-founder Ildar Shar.
Earlier this year, StackAdapt adjusted its business model, dropping its publisher tools and becoming a demand-side platform for native advertising exclusively.
