What are impressions in advertising?

What is an impression, and what is it not?

If you are asking what impressions in advertising actually mean, start with the word "opportunity." An impression records that an ad was placed where a person could have seen it. It does not record that the person looked, understood the message or remembered it.

That makes impressions a measure of delivery, which is useful for sizing a plan and checking that ads ran. It is a different thing from results.

• Not a sale. Someone can be exposed to an ad and never buy. Sales depend on the offer, the price, timing and many other factors.
• Not a click or visit. Clicks and visits are actions. An impression happens before any action, and may never lead to one.
• Not proof of attention. A person can be in range of a screen while looking at a phone or talking to a friend.
• Not a unique person. One person can account for several impressions if they are exposed more than once.

For that reason, set your goal first and pick the measure that fits it. The guide on how to set clear goals for a DOOH campaign walks through that choice.

Why impression counts are not always comparable

The word is the same across media, but the counting rules are not. A web page view, a TV household estimate and a count of people passing a billboard are built from different data and different assumptions. Putting them in one column makes them look equivalent when they may not be.

Even within one medium, sellers can choose different definitions. One may count every person who could plausibly see a screen. Another may apply a factor for the likelihood that people actually notice it. The totals can differ widely for the same placement.

Impressions in out-of-home and in-venue media

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising reaches people outside the home, and digital out-of-home (DOOH) does it on digital screens. The IAB's DOOH measurement guide distinguishes impression types such as Opportunity to See and Likelihood to See. It also covers audience metrics like dwell time, engagement and attention, measured through sensors, mobile data or panels.

In practice, that means an out-of-home impression number can rest on different assumptions depending on the seller. It is reasonable to ask which type you are being shown.

For in-venue screens such as a waiting room, a dining room or a gym lobby, the audience is people who are already there. CETV Now runs in commercial venues such as auto dealerships, restaurants and bars, medical and dental offices, fitness facilities, retail and professional services. See how to choose venue categories for matching a category to your goal.

On reporting, CETV Now says delivery is tracked and reported against CETV Now network data, with venue-level impression reporting, real-time statistics and 24/7 campaign monitoring. Results vary by campaign. This page does not describe how impressions are counted or verified, so ask the team for that detail before you rely on a figure.

CETV Now also reports 150M+ monthly impressions across its network. That is a CETV Now figure, not third-party audited, and no market-level breakdown has been approved. Treat it as context rather than a forecast for your campaign.

Dwell time, meaning how long people spend in a venue, is a separate idea. It describes time in the venue, not attention. Read the dwell time glossary entry to see how the two differ.

Questions to ask about any impression number

Use these with any seller, including CETV Now, before you compare proposals.

1. 01

   What exactly is counted as one impression?

   Ask whether it means an ad played, a person who could see the screen, or an estimate of people likely to notice it.

2. 02

   How was the number produced, and by whom?

   Ask whether it comes from the seller's own data, sensors, mobile data, panels or a third party, and whether it is audited.

3. 03

   What does the number cover?

   Ask whether it applies to the specific venues, markets and dayparts in your plan, or to a wider network average.

With answers in hand, you can compare plans on equal terms. The DOOH campaign planning checklist covers other questions to settle before you buy, and the advertiser page explains how to start a plan. If you advertise in a regulated category such as healthcare, financial services, alcohol or legal services, check your own compliance rules too.