Picnic launches inventory quality assessment tool, PIQ 

User-first media platform Picnic has launched PIQ (Picnic Inventory Quality), a first-of-its-kind inventory intelligence platform capable of assessing a webpage’s suitability for effective ad delivery. 

Initial tests have demonstrated that PIQ-passing domains achieve 88%* higher media attention versus non-passing domains. The tool can be leveraged to deliver creatives across sites offering a good customer experience – in turn delivering high attention opportunities and improved brand outcomes.

Media quality has long been impeded by the prevalence of industry performance metrics, such as clicks and viewability, which incentivise low-quality industry practices, such as high ad density and intrusive ad formats. As a result, the ad-funded web is inundated with poor user experiences. 

Recent research from Picnic/YouGov confirms intrusive and excessive ads can negatively impact consumer perception of a brand and reduce the likelihood to purchase. Addressing this issue of wasteful – or even harmful – ad impressions, PIQ enables brands and agencies to make sure every ad impression counts. 

PIQ analyses a webpage’s suitability based on a range of quality signals such as ad density, domain reputation, page performance, processability, attention and emissions.

Commenting on the launch of PIQ, Matthew Goldhill, Founder & CEO, Picnic, says: “We believe that a focus on media quality is an important step to secure the future of the ad-funded web as an effective, more sustainable media channel.

“The approach is two-pronged – measuring the quality of both the creative and the media. After all, investing in a great creative but delivering it on a poor-quality web page is akin to investing in the Mona Lisa and displaying it on a cluttered gallery wall in your living room. It may technically be viewable, but it’s not going to garner the same attention as it would in a prime spot at the Louvre.”

*PIQ domains delivered an average AU score which was 88% greater than the non-PIQ domains, when testing two lines with identical targeting and creative.

Also published in: New Digital Age