Engagement Mapping comes as an addition to Microsoft’s current ad serving platform and will allow advertisers, publishers and the media buyers to track how successful a campaign is and what return on investment they are getting from it.

It’s an interesting development because tracking the engagement with adverts found within a content based website rather than in search results is important for the fture of those content based websites. The playing field isn’t exactly level in terms of what a client gets from advertising in search results or on content based sites.

The experience for a user is a very different one and the attitude toward the advertisment will also be different. When searching users are already activly engaged in finding content or products so the dynamically displayed ads Google presents in its “Sponsored Links” bar will be far more attractive an option than an advert displayed on a content based website. In this situation the advert needs to serve a different purpose.

Firstly the experience of the advert found on the content based website is far more visual and brand based than a text link. This is why in the past impression based advertising based CPM is currently employed for display advert. The click is not the complete object of the activity but the display of a message to a user.

In Video Egg’s Ad Frames promo video they use Microsoft as an example of a client who is already using the system. Microsoft are clearly very interested in engagement with brand messages be in their own or their clients.

http://www.microsoft.com

The Engagement ROI is a fully integrated reporting capability within the Atlas Media Console currently available through Microsoft. Value is assigned and measured on a real-time basis and takes into account the impact that recency, frequency, size and ad format (such as rich media and video) have on a consumer’s online path to action. 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.

The beta officially begins on March 1, with results expected to be available before the end of the second calendar quarter.”

It will be interesting to see the results of the beta.