vCPM — Viewable Cost Per Mille
The cost per 1,000 ad impressions that were actually seen by a user (viewable impressions).
Definition
Viewable Cost Per Mille (vCPM) is a pricing model that only counts impressions where the ad was actually in view on the user's screen. The MRC (Media Rating Council) standard defines a display ad as viewable when at least 50% of its pixels are visible on screen for at least one continuous second (two seconds for video). Because a significant portion of served impressions are never seen (due to below-the-fold placement, ad stacking, or quick scrolling), vCPM provides a more accurate measure of actual ad exposure than standard CPM.
Formula
vCPM = (Total Spend ÷ Viewable Impressions) × 1,000Same as CPM but using only viewable impressions in the denominator.
Example
You spend $400 on a campaign delivering 500,000 total impressions, of which 300,000 are viewable. Your vCPM = ($400 ÷ 300,000) × 1,000 = $1.33.
Key Points
- vCPM campaigns guarantee you're only paying for ads that were actually seen
- Industry average viewability rate is approximately 50–60% for display ads
- vCPM CPMs are higher than standard CPM because the inventory is more valuable
- Google Display Network supports vCPM (Target vCPM) bidding
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