Myth: 95% viewability means your ad was seen.

Myth: 95% viewability means your ad was seen.
No. Viewability measures pixels, not eyeballs. A DTC brand bought a native package guaranteeing 95%+ viewable impressions and got it — verified by a third party.

Then they ran a geo holdout: 6 matched markets exposed, 6 dark. Eight weeks. Lift in the exposed markets versus control? 0.3%, inside the noise band. Statistically nothing.

The units were technically on-screen — 50% pixels, one second — while users scrolled past at reading speed. "Viewable" and "noticed" diverged completely.

Viewability is a fraud-and-delivery floor, not a proof of attention. If your only evidence the ad worked is a viewability score, you have no evidence the ad worked.