09/03/2026
A reported $10 CPM does not necessarily mean $10 of media.
Depending on the contract and reporting setup, platform, data, verification and ad-serving costs may already be included in that number. They may also be billed separately. Agency compensation can sit elsewhere again.
That makes CPM less standardized than it appears.
Then comes the next question: What did those 1,000 impressions actually deliver?
In Issue #10 of the Polaris Playbook, Asaf unpacks what may sit inside or on top of a reported CPM. Then, using PolarisAI, we compare travel brands across CPM, CTR, viewability, TruAttention™, viewable CPM and estimated cost per click.
The analysis shows why understanding media efficiency requires both sides of the equation:
What went into the price, and what came out of the investment.
Read the full article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cpm-what-you-actually-paying-asaf-shamly-kwlcc/?trackingId=p4Mecps4yLxXAC7U58Grjw%3D%3D
Why marketers need to look at cost, quality and engagement together to see the full picture of advertising performance CPM is one of the first metrics most marketers learn. It stands for cost per mille, or the cost of 1,000 impressions.