What are attention metrics?
Attention is a new metric recognized by the IAB. It measures the engagement or attention a user pays to an ad. Unlike traditional standards like impressions and views, which simply verify the delivery of an ad, this new approach goes beyond this by evaluating the ability of users to absorb the advertising message. As such, it provides valuable insights into the quality of engagement and the real-world impact of campaigns, marking a significant shift in how we measure advertising effectiveness.
Why is attention important?
Since 2004, our average attention span on screen has dropped by 69% . In an age where content competes for our attention, attention has become a key currency in the digital world.
Major transformations in our ecosystem are forcing advertisers and publishers to seek tangible proof of the impact of their campaigns. These changes include:
Cookie Deprecation: As third-party cookies gradually become obsolete, advertisers and publishers are looking for alternative performance metrics to justify their advertising investments.
Creative and Content Advancements: Advances in digital advertising are giving brands greater freedom to express their message through tailored creative and ad content. Attention metrics are emerging as an answer to the challenge of determining which messages and creatives have the greatest impact.
Growing Demands for Measurement: Brands and agencies are increasingly placing emphasis on the need to demonstrate the correlation between brand awareness strategies and tangible business results.
Attention metrics are positioned as the key tool to establish the link between quality interaction and tangible business results. Studies demonstrate that there is a direct correlation between the attention generated and performance throughout the funnel.
How to measure attention?
Attention assessment as a metric does not yet have a universally accepted definition, leading to the use of various methodologies.
Attention measurement methods often start with eye tracking studies , typically conducted through panels of consenting users exposed to digital content, including ads, while eye-tracking cameras track their gaze across the screen. They are then sent a questionnaire to accurately attest to the attention they paid to the ads and the memorization they made of the brand messages delivered. The data collected is used to feed machine learning algorithms capable of predicting which types of content and creative are the most engaging and will therefore resonate best with users.
Additionally, additional signals are integrated into campaigns to improve the accuracy of these predictive models, combining eye-tracking data with metrics such as viewability, dwell time, time on site, contextual relevance, cursor movement time, scroll time, click-through rate, and audio volume.
Adelaide Attention Unit
Adelaide, the leading attention measurement platform, has created cash app database one of the industry’s most coveted attention metrics , the Attention Unit (AU). Ad placements are measured with AU scores – ranging from 1 to 100 – to predict the likelihood of generating results. AU scores for a specific placement are calculated by considering both how users interact with the page where the ad is placed and the results they get from that interaction. The higher the score, the more likely that placement is to generate results throughout the funnel.
Marc Guldimann, CEO of Adelaide, explains: “All campaigns need to be optimised for actual advertiser results. Attention needs to be broken down so that it can be used in different ways. For example, it’s important that people pay attention to creative when the product is highlighted in a distinctive way or when the message being delivered is truly engaging. At Adelaide, we believe it’s the role of media to create an opportunity for attention to be captured by creative and then work with media to drive results.” Compared to viewability, which only measures the potential of the ad to be seen, attention offers marketers the opportunity to optimise their media buying strategies by focusing on results . Instead of investing in placements based solely on impressions or reach, marketers can now refine their media buying strategies by measuring the attention generated by an ad campaign.
Visibility vs. Attention: What’s the Difference?
Compared to viewability, which only measures the potential of the ad to be seen, attention offers marketers the opportunity to optimize their media buying strategies by focusing on results . Instead of investing in placements based solely on impressions or reach, marketers can now refine their media buying strategies by evaluating the attention generated by an ad campaign.
