Is attention the next frontier of measurement?

CTR, VTR, VCR and more. Digital advertising has a plethora of metrics and performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. While there is much debate within the industry about which metrics should take precedence over others, each has its use cases. Ultimately, an advertiser’s objective is to drive engagement and performance with creative campaigns – but what’s the best way to think about measuring success? The answer lies with attention.

How brands and agencies are currently measuring ad performance

For many years, performance measurement for advertising has been dominated by the tried and true Video Completion Rate (VCR) and Click Through Rate (CTR). However, these metrics do not always provide the complete picture of how audiences are engaging with creatives. Currently, the MRC counts an ad as seen if the creative is viewable for at least one second. However, viewable does not always equate to viewed, and even an ad viewed is not necessarily one that is memorable.

Attention metrics, on the other hand, encompass a broad spectrum of measurements, ranging from more intricate and precise indicators such as lab-based methodologies as well as panel-based eye-tracking technology.  The latter method is intended to capture the true gaze and focus of consumers as they interact with ads. These metrics primarily revolve around time, assessing the duration that an individual engages with an advertisement and the specific actions they undertake during that time frame. 

While attention picks up speed as a common metric, video completion rate is still most commonly used. However, many advertisers have concerns about how effective it is given its simplicity. According to a recent IDC infobrief, 69% find VCR misleading and 61% have concerns with industry viewability standards. 

New trends have been emerging that promote the convergence of measurement and planning, with groundbreaking initiatives such as Amplified Intelligence and PXYZ taking the lead on this. These innovative platforms not only provide verification services but also function as attention marketplaces, offering comprehensive solutions for both measuring and strategizing advertising campaigns.

How attention measures up

The ultimate objective for advertisers is to drive ad memorability and promote positive brand association. This is not possible without consumer attention. Attention is the evolution of viewability, going further to determine an ad’s ability to drive impact and memorability. There are three main reasons why attention is so valuable to advertisers:

Media Verification: The ability to measure attention during a campaign and report on performance against benchmarks. 

Media Planning: The ability to apply weighting to existing media plans for the purpose of optimizing for attention to increase the efficiency of spend before media is traded. The optimum threshold of attention required changes depending on campaign objectives.

Media Trading: Custom probabilistic models built for media trading; they allow an advertiser to bid and buy media using attention signals when the right combination and weight of attention indicators are present at the point of the transaction.

Our recent sponsored study IDC has revealed some fascinating insights into brand and agency executives’ perspectives of attention measurement. 57% of respondents believe attention gives a more complete view of engagement when it comes to advertising campaigns. Despite this, the same study also revealed that only 47% of respondents use attention measurement to evaluate campaign performance.

While this is a slightly puzzling figure, it is perhaps, understandable. While attention is a top concern for advertisers, the industry currently lacks a standard definition or universal methodology for attention measurement. This means that each vendor creates a formula and model to measure attention.

How Ogury leverages attention measurement with our new partnerships

At Ogury, we believe that reaching the right audience is the starting point of any performance measurement. That is why we have taken a new approach to AdTech by targeting personas instead of individuals.

 Our unique combination of data, formats, creative and environments drives high attention. Personified advertising targets the right audience. Our formats are elegant and fully on-screen with high viewability. Our creative is beautifully designed, memorable and built for high engagement, and our environments reach engaged audiences both in-app and on the mobile web. Attention is at the heart of what we deliver for our clients and we accomplish all of this while respecting consumer privacy. 

Recently, we unveiled new capabilities, providing brands and agencies with attention measurement metrics at the campaign level. With Adelaide Metrics and Lumen Research as its first partners, Ogury now provides brands and agencies with the most advanced attention measurement tools on the market. 

Lumen Research combines state-of-the-art eye tracking technology – deployed on the largest attention panel in the world – with advanced machine learning to measure attention.

Adelaide Metrics uses advanced machine learning to score media’s probability of attention and outcomes on a 0-100 scale of AU – its omnichannel metric and the only attention metric that incorporates business outcomes into its model. It is calculated using hundreds of quality signals, like ad size, coverage, clutter, in-view duration, and full-funnel outcome data.

How to measure attention with Ogury

• Tag the campaign by implementing the Ogury Lumen pixel or the Adelaide pixel 
• Track attention measurement as the campaign runs and optimize for top performance
• Report back on attention results for the campaign
• Learn & optimize future campaigns

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with more news, industry trends and thought leadership content.