LONDON – The advertising industry is moving toward a more nuanced understanding of audience engagement, driven by the recognition that mere exposure doesn’t guarantee impact.
“Attention metrics” have emerged in the last couple of years, and now the industry is out of the “foothills” on the topic, according to a woman who has been instrumental in spreading their adoption.
The Modern TARP: Redefining Reach and Measurement
Dr Karen Nelson-Field, Founder & CEO, Amplified Intelligence, is a researcher in media science who wrote literally wrote the book on attention – The Attention Economy and How Media Works: Simple Truths for Marketers.
In the last couple of years, we have seen the likes of Dentsu and Havas embrace attention as an ad metric, building on prevous use of viewability.
In this video interview with Beet.TV at CIMM’s London summit, Nelson-Field said attention metrics provide a more granular understanding of how audiences interact with advertising, offering a modern equivalent to TARPs.
CTV: A Natural Ally for Attention Measurement
Connected TV (CTV) presents a unique opportunity to integrate attention measurement seamlessly into the viewing experience, she said.
“The beautiful thing about CTV and the future of TV, which is obviously digital, is it can support attention measurement, and a lot of publishers we know are doing that,” Nelson-Field said.
CTV’s digital nature facilitates the collection of data necessary to quantify attention, offering a more comprehensive view of audience engagement than traditional television.
Industry Standards and Future Momentum
So, where is attention as we head in to 2025?
The Media Rating Council (MRC), in collaboration with the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), is developing standards for attention measurement.
“The fact that the MRC are involved at all sort of suggests that it needs to be looked at and validated and considered,” Nelson-Field said.
Standardization could accelerate adoption by providing advertisers with confidence and clarity around how attention is measured and utilized.
Nelson Field said: “When that happens, which is kind of Q1, Q2 next year, a lot more advertisers will jump on…I think it’s just starting to get momentum, and I think that next year we’ll see a much larger shift towards implementation.”
You’re watching Beet.TV’s coverage of CIMM London 2024, presented by Index Exchange. For more videos from CIMM London, please visit this page.
