New Global Research Reveals Dynamics of Consumer Attention and Business Outcomes

Attention metrics have gained interest in the advertising ecosystem in recent years and are emerging as another valuable metric in the advertisers' measurement toolkit. As a continuation of our previous study, “Attention in Context”, OMG & Yahoo partnered with Amplified Intelligence to launch “Hierarchy of Attention & Outcomes”. This new study aims to help advertisers gain insight into how key campaign elements such as devices, publishers, ad formats, ad creative and brand size impact Attention. In the study, six brands participated across verticals in both the US and Australia, including Velocity Frequent Flyer, Victorian Government’s Transport Accident Commission, Volkswagen of America & Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia, and a CPG & Home Improvement brand.

The findings can help advertisers drive media placement strategy to enhance business outcomes across brands' goals and KPIs. From building awareness and creating engagement to driving actual sales, attention metrics have a role to play and advertisers should consider incorporating them in their yearly mix planning.

“At a time when consumers’ media consumption is more fragmented than ever, being able to understand – and capture – attention is critical for brands seeking to cut through the noise and create meaningful connection. Importantly, understanding the dynamics of consumer attention within and across channels enhances our ability to build effective omnichannel investment strategies for our clients.”

Omnicom Media Group NA Chief Intelligence Officer Joanna O’Connell

Methodology

Amplified Intelligence’s attentionTRACE mobile app and desktop extension captures facial footage via the device camera and collects metadata such as viewability, scroll patterns, sound, and phone orientation. At the end of the experience, we deployed a short-term brand choice questionnaire to measure business outcomes. Altogether, responses to nearly 9,000 ads served to 2,000 respondents in the US and Australia were categorized into three levels of attention: 

• Active (eyes on the ad, most likely to deliver a positive impact)
• Passive (eyes on screen, not on ad)
• Total Attention (active & passive combined) - A brand’s best chance at mental availability in a given moment

In tandem, we launched attentionPROVE’s real-time pixel measurement in the Yahoo DSP - capturing 9.4M impressions across CTV, desktop, and mobile. AttentionProve provided attention metrics at scale and in-flight optimization recommendations for the campaign’s specific ad placements and creative execution. 

Key Findings: 

Hierarchy of Attention:

• CTV is the big winner. CTV is a highly immersive channel for attention, delivering 9.7 average Active Attention seconds—nearly 8x more than mobile and 16x more than desktop. This makes sense due to the nature of the device, where the ad takes up most of the TV screen, whereas desktop tends to have more content and, therefore, more distraction from the ads. 
• The quality of the content surrounding your ad matters. Web domains dictate the range of attention an ad format and creative can achieve. For example, we saw a range of 1.2 to 2.4 Active Attention seconds for mobile 300 x 250 (MREC) depending on the Yahoo O&O domain it appeared in, and we saw bigger ranges of attention in the same ad format outside of premium supply. While gaining concentrated attention on mobile and desktop is harder to achieve than CTV, Yahoo DSP inventory (including O&O and 3P supply) and sits above Amplified Intelligence's global benchmarks for active attention.

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• CTV/OTT Video is key for attention. When analyzing attention by format, CTV/OTT video-based formats were top performers across all devices - CTV, Mobile, & Desktop. However, display ad formats perform differently by device. Overall, Billboard & Pre-roll did best on mobile, and Skyscraper & Pre-roll did best on desktop, and this also varies by domain.

This hierarchy impacts business outcomes:

• Attention is higher on CTV but mobile drives sales: While Active Attention is highest on CTV, personal devices are better for conversion. Consumers exposed to a brand’s ad had a higher purchase intent on mobile (+26%) than on desktop (+13%) and CTV (+11%), compared to those not exposed to the brand’s ad.
• High-attention domains also increase the likelihood of effectively driving sales: For example, leveraging Yahoo’s premium supply increases the likelihood of buying by 21%.
• But no amount of attention will help get a sale if the brand isn’t present: Creatives that had branding present for at least 25% of the ad’s length were 26 - 38% more likely to be considered for purchase. On the flip side, creatives with weak branding experienced purchase consideration going to a competitor brand.
• Market share also has correlations between attention and outcomes on Mobile/Desktop: 
  • While active attention plays a more substantial role than passive attention in brand choice, the brand's size moderates the significance of both types of attention. 
  • Larger brands benefit more from each second of Passive Attention, while smaller brands derive greater value from each second of Active Attention they garner. This distinction likely arises from the established brand awareness of larger brands and the effectiveness of their distinctive brand assets. For these well-established brands, the ads function essentially as a reminder of the brand’s message.
  • CTV is the exception: Brands of any size can benefit from CTV as it garners both high passive and active Attention. 

What does this mean for advertisers?

1. An omnichannel strategy, including CTV, is a must:
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CTV should be part of advertisers' programmatic, omnichannel budget. CTV has the highest opportunity to capture the audience's attention- Passive or Active - so it can be leveraged to raise brand's awareness and/or reinforce its position in the market. 

How Yahoo can help: Yahoo DSP offers omnichannel solutions that enable advertisers to reach their audience and drive outcomes across channels. When it comes to CTV,  Yahoo offers Unified TV which marries CTV and linear TV data to optimize CTV reach and frequency, maximizing your TV investments on nearly every major CTV platform across 108 households.

2. Where your ad appears matters:

Quality content matters across all channels driving both active and passive attention.

How Yahoo can help: Yahoo Backstage enables advertisers to access the largest direct-to-publisher supply, with quality curated inventory available to trusted, Jounce Certified MFA-free publishers like Warner’s Brother Discovery, LG Ad Solution, Dotdash Meredith, and more.  

3. Creative is an important piece of the puzzle: 

No amount of attention will make up for the lack of branding when influencing a sale. It’s important to understand your brand’s familiarity with the media’s audience. For niche brands that require consumers’ Active Attention to take action, having the brand clearly appear on the creative is essential. 

How Yahoo can help: Yahoo Creative empowers advertisers to build creative that resonates with their audience. By combining our full-service creative solutions, industry-leading creative tools, and Yahoo Identity Solutions, we offer a future-proof solution for personalized ads.