In the fast-evolving landscape of digital advertising, capturing and retaining audience attention has become more challenging than ever. Brands are constantly seeking innovative ways to ensure their ads not only reach the audience but also leave a lasting impression. In a recent livestream event, Affectiva, in collaboration with Kantar, delved into the intricacies of attention measurement and introduced an upgraded attention metric that is set to revolutionize the ad creative effectiveness testing paradigm.
Highlights: Craving Attention - How to Capture and Retain the Attention Your Ad Needs
The livestream, hosted by Affectiva, featured expert speakers Duncan Southgate, Senior Director of Global Creative Insights Division at Kantar, and Graham Page, Global Managing Director of Media Analytics at Affectiva SmartEye. The discussion centered around the growing significance of attention in the media industry and why advertisers are now placing a premium on capturing audience focus.
The Hot Topic: Attention in the Digital Age
Duncan Southgate shed light on the factors contributing to the heightened focus on attention. With the rise of the digital space, ad avoidance has become more prevalent, making it imperative for advertisers to ensure their content captures attention effectively. The discussion touched on the challenges posed by ad formats, viewability concerns, and the intersection between creative and media strategies.
Partnering for Success: Affectiva and Kantar Collaboration
A key highlight of the event was the partnership between Affectiva and Kantar in addressing the attention challenge. Duncan Southgate emphasized their long-standing collaboration, spanning over a decade, and the integration of emotional measurement into Kantar's link testing products. This integration has now evolved into a comprehensive attention measure, combining facial coding and advanced AI technology.
Unveiling the Upgraded Attention Metric
Graham Page provided insights into the newly upgraded attention metric, a result of Affectiva's collaboration with SmartEye. The metric goes beyond facial expressions, incorporating signals of distraction such as gaze tracking, head pose, and even detecting signs of sleepiness or engagement. This multi-faceted approach provides a granular and sensitive measure of attention, addressing the evolving demands of the media and creative landscape.
Client Response and Future Implications
Both Duncan Southgate and Graham Page shared positive client responses to the upgraded attention metric. The 2023 attention metric has seamlessly integrated into ongoing studies, proving its effectiveness in diagnosing ad performance and offering new dimensions to assess success. Looking ahead, the focus will be on scaling the use of this metric and exploring further technological advancements to enhance attention measurement within the screen.
The Bottom Line
In an era where audience attention is a prized commodity, the collaboration between Affectiva and Kantar marks a significant step forward in ad creative effectiveness testing. The upgraded attention metric not only provides a nuanced understanding of viewer engagement but also offers actionable insights for advertisers to optimize their creative strategies. As brands navigate the dynamic landscape of digital advertising, attention measurement emerges as a crucial tool for ensuring that every ad gets the attention it deserves. Stay tuned for more updates as Affectiva continues to innovate and reshape the future of advertising effectiveness.
Learn more: don't miss the joint Kantar & Affectiva Webinar event on this topic, Attention beyond views for creative effectiveness. Spots are limited - register now!
