New study shows a clear link between attention and brand effects

Attention and brand effects have a direct correlation, according to new analysis by Lumen, Teads, and Dynata – but, crucially, relying on viewability data is not enough.

“Attention is an important driver of brand success, as a strong correlation exists between attention and positive brand outcomes. The longer people engage with ads, the more impactful the results become,” write the authors of Unveiling the Connection, a meta-analysis of third-party attention and brand-lift metrics available on the IAB Europe’s website.

Why attention matters

Attention, and its impact on media and creative choices, has been steadily growing in the advertising world spurred by increasingly prominent formal research led by the likes of Karen Nelson-Field, Rob Brittain, Peter Field, and others. This work complements greater knowledge around attention metrics and buying techniques.

This Lumen/Teads/Dynata study spans 2022 and 2023 campaigns, looking at 14 different advertisers from the UK, US, Australia, and Serbia across categories. It adds further evidence to the importance of attention but adds crucial new detail about how it affects different outcomes along the purchase funnel – effectively, not every attentive second is made equal, because it depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

For some of the latest thinking in this area, check out Professor Nelson-Field’s Attention Applied column on WARC.

The findings

1. There is a “clear and direct” correlation between attention and brand outcomes

“While our initial expectations were that this relationship would be observed primarily in upper-funnel metrics, such as Online Ad Recall, where the lift is 40% higher for exposures of 5+ seconds compared to 1+ second, the results have shown a consistent improvement across the entire funnel in the short term,” find the authors. 

“Increased attention not only leads to greater recall metrics but also contributes to stronger mid/low-funnel metrics with longer dwell times.”

2. Lower-funnel metrics need greater attention

The analysis finds that for upper-funnel metrics like awareness, ads need between 100ms and a second to have impact from a single exposure (an important caveat in the report, and that repeated exposures may yield other effects).

But as an ad’s objectives run further down the funnel, the attentive time needed of a single exposure increases quickly:

• Familiarity: 1s+
• Favourability: 3s+
• Consideration: 9s+
• Purchase intent: 8s+

“Recognizing that longer dwell times hold a greater potential for influencing mid/lower-funnel metrics, comprehending this across the media mix becomes vital in driving desired outcomes.”

3. Attention is a much stronger predictor than viewability

“Attention is more likely to yield statistically significant results not just for Online Ad Recall but also for deeper-funnel measures, such as Spontaneous Brand Awareness,” the report continues.

Of course, part of the reason for viewability’s rise was the technical limitations of attention measurement during the internet’s infancy and adolescence; it is only now that the techniques and systems that open up attention insights are coming into the mainstream.

Key quote

“The prominence of viewability has had unintended negative consequences on digital advertising. It has skewed the value proposition for websites, incentivizing ad placements that meet basic viewability requirements but are scarcely noticed.”

Sourced from Teads/Lumen/Dynata, WARC