Over 80% of ads fail to reach 'attention threshold'

Eighty-five percent of ads fail to reach the “attention threshold” that is needed to make an enduring impact from a brand-building perspective, according to research discussed at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2022.

Why it matters

Attention is an important currency for brands to consider, as it focuses on whether a consumer actually sees an ad, as well as their level of engagement. Through connecting this kind of data to sales metrics, marketers can determine the short- and long-term impacts of attention on key performance indicators.

Takeaways

• Karen Nelson-Field, founder/CEO of measurement firm Amplified Intelligence, discussed a study of 130,000 ads undertaken by the company during a session held by WARC at Cannes Lions, entitled “The triple jeopardy of attention”. (WARC subscribers can read more details here.)
  
• Its analysis found that the “attention threshold” for advertising that has an enduring impact in terms of building brands came in at 2.5 seconds.
• The bad news: eighty-five percent of ads did not reach that critical benchmark – which harms their capacity to enhance mental availability, or the likelihood of a brand coming to mind in a purchase situation.

Quick take

“If you want to grow your brand, you need to hit the threshold” – Karen Nelson-Field, founder/CEO, Amplified Intelligence.