The ‘shape’ of attention, rather than duration, may matter most

A greater understanding of the ‘shape of attention’ may supplant attention seconds as the basis for attention measurement in the media industry, new research suggests.

The six shapes of attention

In a new WARC Exclusive, Amplified Intelligence CEO and founder Professor Karen Nelson-Field and data scientist Hayun Jung outline how, when reviewing attention data based on gaze or facial recognition, six systematic clusters of viewing behaviour can be found at an individual view level.

These clusters appear when considering the interplay between different features of viewing. Some shapes drive brand choice (lower funnel) while others drive mental availability (upper funnel), even if the absolute number of active seconds is the same. The shapes include:

1. Long Look – The longest opportunity-to-see time, with 1.5x probability of active attention occurring than passive attention (mobile specifically).
2. Like Glue – Complete concentration on ad view (only 2% of sampled ad views).
3. High Flyer – A high attention peak during opportunity-to-see time.
4. Flicker – Relatively long opportunity-to-see time, with shifts between passive and active attention.
5. Scroller – Fast scroll speed with mainly passive attention.
6. Super Scroller – Shortest opportunity-to-see time and fewest active attention seconds, indifference to ads.

Why it matters

Each platform and format has a unique attention profile made up of different proportions of these shapes, which is why even if active attention seconds are similar, one will perform better. An understanding of these attention shapes can guide advertisers to bid only for the attention required for their campaign objectives.