Advertisers can evaluate the true cost of attention across (visual) media by calculating an ‘attentive CPM’ – the cost of generating a thousand seconds of attention, says Lumen’s Mike Follett.

Why it matters

  • This approach means visual attention to advertising can be treated as a commodity – to be consistently measured, graded, priced and traded. 
  • Not all TV ads get looked at, but when they do, they generate a lot of attention; YouTube ads almost always get looked at, but for less time than a 30-second TV ad.
  • While TV looks expensive on the basis of its CPM, it is probably the most cost effective media in terms of aCPM.

Key quote

“Understanding the reality of attention will help marketers save billions of dollars on wasted media spend and ineffective advertising creative. It will help quality publishers charge a fair price for fewer, better ads. And it will improve the consumption experience of the viewers and readers, whose precious attention we are all competing for.”

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Sourced from WARC