Is anyone paying attention?

Attention sheds light on how consumers interact with marketing by going beyond metrics like viewability or impressions. But what is attention, really? How are we measuring it? And most importantly, does it drive business results? 

-Elena

83% of media experts say it’s important to have an attention strategy. 

When asked which results were most important for an attention strategy, 84% of experts cite media performance, 73% cite revenue opportunity, 44% online traffic, 44% interactivity and 33% branding. 

Attention is a useful tool. Not a silver bullet. 

As a TV agency, we’ve used attention metrics to perfect clients’ commercials for years. It started with an eye-tracking tool from 3M to make sure CTAs were clear and noticeable, then moved into heat-mapping full videos. It was like a visual spell-check. 

But keeping a viewer’s attention didn’t mean we convinced them to make a purchase. That’s because attention is just the first step in attracting new customers. Sure, it’s an extremely important first step. But it’s not the whole picture. Over the years, we’ve seen little evidence tying attention to actual performance. So, we’re inclined to agree with Byron Sharp here—optimize for actual sales results over attention. Besides, if you successfully optimize for results, attention will improve as a necessary side effect. 

Listen in on our discussion. 

“The Attention Payoff” 

This report from Integral Ad Science and YouGov reviews the state of attention in digital media. By surveying digital media experts across the US, they analyze attention's connection to business outcomes and common measurement strategies. Read the report. 

“Marketing is a contest for people’s attention.” 

—Seth Godin, author 

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