SNPTV, the trade body representing TV sales houses in France, embarked on a journey to unravel the mysteries of audience attention within the ever-evolving landscape of TV and video advertising. In an era marked by unprecedented fragmentation in media consumption, understanding the attention of consumers has emerged as a key metric for advertisers. With an average of 1200 units of advertising stimuli bombarding consumers daily, the quest to stand out amidst the noise has become increasingly important for brands across all sectors.
Recognizing the critical importance of attention as a metric for evaluating the efficiency of advertising efforts, SNPTV, in collaboration with the Mediamento and Xpln.ai, embarked on a mission to measure and understand advertising attention within the video ecosystem. This comprehensive study encompassed both linear and non-linear viewing across various types of screens and platforms, providing a holistic perspective on audience engagement. Four media agencies participated in this study (Dentsu, Havas, Cospiriti and Values Media), providing SNPTV with campaigns to test for the digital video analysis.
The study took a multifaceted approach, using technologies such as eye-tracking technology and infrared glasses to look at the nuances of viewer behaviour. Mediamento rented equipment ensuring that the glasses were the most recent and most precise models in terms of measuring the distance between the iris and the pupil, which made it possible to better measure eye fixation and movements. Participants were selected to represent a diverse demographic spectrum, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of audience dynamics across various age groups.
For linear TV, the findings were revealing. With an active attention duration of 16 seconds towards TV ads, translating to an impressive 80% VAR score (Video attention ratio), it is clear that capturing that the audience’s attention on television is both an art and a science.
For digital video, the study shed light on the supremacy of BVOD (Broadcast Video on Demand), which emerged as the undisputed leader in capturing audience attention. With a VAR score of 84%, BVOD outperformed YouTube across all formats, reaffirming its status as a powerful channel for advertisers seeking to maximize engagement and impact. Furthermore, the study highlighted the pivotal role of content quality in driving attention duration, with BVOD content consistently outperforming other platforms across various devices.
SNPTV’s attention measurement initiative clearly evidences the effectiveness of advertising on the TV screen, particularly though BOVD. By unravelling the intricacies of audience attention across linear and digital platforms, SNPTV give brands and marketers invaluable insights that can help optimize their advertising strategies and maximize impact in an increasingly competitive landscape.
From an advertisers and agency point of view, simple KPIs like visibility and completion are no longer enough. While attention will not replace these KPIs necessarily, it should not be neglected. Agencies continue to learn and look into how to create the optimal conditions for attention and, while it is not a criterion to manage alone, it may be useful as proxy to distinguish between high and low-quality content.
This initiative comes as part of wider industry interest in the topic of attention. Last year, FranceTV Publicité organized the first Attention Day, an event focusing on understanding audience attention. In partnership with Ipsos and Tobii, they conducted a study in France to identify influential criteria for advertising attention, with the aim of establishing a French standard.
The second edition, hosted as a live TV show will take place on 28th May and will unveil the results of the “Cultivating Attention” study, which measures various video elements and presents criteria for enhancing advertising attention. Media specialists will interpret the findings, with the goal of informing advertising partners and media agencies.
To learn more about SNPTV’s initiative and explore the nuances of audience attention, download the full report here.
For more info on the second edition of FTP’s Attention Days, see here.
Source: egtaknowledgehub.com
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