What are attention-based metrics?
In a world flooded with ads, not every impression counts. Just because an ad is served, doesn’t mean it’s seen, let alone remembered. That’s where attention measurement comes in. It’s not about counting views, it’s about understanding real human engagement. We measure attention where it happens, how it happens, and why it matters.
What Is Attention Measurement?
At its core, attention measurement tracks how people interact with ads in real environments. We go beyond basic viewability metrics to capture actual human behaviour: are people looking, for how long, and are they emotionally engaged? This isn’t guesswork, it’s data grounded in neuroscience and real-world observation.
Attention isn’t a one-size-fits-all metric, being human-centric means that people engage with ads and pay attention in different ways. Amplified measure attention performance in three ways, Active, Passive, and Non-Attention. Active Attention (eyes-on-ad) matters the most to outcomes, but Passive Attention can play a vital role too, depending on what you are wanting to achieve.
How Does Amplified Measure Attention?
We use advanced eye-tracking technology combined with behavioural data to understand where attention lives. Our tools, attentionPLAN, attentionTRACE, and attentionPROVE – collect, analyse, and benchmark this data across platforms like TV, web, OOH, cinema and streaming services. The result? Insights that help brands spend smarter, create better, and prove impact.
Why It’s Better Than Traditional Metrics
– Viewability ≠ Attention: Just because an ad was technically on-screen doesn’t mean it was seen
– Impressions Don’t Tell the Whole Story: High impression counts can mask low engagement
– Clicks Are Only Part of the Picture: Attention measurement captures the silent impact, how ads influence without direct clicks.
The Business Impact of Measuring Attention
Attention metrics aren’t just numbers; they drive better decisions. By focusing on real human engagement, brands can:
– Optimise Media Spend: Invest in placements that deliver actual attention, not just empty impressions
– Improve Creative Performance: Understand what captures attention and what gets ignored
– Boost ROI: Reduce waste and focus on strategies that lead to real outcomes.
Let’s face it, if no attention is paid to an ad, the ad cannot have an impact on any business outcomes. It cannot affect sales, awareness, message take-out, upper/lower or any other funnel you use to determine success.
How attention changes advertising
and media buying
Whether it’s mass marketing activities, or highly targeted audience and interest-based profiling, there is an element of the old spray and pray methodology if you’re not placing the right messages to the right users on the right devices through the right ad formats at the right time.
Sure, that sounds like a lot of things that need to align, but when you’re investing heavily in ad and campaign spend you need to know that the messages you’re promoting on the right platforms are set up for success.
Reduce ad spend wastage, elevate return on investment
If you knew that over 75% of the money you’re investing in your ad placements weren’t hitting a captive audience, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Attention-based measurements, in media planning and reporting, takes into account where success is most likely. Whether it’s for a sharp uplift in the recognition of your business or product offering, or it’s to place your organisation at the front of mind when a purchase decision is to be made down the line, now you can adequately and effectively plan your campaigns and ad spends to deliver the best commercial results.
Why should I use attention metrics?
Don’t just measure campaign performance and success by the same old metrics. Reach, impressions, CPM, they’re all important values to understand but if you’re not able to attribute the true campaign cost and any long-term uplift in sales performance to your activities, then you’re missing out on the whole picture.
We know quality human attention is hard to earn. Which is why we can see in our data that people switch in and out of levels of attention. It is very rare that someone will pay undivided and sustained attention.
This translates to around half the time an ad is in view, there will be no eyes-on-ad at all. This number gets worse for platforms that have highly distracting feeds. Our years of data analysis and world leading research and technology can provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions on how and where you allocate media spend and creative output.
How can I use attention metrics
in my marketing?
Did you know that human memory starts to kick in at around 3 seconds of something being exposed? And on average, each Active Attention Second can deliver 3 days in memory. This doesn’t give you a lot to work with if you’re not able to reach the audiences you need via the platforms you rely on.
Using Amplified Intelligence’s world-leading media planning tool, attentionPLAN, we can help you strategise, predict and plan for the best campaign performance possible. Divide media spends and mixes based on the most data-driven attention science which takes into account platform share, ad format performance and overall campaign spend to deliver optimum results for you and your business.
Our industry leading AI-powered attention-tracking technology, coupled with the most comprehensive database of attention to advertising across digital and TV, at Amplified Intelligence we’re capable of providing advertisers with a more accurate picture of how much attention their campaigns are actually generating — helping them to maximise their media spend, drive better campaign outcomes and minimise wastage.
Who is using attention metrics?
Attention measurements and metrics have fast become the measuring stick for some of the biggest brands and platforms the world over.
Amplified Intelligence’s suite of human attention-based products are trusted by some of the leading global partners, broadcasters, media platforms and brands. From Dentsu, IPG, OMG, Publicis, WPP, Shell, Mars, Pepsi, Foxtel, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify.
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Business case for attention
Looking for a way to dramatically increase the effectiveness and performance of your media strategies? Amplified Intelligence have the resources to help enable you to drive meaningful change in your organisations through the use of attention metrics.