Media platform Teads has released insights into the feasibility of attention as a measurement metric, based on a year of observation.

The findings come from the company’s Attention Program, an effort launched last year to provide measurement of attention-based metrics across digital screens. The new research covers over 500 campaigns from 120 advertisers that delivered 2.5 billion impressions across mobile, desktop and CTV screens.

The research identifies four key drivers of attention: quality of media, ad experience, relevance and creative. These factors were identified through joint research with major holding companies and measured by data companies Lumen and Adelaide.

Quality media offered through premium publisher environments were seen to exceed attention benchmarks by 50%. Premium publishers outperform on attention metrics with quality content driving attention levels at least three times higher than Facebook, with attention comparable to YouTube, with a 15% higher APM (attentive seconds per 1,000 impressions) target.

In connected TV, ads had a lift of 21% in omnichannel attention compared to the digital-only benchmark. In one campaign, by optimizing with high attention media across all channels, a brand drove 42% stronger lifts against Teads’ in store-visitation benchmarks.

The second driver, ad experience, influenced user attention and provided 32% more impact on brand recall compared to forced ad viewing. Publisher, platform and ad size were seen to influence user attention. The relevance of advertising, targeting the right user in the right context, delivered 135% more branding impact.

Looking at the influence of creative, eye-catching formats capture and retain attention and offer a 49% boost in attention. Optimized creative outperforms on every metric: 78% higher attentive seconds, 50% higher average viewed time and 8% higher ad recall.

Teads concluded that there is still significant room for optimization on media and creative to increase attentive reach and dwell time. This indicates that the adaptation of creative to the platform and the relevance of the placement and context further enhance attention levels, with early studies showing a 20% uplift in attention across the flight of a campaign.