cognition

Dimensionalizing the Value of Brands in an Attention Economy

On September 20th, 2023, expert researchers delivered a set of presentations and participated in a panel discussion at an event curated by the Cognition Council’s Long Term Effectiveness Working Group. Panelists shared previous work on consumers’ responsiveness to the first few seconds of an ad, followed by the Cognition Council’s analysis of the combination of two disparate data sets – Kantar’s BrandZ, an ongoing study of the brand equity of leading global brands, and a custom MMA neuroscientific study of over 800 respondents’ reactions to 24 ads. This analysis focused on the effect of brand relevance on cognitive processing (specifically cognitive load and motivation) of ads at varying scroll speeds in a feed-based environment.

Dimensionalizing the Value of Brands in an Attention Economy

  • Summary by Caroline McBride, Pernod-Ricard, Young Pros Officer

On September 20th, 2023, expert researchers delivered a set of presentations and participated in a panel discussion at an event curated by the Cognition Council’s Long Term Effectiveness Working Group. Panelists shared previous work on consumers’ responsiveness to the first few seconds of an ad, followed by the Cognition Council’s analysis of the combination of two disparate data sets – Kantar’s BrandZ, an ongoing study of the brand equity of leading global brands, and a custom MMA neuroscientific study of over 800 respondents’ reactions to 24 ads. This analysis focused on the effect of brand relevance on cognitive processing (specifically cognitive load and motivation) of ads at varying scroll speeds in a feed-based environment.

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Attention and Ad Impact: The Evolution of Attention Metrics

  • ARF Knowledge at Hand, CMO Brief

The proliferation of media platforms, with increases in multi-tasking, has made finding ways to get consumers to pay attention to advertising more important than ever. In response, researchers have developed new methods to assess attention and the ARF has found that they can provide more direct and more accurate measurements. However, as these metrics are constantly evolving, there are open questions regarding their validity and reliability. Further, as researchers are using the term “attention” in different ways, clarity about what is meant by attention and how it is being measured is crucial.

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The Attention Measurement Validation Initiative: Literature Review

Attention metrics are at a pivotal point in our industry. They are moving from the lab into the marketplace. Being at the forefront of such research, the ARF is studying 23 attention measurement providers. The goals of the study are to better understand the different tools being used, their validity, reproducibility and rightful application—whether in evaluating ad creative or the media environment. In the first phase of the project, ARF researchers produced a literature review, which itself is illuminating and adds much needed context. We now offer this review to our members. In addition, the first phase will also include a comparative analysis and profiling of all the participating measurement companies. Stay tuned for this upcoming report.

Where Has All the Advertising Gone?

This Insights Studio hosted one of the industry’s brightest minds, Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at System1 Group and author of the best-selling book Lemon (IPA, 2019). Wood presented a unique combination of neuroscience, cultural history and advertising research to describe a change in advertising style that has occurred over the last 15 years and link this to falling advertising effectiveness. The event also featured a moderated discussion with Janet Hull OBE, Director of Marketing Strategy at IPA and Scott McDonald, Ph.D., CEO and President of the ARF.

New Lenses on Brand Identity

This ARF Cognition Council event explored how brands can improve consumers’ perceptions of their pro-social messaging based on insights from fresh analyses of data from a variety of sources. Experts from Ipsos, Dartmouth College and Research Measurement Technologies shed light on a diverse range of research on ways that brands can convey pro-social messages in their advertising.

Unlocking Reach in Premium Content

NBCU’s Mike Levin and Emily Kwok tested brand safety in premium video content from a viewer perspective in their research using NBCU’s proprietary AI tech for automating brand safety and suitability decision making. The study’s three objectives asked whether increasingly violent episodes influence viewers’ experiences, if they then assign blame to marketers for knowingly advertising in explicit or violent content, and if there are specific instances where adjacency affects viewer sentiment towards an ad.

Unlocking Reach in Premium Content

Mike LevinProduct Management, NBCU

Emily KwokSenior Director, Ad Experience Measurement, NBCU



NBCU’s Mike Levin and Emily Kwok tested brand safety in premium video content from a viewer perspective in their research using NBCU’s proprietary AI tech for automating brand safety and suitability decision making. The study’s three objectives asked whether increasingly violent episodes influence viewers’ experiences, if they then assign blame to marketers for knowingly advertising in explicit or violent content, and if there are specific instances where adjacency affects viewer sentiment towards an ad. Measuring unconscious response to nine episodes across two seasons tagged with three levels of risk, facial coding and eye gaze technology, complemented by traditional surveys, captured the impact on a nationally representative sample of 1,800 respondents. Finding that violent episodes maintained stable levels of attention, the study also determined that traces of negative emotion were scarcer in the more violent episodes.

Key Takeaways

  • From the mildest episodes to the most violent, viewer attention remained stable. Attention to high risk episodes measured in at 51.5%, with attention to low-risk episodes at 51.4%.
  • Viewers don’t attribute blame to advertisers. “There’s more reward than risk,” according to Emily. Viewers tend to enjoy brands that are sponsoring the content they love, controversial or not—8 in 10 agree that they don’t distrust brands that advertise in graphic TV shows.
  • Several rare cases where gratuitous violence immediately preceding an ad break did carry negative sentiment into the first seconds of the ad.

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New Lenses on Brand Identity

  • Summary by Hannah Stone (Verizon), Young Pros Officer
  • COGNITION COUNCIL

This ARF Cognition Council event explored how brands can improve consumers’ perceptions of their pro-social messaging based on insights from fresh analyses of data from a variety of sources. Experts from Ipsos, Dartmouth College and Research Measurement Technologies shed light on a diverse range of research on ways that brands can convey pro-social messages in their advertising.

Member Only Access