media mix selection

One Size [Does Not] Fit All Optimizing Audio Strategies for Success

• Posted: June 20, 2023

What spot length works best? Audacy partnered with Veritonic to compare frequent radio listener responses to 15, 30 and 60-second ads across multiple categories such as auto, financial, retail and professional services to address this frequently asked question. Jenny Nelson (Audacy) and Korri Kolesa (Veritonic) presented the results of this study, which were measured by Veritonic’s audio score components such as attribute score, intent score and engagement score. This survey-based study of a panel of 2,400 radio listeners pointed to a variety of recommendations, such as initiating multiple 30-second ads instead of fewer 60-second ads, testing creative before launch and deploying a total audio strategy to reach omnichannel listeners.

Concurrent Track Panel Discussions: ATTENTION MEASURES

• Posted: June 15, 2023

These presenters were all true believers in the value of attention. Their key takeaways from the presentations in this track were:

• Attention is “ready for prime time,” as Marc Guldimann (Adelaide) put it. It has risen to prominence in the industry’s agenda and expects it to spread into media mix modeling and programmatic. Attention, he believes, should free the industry from “invasive” attribution practices by giving advertisers confidence in the quality of the media they are buying.
• Jon Waite (Havas) was encouraged to see attention move from theory to practice for optimizing campaigns. He believes that the focus on attention would encourage publishers to improve experiences on the web, which, in turn, would lead to better results for brands.
• Mike Follett (Lumen) cautioned that there was still much to learn about attention in different contexts, flighting, frequency, differences between B-to-B and B-to-C, the role of creative and long-term effects. What he found interesting in Joanne Leong’s presentation (to which he contributed) is the possibility of developing models that can predict attention for any campaign.
• Publishers have come up with innovative formats to optimize for attention on television, according to Kelsey Hanlon (TVision).

 

There was some disagreement among the panelists about the prospects for an attention currency.  Marc saw it as an “obvious next step.”  Mike regarded attention as more of a buy-side “trading tool.” Jon said that it will become a key planning metric for Havas.

Attention Everywhere

• Posted: June 15, 2023

The NBA tested an attention metric for digital media ad placements developed by Adelaide–called the AU–to increase tune-in to the NBA Finals and to improve its brand metrics. They leveraged the AUs of their CTV and digital placements to optimize a large campaign across CTV, digital, social, and OOH with over two billion video impressions. They also used the AUs, which they obtain in near real-time, to adjust those placements in-flight. They found that AUs lifted their KPIs and will incorporate them into their media mix models. Adelaide is also working with TVision to get AUs for linear television by daypart and genre. Their tune-in data was provided by SambaTV.

Dentsu’s Attention Economy Project: From Theory to Practice

• Posted: June 15, 2023

Dentsu conducted multi-phase research on visual attention to advertising in the U.S. and U.K. across channels, platforms, formats and devices. For digital ads, they worked with Lumen, and for television ads, they worked with TVision. There were two components to the research–exploring how much attention consumers pay to advertising “in the wild” and exploring attention to ads in a structured design with forced exposure to pre-selected ads for varying amounts of time. They learned that, for example, uplift in outcomes was stronger for viewing of four seconds of a six-second ad than for four seconds of a 20-second ad. This research has provided Dentsu with an extensive data set on attention and an understanding of the drivers of attention that can be applied to future plans.

The Future of Attention Measurement

• Posted: June 13, 2023

Horst Stipp, ARF’s EVP, moderated a panel discussion with the speakers from the second half of the event. He asked panelists if they found new insights or surprises in the presentations and discussions, if there is room for improvement in attention measures and “what’s next”, specifically if attention measures should become currency. Here are edited highlights from their conversation.

Evaluating the Drivers of Attention Across Media and Creative

• Posted: June 13, 2023

According to Britt Cushing of OMD, we need to make sure that creative and media “sit hand in glove” as everyone battles for attention in a sea of clutter that is diluting effectiveness. Sixty-five percent of media impact actually comes from the creative. OMD has been looking at attention for planning through years of empirical testing (across 25 brands, 10 categories and seven different markets). They found that attention drives mental availability and is fundamental for brand growth. In this presentation Britt discussed OMD’s approach to leveraging attention from planning to activation to garner competitive advantages for brands.

Defining Attention and Measurement Standards

• Posted: June 13, 2023

ARF President & CEO, Scott McDonald hosted a lively and provocative discussion on attention metrics, how valid they are and if they do in fact measure “attention” and predict outcomes. Marc Guldimann of Adelaide called these metrics fit for purpose. Dr. Duane Varan of MediaScience, however, noted that attention metrics do not measure what vendors are saying they do.

Marketing Measurement in the Pandemic Era–Navigating to Success

• Posted: June 8, 2023

At this ARF Insights Studio, OptiMine provided attendees with real-world findings and success stories from large brands. Matt Voda, CEO, and Dr. Robert Cooley, Ph.D., CTO & Chief Data Scientist, detailed how they’ve navigated rapid budget adjustments, huge channel shifts, optimal timing of spend changes and outlined how to remain invested in marketing during budget pressure. Insights on key pitfalls to avoid, techniques to exploit and how to adapt during what is likely to be a very bumpy “recovery” were also shared.

Audi Switzerland Integrates Attention Metrics & AI into Programmatic Bidding to Drive Business Outcomes

• Posted: June 5, 2023

Zach Kubin of Adelaide began the session by explaining how reach has become increasingly fragmented. Digital, viewability and ACR tell an incomplete story, which makes it difficult to assess the quality of the media brands are buying. Adelaide combines all the available metrics into their own algorithm, which they call the Attention Metric (AU). Filip Pujic of Audi gave details from the car company’s use case, where it integrated AU using Adelaide’s algorithm into programmatic bidding, driving positive business outcomes. Audi will conduct a follow-up study to validate the results they have received.

The Rise of Retail Media: Latest Trends, Opportunities and Challenges for Retailers and Brands

• Posted: June 2, 2023

In providing an overview of retail media’s latest trends, opportunities and challenges for retailers and brands, Michael Ellgass (Circana) shared results from analyses of over 100 CPG studies that looked at channel performance in retail media networks and the halo impact outside those networks. Finding that the total incremental sales impact is often larger than what the retail media can see in their own outlets and that most shoppers are influenced by a variety of channels, Michael presented the nuanced data that supported a combined approach for maximum impact.