Here are highlights from a panel discussion built on research and discourse from two ARF Town Halls about the quality of ad impressions on different platforms. Two issues were highlighted: measurement challenges and assessing the value of time spent with and attention to advertising.
The panel featured Paul Donato, Chief Research Officer, ARF; Christina Hanson, Global Chief Strategy Officer, OMD Worldwide; Cara Lewis, US Chief Investment Officer, Dentsu; Sophie MacIntyre, Ads Research Lead, Marketing Science, Meta; and moderator Cesar Brea, Partner, Bain & Company. Key takeaways include:
- Research by the ARF and by Meta found that the relationship between time spent watching an ad and its impact is nonlinear – it is curvilinear with the strongest impact likely occurring during the first seconds.
- The research shows that there is no “one-size-fits-all.” Optimal attention differs by platform, channel, ad format and creative. Furthermore, while the data show that more time spent with an ad is correlated with positive impact, there is also evidence that television ads can be effective at comparatively low levels of attention
- Future research should focus on the relationship between time, attention and platform, on getting more insights on the role of different ad environments and on improving attention measures.