Opening Remarks 
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – President & CEO, ARF

Section I. The State of Attention  

Has the industry moved closer to a shared understanding of the role of attention in advertising and of variability in attention measurement? What advancements in attention measurement have we observed over the past year? What are the new trends in ad placement and formats? What challenges and future directions should we consider in attention measurement (e.g., multitasking and screen fragmentation, attention-based” ad pricing, AI applications). 

Perspectives on Attention Metrics & Phase 3 Preliminary Findings 
This two-part session examines the evolving role of attention metrics in advertising effectiveness. Discover new insights from the ARF’s latest industry survey, which reveals how advertisers and agencies utilize attention metrics—from creative testing and media planning to campaign benchmarking—and where their priorities and methods diverge. Following that, receive preliminary findings from Phase 3 of the ARF’s Attention Measurement Validation Initiative. This phase focuses on measuring attention across media platforms and placements, with +/- 8 attention measurement companies analyzing live campaigns from 4-5 brands across TV, social, and digital. 
Tracy Adams, Ph.D. – Senior Director, Research & Insights, ARF 
Paul Donato – Chief Research Officer, ARF

Agency Reactions: Making Sense of Attention in Advertising 
Leaders from top agencies respond to the preliminary results of the Attention Measurement Validation Initiative. Panelists will reflect on what these insights mean for their organizations and discuss how attention metrics shape creative strategies, media planning, and campaign evaluation decisions. The conversation will also address broader questions: What role should attention play in the marketing mix? How actionable is it today? And what is needed to make attention a more consistent driver of strategy and outcomes? 
Neala Brown – SVP, Strategy & Operations, North America, TEADS 
Jerry Nivens – Group Director of Marketing Effectiveness and Intelligence, VML 

Section II. Evolving Metrics 

As attention measurement evolves from proxy-based metrics to more granular and behaviorally informed models, are certain attention metrics proving more reliable or scalable than others? What attention signals—such as dwell time, inferred eye tracking, skip rates, or interaction-based scoring—are emerging as preferred tools for enhancing ad effectiveness, personalization, and media pricing? Are we witnessing a shift from time-based exposure to quality of engagement models as the new currency of attention? 

Update: Attention Measurement Guidelines
Angelina Eng – VP Measurement, Addressability & Data Center & Center of Excellence Operations, IAB
Ron Pinelli – SVP of Digital Research and Standards, MRC

The Value of Universal Facial Signals in Advertising and Attention Research 
Despite being one of the most widely used non-verbal methods in research to understand viewer engagement, facial coding still stirs debate. Learn about new evidence, based on analysis of the Affectiva database of 14 million face videos, which reveals universals in facial expressions and demonstrates that these expressions have predictive power concerning key advertising outcomes. Insight will also be shared about the role of context in interpreting biometric signals, to aid in the effective use of such tools by the marketing industry. 
Graham Page – Managing Director, Affectiva Media Analytics, iMotions 
Kenneth Preston – Senior Data Scientist, Affectiva Media Analytics, iMotions 

Lunch

Adelaide Presentation
Claire Browne – Head of Research, Adelaide Metrics

Measuring Custom CTV Campaigns
Custom CTV advertising, such as interactive ads, home screen ads, screensavers, and pause ads, presents unique opportunities for advertisers aiming to engage streaming audiences. As the industry advances, even more CTV ad formats will emerge and require measurement. It’s essential to have a standard, passive, repeatable approach to measuring custom ad campaigns. This will enable the evaluation of campaign impact against all other campaigns, regardless of format. Attention metrics provide effective, apples-to-apples measurement where other metrics—such as conversions, brand lift, and impressions—fall short. What are the challenges and benefits of custom CTV campaign attention measurement compared to lab testing and other measurement approaches? Hear case studies and examples of how attention metrics are used to measure and report on the impact of custom CTV advertising among early adopters. 
Hassan Babajane – Chief Revenue Officer, TVision

Sessions TBA

Afternoon Break

Session TBA

Validating the New Attention Measures
Learn about the findings from a validation study exploring different approaches to attention measurement. Six research suppliers participated in the study, reflecting approaches which were synthetic AI-derived measures; human measures; or hybrid approaches relying on human data enhanced by AI. The study used two layers of ground truth: an ‘output’ measure at the whole of ad level; and an ‘input’ measure exploring second-by-second measurement for each test ad.  The presentation will share results of the findings and suggest future directions for attention measurement. 
Dr. Duane Varan – CEO, MediaScience 

Section III. The Road Ahead 

A growing emphasis is on standardizing attention metrics across platforms to enable more meaningful comparisons and optimize campaigns. How close are we to translating attention into predictive value? Ultimately, how can advertisers understand who sees their ads and who genuinely engages in a manner that drives conversions and boosts brand lift? 

The Big Debate: Eyes on Ads, But to What End?   
Do we really need attention metrics, or are they a luxury for wealthy marketers? Are attention metrics genuinely boosting ROI, or merely dressing up dashboards? Should brands pivot their strategies to accommodate attention, or stick with proven methods? Is optimizing for outcomes a better bet for brands facing spending pressures? Do marketers truly need both? Are we sidelining long-term brand building in the rush to measure what’s visible? And have we prematurely crowned attention as a predictor of behavior when, in reality, it’s much more complex? Join a panel to debate the role and value of attention and attribution, and the race to find the right signals – or the most convenient ones. Panelists will share their divergent viewpoints, and attendees will partake in the lively discussion.   

Panelists TBD 
Moderator: Jon Watts – Managing Director, CIMM 

Final Word: Insights & Reflections 
ARF Cognition Council members provide thoughtful feedback on the key insights and discussions they observed throughout the day. They will provide meaningful takeaways and identify opportunities for deeper exploration. 
Pedro Almeida – CEO, Mediaprobe 
Bill Harvey – Executive Chairman, Bill Harvey Consulting 
Vinod Venkatraman – Associate Professor of Marketing, Fox School of Business, Director, Center for Applied Research in Decision Making, Temple University 
More speakers TBD 

Moderator: Idil Cakim – Founder & CEO, Iris Flex 

Closing Remarks
Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – President & CEO, ARF