New ideas are prone to initial bursts of innovation and fragmentation – usually followed by a natural shift towards standardisation and uniformity. This is the inflexion point we find ourselves at with “attention” as we enter 2024. But while some standardisation is inevitable, competitive advantage is still to be found.
In the UK, 12 million people have hearing loss, over 2 million have sight loss and over 10 million are neurodivergent. For brands that plan with attention in mind, it’s important to consider the impact on real people and not just homogenous averages.
Furthermore, much of the data in the market focuses on average attention levels. Of course, these can be incredibly useful data points – but no brand wants to be ‘the norm’. Businesses need to be using an element of brand-specific attention data that will help them to make more informed decisions to reach their specific target audiences.
Plan for the platform
At OMG we’ve done over 100 tests with the world’s biggest media owners, demonstrating that often the media platform itself has the biggest impact on attention levels. But the difference in performance between platforms is dramatic. By understanding the nuanced impact of different media platforms, you can optimise your campaigns for maximum attention and effectiveness. Make sure you factor these into your channel planning. Or as we like to call it – good media planning.
Short isn’t worse – it’s just different
Attention planning isn’t always about maximising attentive seconds; often, it’s the opposite. For established brands, one to two seconds is plenty, and we’ve found additional time-spent can be less efficient. Finding the right level of attention is vital as brands establish optimal methods and metrics for measuring it.
This leads us to trading and the market reality. As awareness of attention’s importance increases, marketers must understand that if you need four seconds of attention to make an impact, you won’t be buying four-second TV spots. Tailor targets for each campaign; it’s linking this insight to trading that will significantly enhance your 2024 performance.
Capitalise on your creativity
The creative itself is likely to be one of the most effective levers you have. Combine this with powerful attention data that can help inform creative execution, with tools like System 1 helping to measure emotional responses along with short and long-term brand impact.
By using attention data, you can make informed decisions in the creation stages, considering factors like size, length, and brand visibility. When attention data is strategically applied, it enhances the connection between your media and creative elements, taking your marketing efforts to the next level.
As Goodhart’s law tells us, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure”. While adding attention metrics into OTS and viewability is a step forward, the core purpose of marketing is unchanged – to sell products and foster customer loyalty. Teams must ensure that attention data is used in econometric models focused on business outcomes.
Like all nascent markets, attention is on a journey and as big advocates of the discipline, we’re excited to see how championing the differences will continue to create advantages for businesses in the year ahead.
Henry Rowe is chief digital officer and chief strategy officer at OMG UK
