How Attention Can Drive Brand Outcomes

By Mike Follett

That attention can help drive performance advertising is understood, but a new first-of-a-kind study demonstrates that attention metrics can also be used to drive brand outcomes such as awareness or intent to purchase.

That’s the conclusion of a new report from Havas Media Network, in partnership with Lumen Research and Brand Metrics: What do 9,000 brand lift studies teach us about attention and memory?

Six things to know

Attention and outcomes are closely correlated

Attention has the greatest impact on preference and purchase

Results are driven by aggregate attention

Ad frequency drives attentive reach

Multiple occurrences of optimal attention achieve greater results than single instances of sustained attention

Multiple short attentive experiences drive brand awareness, while sustained attention drives action

Why attention research matters

Attention drives better performance for ad campaigns, but up to now it has not been clear how advertisers can get better brand outcomes with attention metrics. The study is the first to examine the specific amounts of attention needed to drive desired brand outcomes, providing a foundation to implement attention metrics into media planning and buying tools.

Methodology 

The research evaluated four key metrics – awareness, consideration, preference, and action intent – over 9,000 campaigns, 5.6 million impressions and 1.8 million respondents.

The study combines Lumen Research’s predictive attention models with Brand Metrics’ brand lift studies to understand the drivers of brand awareness, consideration, preference, and action intent.

Credit: WARC