Commercials on connected TV deliver more attention and better business outcomes than other forms of digital video advertising, according to new research from Yahoo, Omnicom Media Group and Amplified Intelligence.
The research comes as advertisers pour money formerly earmarked for broadcast and cable TV into CTV. The IAB this week forecast that spending on CTV is expected to grow 12% in 2024.
In the study, commercials on CTV delivered an average of 9.7 active attention seconds, about eight times more than mobile ads and 16 times more than desktops.
“This makes sense due to the nature of the device, where the ad takes up most of the TV screen, whereas desktop tends to have more content and, therefore, more distraction from the ads,” the companies said in announcing the results of the research.
The study also found that the quality of the content surrounding an ad matters. When ads ran in premium supplies of content, they delivered attention above benchmark levels.
Importantly, the research showed that higher attention levels contributed to better business outcomes, although viewing an ad on a personal device like a mobile phone was more likely to produce a sale than the same ad on a larger screen.
Consumers exposed to a brand’s ad had a 26% higher purchase intent on mobile compared to viewers not exposed to a brand’s ad. Viewing an ad on a desktop increased purchase intent 13% and CTV raised purchase intent 11%.
The report recommends that advertisers include CTV in omnichannel programmatic campaigns because of the consumer attention it generates.
It notes that where an ad appears matters, as does making sure that creative executions emphasize the brand.
“For niche brands that require consumers’ Active Attention to take action, having the brand clearly appear on the creative is essential,” the study said.
“At a time when consumers’ media consumption is more fragmented than ever, being able to understand — and capture — attention is critical for brands seeking to cut through the noise and create meaningful connections,” Omnicom Media Group chief intelligence officer Joanna O’Connell said.
“Importantly, understanding the dynamics of consumer attention within and across channels enhances our ability to build effective omnichannel investment strategies for our clients,” O’Connell said,
The research was conducted using Amplified Intelligence’s attentionTRACE system, which captures facial footage of viewers. Three levels of attention were recorded: active, with the viewers eyes on the ad; passive, with eye on the screen and total attention, with active and passive viewing combined.
The test uses ads from OMG clients Volkswagen of America, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia,Virgin Australia, the Victoria Government plus a consumer package good marketer and a home improvement brand.
Pixels were placed in spot delivered by the Yahoo DSP and 9.4 million impressions were collected across CTV, desktop and mobile.
"We love to see publishers such as Yahoo go all-in on attention,“ Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, founder and CEO of Amplified Intelligence, said. “Their latest research and activation with attentionPROVE has provided deeper evidence that the systematic patterns we observe are ever-present across all media environments and markets.
“It is always compelling to see publishers take their valued customers on a journey of education, especially when the goal is to drive better efficiency, highlight quality inventory and cement themselves as a marketplace for omnichannel attention activation,“ Nelson-Field said. “Yahoo has done just this in their latest global work.”
